Ralphard Payne
Ralphard O. Payne (March 21, 1925 – Oct. 29, 1944) was a soldier from Scott County who was killed in France during World War II.
See Also: Scott Countians killed in war
Biography
Born March 21, 1925, Ralphard Payne was the son of Thomas Miller Payne (1889-1959) and Daisy Nona Anderson (1889-1957).
His siblings included Estell R. Payne (1913-2002), Opal Acres (1916-1975), Kenneth Elmer Payne (1919-2000), Alstone Lawrence “John” Payne (1922-1993), Lewis Henry Payne (1929-1997) and Edith G. Foster (1931-2024).
The Payne family was originally from Morgan County. Ralphard’s paternal grandparents were Lewis Pinkney “Pank” Payne (1842-1923) and Mary Catherine Pittman (1856-1917), who moved to the Union Grove area in Morgan County. Thomas Miller Payne, the youngest son of the family, then moved to Scott County, settling in the Black Oak area west of Oneida. His wife, Daisy Anderson, was also from Morgan County. Late in his life, Thomas Payne operated a store along what is now Leatherwood Road in the Black Oak community.
Ralphard was not married.
World War II
Pvt. Payne enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 8, 1943 at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. He was assigned to Co. F, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on Oct. 29, 1944 at the small village of Biffontaine, France. The 143rd had landed in southern France two months earlier as part of Operation Dragoon and advanced rapidly, forming a bottleneck against the retreating German 19th Army. In October 1944, the 143rd was engaged in intense fihgting in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. It was there that the 141st Infantry was surrounded and became known as the “Lost Battalion.”
Aftermath
Pvt. Payne’s body was returned to Scott County in May 1948. A funeral was held at Black Oak Baptist Church, and he was buried at O’Possum Rock Cemetery, where his parents would also be buried.
He received the Purple Heart award. He is listed on the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville, but is not listed on either of the veterans memorials in Scott County.