Week 42: #52 Ancestors – Proud
By Eilene Lyon
The prompt brought this photo to mind almost immediately, though it seems an odd choice. No one looks particularly happy in this image of the Halse family taken about 1912 in Codington County, South Dakota.
Back row: Inez, Everett (my grandfather), Hazel, Howard, Lloyd
Front row: Mabel, Amy, Myron, Guy
Guy Halse (Full name: Ernest Guy Tresselyn Halse; a big name for a big man), was born in September 1873 in Winneshiek County, Iowa. He was one of two sons (no daughters) born to Richard Halse and Meltha Lucinda Painter. He spent his entire career farming, moving to South Dakota in 1881, when he was still a child.
Mabel Pearl Cutting, also born in Winneshiek County and just a baby when she arrived in Codington County, was the oldest child of Arthur Cutting and Alice Fawcett. She and Guy married when Mabel was just 16 years old. She had to obtain her father’s permission to marry the 23-year-old Guy on February 4, 1897. (Note: Mabel and Guy were second cousins.)
During their marriage, Mabel gave birth to 11 children who all survived to adulthood. The photos of Mabel as an adult always show an apparently exhausted woman. Guy expected her to do everything regarding keeping the home and rearing the children. There were no Mr. Moms in those days.
I don’t know if Guy ever aspired to anything beyond having a successful farm. He did work for the census in 1920, enumerating the people in his township, completing 12 sheets in legible writing. According to my great-aunt, Mabel tended toward the quiet side, but Guy was quite talkative
What strikes me about the feature photo is not only how well-dressed we find this farm family, but note Guy’s pose. He appears to be balanced on just a single leg of that chair! His poise in such a precarious position just reeks of vanity. He has done well in life, knows it, and is proud to show off in this picture.
Myricopia 
I love how many clues and such you find in pictures. With people taking so many pictures now, I wonder what the future will say about them.
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I wonder how many of those gazillion photos will even be preserved and shared. I think these old family photos are cherished because there are so few.
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I thought that exact thing as I hit send on the response….how many photos do we print out?
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I rarely do prints. My aunt still likes to buy prints and put them in albums. I think she’s smart to do that.
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I make books out if my memories for the year. It’s ok
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Great idea! I think I should get a handle on all my digital images and do something similar.
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It’s a nice little reminder of things!
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Sure need that these days!
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💗😉
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Sixteen years old and bearing eleven children probably one every other year or so? No wonder she didn’t talk much or smile and always looked exhausted. I hope he was at least kind to her!
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I do think they had a close relationship. I think he was bit lost when she died (in 1946). Guy passed on in 1961.
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That’s good to know.
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I see a touch of arrogance in his look, but back then most photos appear to have that. Poor Mabel, she looks like she looks like that photo may have been her only chance to have a rest!!
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I’m probably taking a bit of poetic license in my interpretation of the photo.🙂 But certainly Mabel did have to work hard and always looks tired in photos besides this one.
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My immediate thought was someone should get this woman a cup of tea!
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She could use a pick-me-up, couldn’t she?!
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I’ll bet there are a lot of stories behind those faces.
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Don’t I wish someone had found the time to write them down!
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I know just what you mean. So many stories lost to time.
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Well, people will be overwhelmed by my TMI reams of stories!
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😀
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I hadn’t noticed his balancing act with the chair until you pointed it out. Well, he had the energy since she did basically everything around the house . . .
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😆 I’m sure the farm was a lot of hard work for him, too.
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No doubt. He was living on the edge with that chair balancing stunt.
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😂 Yes, quite the daredevil.
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Haha!
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Eleven children who all loved to adulthood? My goodness. She should be exhausted! Love the pictures and the story.
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I think any more than zero would have wiped me out.😉
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Lol. For real. I’ve never been a kid person and needed a nap just from reading about all those kids!
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I’ve been transcribing a diary from high school. Apparently I did more babysitting than I remembered. It didn’t sound like I enjoyed it much, either.🤭
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That sounds terrible!
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11 children! *Faints* So I’m wondering if she has more after this picture, or if some of the older ones had already left home and this was the last baby? Or in between is possible I suppose, basically wondering how much more exhausted she had to get. The small boy at his father’s knee is wearing an interesting jacket.
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Yeah, she had four more to come! The older girls did helps some with the youngest. There’s quite a tale about the last child who got a bone infection. Word is she was a bit pampered and “spoiled.”
That is an odd jacket – almost looks like a bath robe!
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😱
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Yeah, I feel the same!
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I wondered if that boy’s unusual jacket was part of a baseball uniform. Baseball was already quite popular by this time.
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That’s something I should look into, Virginia. Thanks for the tip!
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I think you’ve got Guy’s number with your assessment of that last photo. I don’t like him very much.
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I can’t say I know all that much about him. He probably was somewhat typical for that time period. He was certainly a physically imposing man. I haven’t heard any truly negative things about him. Hard to say, but I suspect in some ways he would not be my favorite ancestor.
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She does look rather exhausted! I was tired enough with just two!
I’m going to have dig around for a family photo with my dad’s grandfather. There were 12 children who all lived to adulthood — similar situation with farming, etc., except from all reports they were quiet, unassuming people. In the photo I’m thinking of, grandfather gave up his seat for a granddaughter and he’s standing behind the chair. 🙂
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I like that scenario a bit better than what my impression is of this photo. I’m surprised Guy doesn’t have a tankard of ale and a big steak on his lap! (Actually, he was partial to sugar, which didn’t help his diabetes any.) Well, I’m being a naughty great-granddaughter, aren’t I?
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It appears the child standing next to Guy has some of his bravado.
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Interesting observation. He’s a cutie, isn’t he? I think he turned out pretty nice, actually. I’ve met his daughter, and she is, too.
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Iowa!!! My homeland lol. 🙂
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Is that so? Ever been to Decorah?
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I haven’t but I know right where it’s at 🙂 I grew up in one of the small towns outside of Hiawatha/Cedar Rapids -and graduated from U of I 🙂 (Go Hawks)
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I don’t recall that I’ve ever been in that area, but it’s possible!
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Could that chair have a broken off leg or sunk into the dirt? Should be same distance from that rung to the ground.
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Hard to say since I can’t see the right rear leg in the photo. Seems you would put out a good chair for a family portrait, though.
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