By Eilene Lyon
Hazel Mildred Halse Sturm (1899-1959)
Hazel Mildred Halse was the oldest daughter in a family with eleven children in Codington County, South Dakota. In addition to her school work, she had to help her mother with domestic chores and caring for her younger siblings.
Her mother, Mabel Cutting, married at sixteen. All those children and chores may have given Hazel pause. Probably marriage and motherhood were not at the top of her list. She still lived at home at age 25.
Her Cutting grandparents and uncles had moved to Oregon around 1900. Hazel would visit her relatives in Oregon from time to time, and that’s where she met Gottlieb Sturm, the man she married in July 1929 when she was 30. A farmer’s daughter married a farmer. Four children followed.
Hazel and Gottlieb played active roles in the Kinton Grange for many years, though they lived in various places in Oregon and Washington.
Feature image: Clip of Hazel (Halse) and Gottlieb Sturm from a Sturm family photo. (Courtesy of Loren_Shaw on Ancestry.com)
Myricopia 
She has such a kind face.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She seems to have found her joy in life. I never met any of my father’s Halse aunts and uncles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They look like a happy family. I often think of all the people in the world who live quiet lives and may not have done anything extreme of note, but have made a difference in this world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think all those nice, happy people make the world a great place to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the picture of the two of them together lightly holding hands, despite not being in the first flush of youth. They do look like a happy couple.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They do, indeed, seem content. It’s too bad Hazel only lived to 60. Gottlieb had a second marriage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How different things were back then when Hazel was likely considered a spinster/old maid by being unmarried at age 25. Like Hazel, my parents were both 30 years old when they married, which was older than most of their peers back then and they were 33 when I came along, also older for that time period.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope it gave her a chance to do some things without the burdens her mother had.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t blame her for choosing a different path … it appears her mother had a lot on her plate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But she didn’t forego motherhood altogether. Postponing is good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, she was wise to do so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My grandparents were very active in their local Grange. I was sad to hear it folded a few years back due to lack of participation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some granges seem to manage to roll with the times. Out of curiosity, I checked the status of our local granges. Of the six that once existed in our county, four are still active and even doing well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In that second photo, Hazel’s mother looks very tired. Gottlieb has a great smile.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only time Mabel doesn’t look tired in photos is her childhood and wedding!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can believe that. In addition to the work involved, having eleven children takes a big toll on a woman’s body.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not something I can truly imagine, but I’ve been watching “Call the Midwife” and have some idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Call the Midwife” is a great series!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the snapshot of the two of them. They look like happy and kind people who loved being grandparents. It’s nice when people get a happy ending!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think a lot of hard work went into that relationship.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most successful relationships require hard work. Good for them. Lovely story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Hazel and Gottlieb look like good folks. Gottlieb looks like Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He does a bit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, so the country people did wear dungarees [overalls]. Always reminds me of The Beverly Hillbillies sitcom, loved that program when I was a youngster 🙂 I too, liked the casual image of them holding hands, relaxed and happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That it a lovely image, indeed. One of the photos of my grandfather, I think from the time of his marriage, has him in a suit coat over his overalls!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Classic fashion statement 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
🫣
LikeLike
For some reason WordPress isn’t letting me post my comment… I promise that I didn’t use any obscenities!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, this one came through!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm, I sent that as an email response! Very weird…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Strange, but that is par for WP!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They look so nice! Do you and Amy Cohen read each other’s blogs? Just wondering because you two are the most dedicated genealogy bloggers right now.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha just saw Amy above me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, we do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
what lovely photos…they look so happy…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know farming is hard work, but I suspect it’s a very self-rewarding kind of thing. They earned their happy times.
LikeLike