Hazel E. Worsdell, Carthage, Missouri 1900's

The back reads:
"Hazel Worsdell
To Helen Farley
From
Great Aunt Alice
Clarence Farley's Wife
Helen's Mother"

Hazel E. Worsdell was born in Carthage, Missouri on March 16, 1893. Hazel was the youngest child of Elizabeth and William Worsdell. She had a brother and sister, Ralph and Rebecca, who were both much older than her. Her father William was a preacher from Ohio, the son of English immigrants. The Worsdell family seemed to have relocated often as Rev. Worsdell moved from church to church. In 1905, he was preaching at a church in Byron, Kansas when he suddenly fell ill and returned to his family in Vermont, Illinois. Hazel lost her father a few months later when she was only 12 years old. Her mother, Elizabeth, moved Hazel and her sister Rebecca to the nearby town of Eureka. Here Elizabeth worked as a dressmaker to support herself and her two daughters. Rebecca's health soon began to decline. The family struggled financially and eventually sold their house and most of their belongings before moving to Henry, Illinois. Rebecca died there in 1906.

Hazel, now with just her mother, moved again, this time back to Missouri. In Sedalia, Missouri, Elizabeth and Hazel lived with Elizabeth's sister, Augusta, who was also a dressmaker. As soon as she was out of school, Hazel began working as well. At 17, she was working in the office of a printing company and in 1911, at 18, she was working as a clerk at a Chasnoff's department store. That same year, she married Clarence Newton Farley. According to a newspaper article, the engagement was announced at a party Hazel had with her friends from the department store. Hazel is described in the article as "a pretty and well-liked young lady", while Clarence is described only as being "employed at the Globe Clothing store." They were married on September 17, 1911.

In 1912, the couple moved to a farm in Green Ridge, Missouri, but returned to Sedalia in 1917. Clarence worked as a postal clerk in Sedalia for 34 years (and also apparently raised American chinchilla rabbits as a hobby.) During this time, Hazel and Clarence had four daughters: Grace, Helen, Ethel, and Lillian. Sadly, their youngest daughter Lillian died in 1950 at only 26.
According to the writing on the back, this photo was once gifted to Hazel and Clarence's daughter, Helen, by a "Great Aunt Alice"- an older sister of Hazel's mother. Helen lived with her parents for many years and did not marry until later in life.

Hazel Worsdell Farley passed away in 1969, age 76.

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