Minnie Sand Hemmle, St. Louis, Missouri 1910s

Minnie Sand was born in Missouri in 1860 to German immigrant parents Heinrich (or Henry) Sand, a farmer, and Anna Margretha Todt. Minnie was the fourth of Henry and Margetha’s eight children. By 1880 the family had moved from Missouri to Loraine, Illinois. Minnie, then 20, stayed home with her mother and sister, Margaret, while her brothers Barney and Albert helped their father on the farm. Margaret’s obituary notes that she went to a “rural school” near Loraine, and I would guess Minnie attended as well. 

Ruth Hemmle, 1912

Minnie married Edward S.F. Hemmle in 1885 when she was 25, and the couple settled in Neosho, Missouri. Their first son, Irvin, was born in February the next year. Ruth was born in 1896 and Edward Jr. arrived in 1901. Edward supported his family in different ways throughout his life, including as a clerk at an electric company and as a coal salesman. In 1910, his occupation is listed simply as “Own Income,” which according to the 1910 Enumerators Instructions was put down for “all persons who follow no specific occupations but have an independent income upon which they are living.” In 1910, the family may also have been supported by 24-year-old Irvin, who, though still living with the family, was now married and worked as a clerk at a wholesale grocer. 

In 1913, the family relocated to St. Louis. It’s hard to tell if this photo was taken before or after the move- perhaps Minnie wanted a photo in their new St. Louis home. She seems comfortable in her home, surrounded by photos of friends and family. 1915 quickly became a difficult year for the Hemmles, as both Minnie and Edward lost their mothers. They then tragically lost their daughter, Ruth, who was only 18. I wasn’t able to find more on Ruth’s death, only that it was “unexpected.” A poem was published in the Times in April of that year,  “In memory of Ruth E. Hemmle, who died at St. Louis, Mo., Feby. 11, 1915.” A line of the poem says “Her sister met her at the gate, While father, mother, and brothers must wait,” referencing a fourth Hemmle child who may have died young. 

After suffering from tuberculosis, Minnie Sand Hemmle died on July 23rd, 1917 at the age of 56. Her funeral was held at the family home in St. Louis before she was buried in Salem Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. 

If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments!