Eminent Homemaker
County: Brown
George Ernst came to South Dakota from Indiana and taught school for three years before her marriage.
In 1931, the Ernst family lived on a 540-acre dairy farm near Aberdeen. They had one son, Raymond, who is a graduate of Notre Dame University.
Ernst added to the income of the family by raising chickens, geese and turkeys. She also assisted in judging at county and state fairs. Ernst was director of the Home and Community Program in the County Farm Bureau, County Chairman of Home Extension clubs in Brown County, and vice president of the State Federation of Home Extension Clubs.
When extension work was on the verge of being abandoned in Brown County, Ernst was one of the leaders in the fight to retain the county office. She spoke before many small groups, and her work, together with that of her co-workers, succeeded in retaining the County Extension office in the county.
The farm home was beautified by her perennial garden, which was her favorite hobby.
She was an avid reader and had an excellent library of fiction.
Ernst was proud of her farm home, which even in the late 1920’s was equipped with electricity, a modern bathroom, hot and cold running water and other household equipment.