sampson was born hazel hall to william hall and ida balch hall on may 26, 1910, in jamestown, washington. she was the granddaughter of chief james balch, the founder of jamestown and the namesake of both the town and the jamestown s'klallam tribe of washington. her parents taught her the klallam language as a native speaker, though she later learned english as a second language. her father, william hall, founded the first indian shaker church on the olympic peninsula in dungeness, washington, circa 1910.