Friday's Favorite Family Foto

I just love vintage family photos.

I love the history behind them.

I love their character.
I love the story that they tell.

And I have found a group of bloggers that shares this passion.

If you'd like to join in the fun...

pop on over to Deborah's place...

http://www.picturespotspens.blogspot.com/

This photo I just aquired this week.

It is a photo of my Great, Great, Grandmother.

Her name is Fannie Jane Brady.

I dont know the exact year that this was taken.

But I do know that it was taken in a hotel lobby, in a

little town in middle Georgia, called Pope City.

It was a railroad town, with a blacksmith, railroad depot,

a general store, a church, and this hotel.

Nothing remains of this little town, today.

Except for a little history...

The Hawkinsville & Florida Southern Railway was chartered in 1889. Over the next 12 years this company built a 43-mile line running south from Hawkinsville to the new Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad at Worth, a point three miles north of Ashburn.

The settlement of Pope City was born alongside the tracks of the Hawkinsville-Florida Southern Railroad. Its development was promoted by the Pope City Investment Company, whose offices were located there. The company was chartered in 1912. Its purpose was to set up turpentine stills, to buy and sell real estate, to build houses, to open and operate farms, to establish a general merchandise business, and to deal in live stock. A Pope City Baptist Church was established.

In 1922 the H&FS entered receivership and was ordered to be sold. The southern end of the line from Camilla to Ashburn was purchased by the new Georgia, Ashburn, Sylvester, and Camilla Railway, but because no buyers had been found for the tracks between Hawkinsville and Worth, these were abandoned in 1923. Pope City slowly faded with the demise of the Hawkinsville-Florida Southern Railroad.

Now, back to Fannie Jane,

My GGG's husband had been married before, his wife died during childbirth, but left him with 5 children. He married my Great, Great Grandmother, and they had 12 more.

Do you see how bright eyed she is? How can a woman with 17 children look so bright eyed and at ease? I wonder what her life was like. I only have 2 children, and I dont think I ever look that relaxed and rested.