Georgia Amanda Pickett Dabney, Cleburne, Texas 1870s

Writing on the back reads:
"For Mary.
This is Grandmother Dabney at 14 years of age.
Her maiden name was Georgia Amanda Pickett.
Little Mary Amanda is named for her."

Georgia Amanda Pickett was born in Eufaula, Alabama on April 16th, 1861. She was the youngest child of Charity Patience Norton and Dr. Charles Pickett. Only four of the Picketts' eight children- James, Mary, Sally, and Georgia- survived past childhood. Between 1861 and 1870, the family moved from Alabama to Red Oak, Texas, just outside of Waxahachie. In 1873, Georgia and her sister Sally were attending preparatory classes at Marvin College, a school in Waxahachie that had opened just a few years prior. It boasted a three-story classroom, an office building, two dormitories, and an observatory with a $1,200 telescope. The school didn't last long and closed in 1878 due to financial troubles. In her portrait, 14-year-old Georgia holds an open book- most likely the Bible- demonstrating that she is an educated young woman.

In 1878, at age 17, Georgia married John Falls "Jack" Dabney, a grocer, in Cleburne, Texas. The couple had seven children, though, like her mother, Georgia lost more than one in childhood. Their first, Ina Pauline, was born in 1880 and died four months later. Then came two more girls, Hallie Lucille in 1881 and Eva in 1885. Their first son, John, was born in 1887 and lived only five days. He was followed by three more boys, Tyre Glen in 1888, George Herbert in 1890, and Wilbur Norton in 1901.

Jack Dabney died in 1929 at age 39. Georgia Amanda Pickett Dabney died in 1937 at age 76.

I'm left with many questions about Georgia, especially her later years. Her obituary describes her only as a widowed housewife. I have to imagine she was beloved by her children and grandchildren, enough that "Little Mary Amanda" was named after her.

If she belongs to your family, I would love to know more! Let us know in the comments.