TWO: Georgia's Childhood

TWO
GEORGIA’S CHILDHOOD
1914 – 1933

Georgia was 94 years old when she died. There was a lot of living in all those years.

She was born in Holyrood, Kansas, just a few miles from here. Her father was a professional photographer and had studio’s in Holyrood as well as Claflin. The building across the street (from the church in Claflin) was redone for the restaurant run by Roger and Sarah a few years ago. They researched the history of the building and discovered the upper level had been a photography studio and therefore named the Bar portion of the building the “F. A. Wesely Room”. While Georgia was very honored they did this and provided Roger and Sarah some photos as requested, she would smile and say I wonder if her father would have felt the same honor as he never smoked or drank!!

At age of 5, her father moved the family to Wichita to expand his business. He still kept his studio here and would return on monthly visits to take family pictures. There are many photos in existence around this area with the Wesely marking on them.

Georgia’s strong faith began here. Her grandparents donated the land where the Holyrood Catholic Church stands today. Her parents and grandparents are buried at Cain City. When her father moved them to Wichita, it appears he also became the photographer for taking many of the pictures of the priests and nuns in that area. Georgia and her twin brother George and 3 older brothers all attended St Joseph’s Catholic School in Wichita. Being the only girl and the apple of her father’s eye, when she was old enough to attend High School, he sent his only daughter to Sacred Heart Academy Boarding School for girls in Wichita. And while Georgia did not chose to become a nun (as I think her father was hoping for), her faith was further strengthened by her education there. Georgia had plenty of stories she shared with her family and friends over the years regarding the discipline she learned there as well as many of the funny pranks they would pull.