This is my great grandmother Amanda Louise Creach Hunter in the 1910s. She was 14 when this portrait was taken.

Louise understood pain and loss. I can see it in her eyes.

She was born in 1903 to a prominent family outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Her mother was diagnosed with TB. She called seven-year-old Louise to her bedside and told her to remember all she had taught her and to take care of her little sister. Her mother kissed them goodbye and closed her eyes forever.

Through contemporary eyes, I see that Louise was beautiful. But that was not always common belief. She took after her grandpa, who was “Black Dutch.” Her pitch black hair and dark features subjected her to prejudice.

Children called her “wild Indian” because she wore lace up high boots, old dresses, and long braids. She was proud of her heritage and would hold her head up.

Although her family disowned her, she was taken in by a doctor’s family. They gave her beautiful dresses and combed her wild hair into soft curls. They made her feel and look like a millionaire. That’s when this picture was taken.

Shortly after this, she married my great grandpa and would go on to have six children. Louise was humbled by everything she experienced; pain made her a beautiful person. Louise never lost her faith and was the strongest person I’ve ever heard of. I am proud to be related to her; I just wish I could have known her. ~shared by @apollo_rising