Christine B. Emmanuel

A likeness of my five-times great-grandfather Captain John Westcott depicted holding the American flag. JULY 4, 2026, MARKS THE 250-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our young nation’s founding as the “United States” with the Second Continental Congress’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The timing roughly coincides with my recent admission as now a proud member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.   To commemorate the semiquincentennial, celebrat

During the process of researching my mother’s lineage, I stumbled upon a few resonating quotes that made their way into The Westcott Story . One of them, attributed to author Elizabeth Hunter,  The Scribe, 2013, reads "We're all immortal, as long as our stories are told." Westcott Memorial - James Diament Westcott, Jr., wife Rebecca Bacon Sibley Westcott, and son James Diament Westcott III, Old City Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida The thrill of breathing life into hundreds of

I can hardly contain my excitement! Last month, I learned that the University of Notre Dame’s “Hammes Bookstore” and the “Shaheen Bookstore” at St. Mary’s College accepted The Westcott Story: The Enduring Spirit of an American Family Spanning 400 Years into their collection of books for sale. I will share my family’s story with my St. Mary’s ’75 classmates at our 50-year reunion at month’s end ( May 31, 2025—10-10:30 a.m. ). As well, I just received confirmation that I will s

I’m stunned by what happened on Saturday, Easter Eve, April 19, 2025. First, an innocuous text arrived from Chris Lauderdale, sister to Marsha Stanton—my former Innerarity Point neighbor and the subject of the blog posted on my website titled “Do I know you? Are we related?” In the process of writing my family’s history, Chris, Marsha, and I made the uncanny discovery that we relate through our nine-times great “G9” grandparents Simon and Isabel Pearce Sackett who arrived amo

The Westcott Story America’s Longest Journey Across the tides of time they sailed, From distant shores, their hopes unveiled. The Westcotts came with steadfast grace, To carve their path in a wild, new place.   Four hundred years, a storied line, Fourteen generations etched in time. Through trials steep and skies storm-wrought, Their faith unshaken, their battles fought.   The 17th century bore their dream, To forge a life on fields unseen. A family bound by toil and prayer,

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell popularized the term “connector.” By having a foot in many different worlds, connectors have the effect of widening their circle while bringing people together. Upon reading The Tipping Point when released in 2000, a nephew pegged me as a connector. I’d not previously thought of myself that way, but I freely acknowledged my inclination. In truth, the relationships I have cultivated over decades yield affirmations of belonging. I

The Westcott Story carries deep significance for me as a post-retirement passion project that is likely to survive the test of time. "GEN 9" Edward Stenger Hoke (1850-1939) While acquiring knowledge about the people whose stories comprise this two-volume set, the dimension of time came into sharp focus as a crucial element. Grasping where and when my forebears' lives unfolded in history provided a sense of time’s passage. Context brought clarity to their circumstances and a v

I did not set out to write my family’s story. Rather, the story found me.