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."

The thrill of breathing life into hundreds of “immortals” among my family members who lived as many as 790 years ago touched me deeply. It hadn’t dawned on me that, prompted by my publication on January 7, 2025, new revelations about my ancestors might surface.

Exactly six months after publishing, on July 7, 2025, I received an email from Dr. Boyd Murphree who introduced himself as the “political papers” archivist with the University of Florida's special collections. One of his main areas of interest is Florida political history. Boyd told me he purchased both volumes of The Westcott Story after reading “the FSU piece on the book and the amazing story of your journey in writing them [two volumes].” I credit Deputy News Editor Justice Ulrich for writing the article which FSUNews.com published on March 12, 2025 – https://www.fsunews.com/story/entertainment/arts/2025/03/12/the-westcott-story-tells-the-legacy-of-the-westcott-family-at-fsu/78618758007/.

One of the Florida politicians that Boyd has been researching over the last couple of years is James D. Westcott, Jr. (1802-1880) whom U.S. President Andrew Jackson called to the Territory of Florida from New Jersey in 1830 to become Secretary and Acting Governor. My uncle became one of the first two U.S. senators seated when Florida gained statehood in 1845. “He is a fascinating historical figure, and I have learned quite a bit about him, his father [my four-times great-grandfather], and many of his [14] siblings.”

Given Boyd’s interest in Senator Westcott, he was intrigued to hear about my family’s history. “I found the work a lively and interesting study of a fascinating family.” Meanwhile, I was intrigued to hear about Boyd’s interest in James D. Westcott, Jr. whom I found to be something of a conundrum. I considered him exceptionally bright, accomplished, and outspoken. He was a force to be reckoned with, complicit in the Trail of Tears and the discrimination against Blacks, and he certainly had a way with words. But how this deep-rooted Northerner became an “unreconstructed Southerner” somehow mystifies me—aside from knowledge of the influence Andrew Jackson clearly had on him! I pressed Boyd to learn his impression of JDW Jr.

“JDW Jr. is a fascinating figure. There is no doubt that he was on the wrong side of history in many ways, including his support for Indian removal and his defense of slavery. Of course, as a senator from a southern state during the antebellum period, his views reflected those of his time, place, and the majority of his constituents. 

“However, through my research, I find that he, at least in the evidence available, was not for the breakup of the Union. In that sense his views coincided with those of Andrew Jackson and a large number of other southerners who opposed the nullification movement in the 1830s and the movement among southern states to secede. Yes, he left the U.S. for Canada, and I have evidence that it was probably 1864, and by all accounts he always proclaimed his love for the South and hatred of Yankees, but I think there are more complicated reasons for his self-imposed exile, including the death of his son Leigh Reed at Antietam in September 1862.” Boyd indicated that he hopes to eventually write a book on James Diament Westcott, Jr.

Our email exchange led me to mention to Boyd the offspring of James Jr. and his wife Rebecca Bacon Sibley. I had read somewhere that they had eight children but could only identify James III and a daughter in Tallahassee who died in her early 20s. I'd not learned anything about Leigh Reed let alone the fact he died at the battle of Antietam. Nearly instantaneously, Boyd responded with the names of all eight along with the date, cause, and location of their deaths where known:

1.     John Sibley Westcott, died September 6, 1823 (about 2 years old)

2.     Mahlon Dickerson Westcott, died October 15, 1840, (9 years and three months)

3.     Mercemma Harris Westcott, died September 15, 1841, of yellow fever in Tallahassee (4 years and 2 months)

4.     Rebecca Minne Westcott, died in 1842, listed in register under "Burials" from St. John's Episcopal Church of Tallahassee (no age listed)

5.     Margaret Hampton Westcott, died March 10, 1845, in Tallahassee (age 20)

6.     Anne Elisabeth Westcott, died March 23, 1854, in Washington, DC (age 20)

7.     Leigh Reed Westcott, died September 17, 1862, at Antietam (I think he was 18)

8.     James D. Westcott III, April 29, 1887

Boyd brought these people back to life as immortals—incredible! From my own research, I recognize at least one given "family" name assigned to six of the eight—excluding Mahlon Dickerson Westcott and Leigh Reed Westcott. I can even trace a derivative of "Mercemma." What about the two sisters (#s 5 and 6) who died ten years apart, both at age 20? This information somehow gives me further insight into JDW Jr. and JDW III, the Florida State University legend who features prominently in “Generation 8” of The Westcott Story. To my knowledge, none of the eight bore children of their own.

I've wondered about this family, and before now I questioned whether in fact there were eight—especially intrigued because I am one of nine. I just learned that Leigh Reed served on the side of the Confederates in the Civil War, much like his brother JDW III and their uncle John Westcott. He mustered in on May 10, 1862, and was killed in action at Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862.

Incidentally, Boyd informed me that both Mahlon Dickerson Westcott and Leigh Reed Westcott were named after political figures who had a big impact on James Diament Westcott, Jr.’s life: Mahlon Dickerson was a senator and governor from New Jersey and Leigh Reed was a militia and political leader in territorial Florida—he was murdered in a political feud in Tallahassee. 

As much as I tried to learn something about the children of JWD Jr. and Rebecca before going to press, I regret that I did not capture all eight of them in The Westcott Story. Consequently, they didn't make it into the "People Index" found on my website identifying the names and my relationship to the 1,535 individuals featured in the two-volume set (https://www.christinebemmanuel.com/books/westcott). But they have surfaced to my sheer delight, as I now know something about them that I didn’t know before. How fitting and impactful—they’ve been given a chance at immortality for another long stretch of time thanks to the connection I made with the University of Florida's political papers archivist Boyd Murphree.

Indeed, “we’re all immortal as long as our stories are told."

By the way, Boyd is keenly interested in uncovering correspondence from James Diament Westcott, Jr. and an image of his likeness. Perhaps in time someone will deliver the goods much as Boyd has done for me!

Boyd has posted a review of The Westcott Story on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Westcott-Story-I-1588-1940-Enduring-American/dp/B0DSPXG4M7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OVO8NBF22SWB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4iNodQrUPIM-vTIulep0iTKUtJ8EBTJgYKpxBxUmwCp3DFAooe04UCtH6tMHHIGBofIhnH7HUa7Ii4yymXC8mgj81hwnAxoYNXsMNce_q7NNLKNei8MuD1LBNq16tfLSh5F1aQwMcitvN7tyiDWms2pu7VDoQ_KaLgTe3doFET926RmhtMatG_-eyX2BiMd_8nPWtokYG601v8EGAvSGE-cR6hF7qOltnb34_89l_n0.sY9PYcTw2PtSuuWKnqGNu9ZaoG4nI6r_4vsDhHi8m78&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+westcott+story&qid=1753754900&sprefix=the+westcott+story%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1#customerReviews.