Christine B. Emmanuel

Born and raised as one of nine children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, “GEN 12” Christine “Christy” Broderick Emmanuel is a 20-year resident of historic Pensacola, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in social work from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana; and a Master of Business Administration in finance from The Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee.

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A self-described connector, documentarian, and family historian, "Christy" counts 75 Brodericks and 45 Emmanuels as family members among siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews and their offspring. With her undergraduate degree, Emmanuel honed soft skills coordinating the placement and activities of 650 volunteers each year at Boston's Museum of Science. During her postgraduate studies, she developed analytical skills as both a legislative intern with the Health & Rehabilitative Services Committee in the Florida House of Representatives and a research assistant to market research professor Dr. Armen Tashchian in FSU’s College of Business.

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The Westcott Story author engaged in research and business writing throughout her 33-year corporate administration career in the commercial banking and mortgage information technology sectors. Recognized for technical writing and journalistic excellence, she placed first or second in statewide and national competitions as a commercial banker. Her work has appeared in local, regional, and national publications.

 

Post-retirement in 2017, Emmanuel placed first in a Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce writing contest for “The Overstory at Innerarity Point.” Her credits include editing Working a Better Way: A 50 Year History of LandrumHR © 2020 by prominent Pensacola businessman H. Britt Landrum, Jr.; and The Impact of IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area © 2014 and © 2019 as co-editor and co-author, respectively. Earlier, she co-authored Wine and Words: A Book About a Book Club © 2013.

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Within weeks of Mr. Landrum’s publication of Working a Better Way in 2020, Emmanuel received an auspicious phone call that altered her course as a retiree. The unknown caller introduced herself as the wife of Bill Newcomb, a deceased first cousin of Emmanuel’s mother. Enthralled by her late husband’s maternal ancestry, Susie Newcomb set out to find a suitable home for the coveted family archives then in her possession. She hired a private investigator in search of a descendant who would commit to safeguarding a treasure trove of Westcott family lore. The stars aligned with the connection Susie made with Christy.

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Willing—upon receipt of four boxes from Walnut Creek, California, that literally appeared on her doorstep—Emmanuel opted to start writing. From the beginning, starting on page one to the end, she sought to unravel a tangled thread in order to tell the story of her maternal lineage in the context of America’s unfolding history. The revelations found in The Westcott Story came one after the other, many as epiphanies to her sheer delight.

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Across 790 years from the birth of her 17-times great-grandfather John de Wescote in 1234 to the present, Emmanuel recorded 22 successive generations in her bloodline. The unbroken family thread connects her 17-times great-grandparents in mid-13th century “Old England” to her immigrant nine-times great-grandfather in mid-1630 “New England” to her great-nieces and great-nephews in present-day America—14 generations in the New World and still counting. Few people can trace their roots that far back, let alone honor the privilege by writing the story.

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Like a Westcott—strong-willed and tenacious—Emmanuel tackled the project with focused attention and profound respect as she loosened the soil of knowledge and dug deep. She credits her husband of 40 years, Patrick “Rick” G. Emmanuel, Jr., who patiently and lovingly endured the inestimable hours required of her to bring The Westcott Story to fruition.​

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Member Organizations:​

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St. Mary's College

Florida State University  

Pensacola Women’s Alliance

IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area

Fiesta of Five Flags [Fiesta Pensacola]

Merry Makers

Wine & Words Book Club

Blended Book Club

“Grammarcize” with University of West Florida Writing Lab director Mamie Hixon

Seville Square Historic District Neighborhood Association

Pensacola Heritage Foundation

University of West Florida Historic Trust

Emerald Coast Writers

American Ancestors

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