Christine B. Emmanuel

“GEN 12” CHRISTINE “Christy” BRODERICK EMMANUEL is a resident of historic Pensacola, Florida, with roots seeded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Madison, Ohio; and Notre Dame, Indiana. Thirty-one of the author’s maternal lineal ascendants traced in The Westcott Story emigrated from England, France, and Germany; these early settlers played a role in colonizing Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, before the close of the 18th century. She claims Irish and Scottish heritage from her grandfathers.

 

Raised as one of nine children, the author counts 75 Brodericks and 45 Emmanuels as family members among the living. A self-described connector, documentarian, and family historian, 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 in Tallahassee. In the interim, she honed soft skills as a volunteer coordinator at Boston's Museum of Science. During her postgraduate studies, the author 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 the university’s College of Business.

 

Inquisitive by nature, Emmanuel actively engaged in research and business writing throughout her 33-year corporate 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. Since retiring in 2017, Emmanuel placed first in a local chamber of commerce writing contest for “The Overstory at Innerarity Point” and she edited Working a Better Way: A 50 Year History of LandrumHR © 2020 by prominent Pensacola businessman H. Britt Landrum, Jr. Her credits also include Wine and Words: A Book about a Book Club © 2013 as co-author; and The Impact of IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area © 2014 and © 2019 as co-editor and co-author, respectively.

 

Within weeks of the release 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.

 

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: The Enduring Spirit of an American Family Spanning 400 Years came one after the other, many as epiphanies to her sheer delight.

 

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.

 

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.​