A Family Legacy

By now, you’ve probably already received your copy of the long-awaited family history by G. Wayne Bradford, “Descendants of William M. and Artemese E. Green Sullivan.” I received it several weeks ago but my family’s busy schedule wouldn’t let me give it an adequate study. In our busy world, we are losing the opportunity to share not only the histories of our parents and grandparents but our own personal stories. Kids rush off to computer games after dinner while we attend a meeting, so there’s no lingering over the table to share family experiences. We send e-mails instead of writing letters. If someone in front of us at the grocery store lingers to tell us something funny that happened to him, we get irritated for the delay. Wait. Stop. Slow down—A book of gigantic proportions (1,040+ pages) and gigantic impact is whispering—well actually yelling—to me to spend some time with it. This book is not a simple family tree with names and dates, rather it is a collection of so much more. It is not just a simple history of the struggles the families faced, but a endearing tribute to those who have made our histories. It brings a level of intimacy to a family that was already close. Wayne Bradford took the time, three years in fact, to track down the descendants of William Sullivan and Artemese Green and he didn’t stop there. Wayne not only provides the names and dates of their descendants but he sought out and collected these marvelous stories and photographs that will live on as a legacy to our family. I wasn’t surprised when he told me that people are ordering three and four copies at a time. It’s a project that’s been sorely needed for a long, long time. Not only does it provide a wonderful tribute to our ancestors but it provides a legacy to our children and grandchildren.
I don’t know how he did it, but Wayne managed to track down and include so many wonderful photographs too. All but one of William and Artemese’s children are featured. In addition to the photos included in the family history, there are two photo albums (over 180 pages!) to include every branch of the Sullivan family.
Being very modest, Wayne did not insert his own biography, which I really missed. He did give credit to all of the researchers who had contributed to the book. I am a little embarrassed to see my name quoted in there so much, but I am pleased that Wayne was so adamant in documenting the sources of the information included. I am also pleased that when faced with a disputed fact, Wayne made every effort to include sides of the argument.
I am extremely grateful to Wayne for this lovely and humongous book that will hold a place in our home forever.

April