Black and White Livseys’ come together in Georgia

A true family reunion
Livsey family — black and white — to gather

By Eileen Drennen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/20/07

Tom Livsey is on a mission.

The merchant banker wants to spread the gospel of genealogy —- but not just because he likes history. He believes families can’t make sense of the future if they don’t understand their past.

Here’s what he wrote in an e-mail:

“We are the Livseys. … For the first time this past summer, the white and black Livseys celebrated a family reunion together. It was a wonderful occasion. No one owed no one an explanation or excuse for the past. No animosity. No guilt. The only thing each and everyone left with was a whole new family tree. How about that? Since then, we have become one family.”

Both branches will gather again today —- only this time, the black Livseys will host the white side of the family at their longtime home in the Promised Land community, off Centerville Highway, near Snellville.

Part of the Promised Land plantation Livsey’s grandfather purchased in 1920, the community includes the original 1820 Thomas Maguire house that survived Sherman’s sweep through Georgia (www.gwin netths.org/Tour/) and is home to many members of the extended Livsey family.

The Livseys were one of the first families to settle in Gwinnett, Livsey said. Last year, his parents, Thomas and Dorethia, received a lifetime achievement award from the Gwinnett Chapter of the NAACP for their service to the community.

He and his father learned about the many branches on their family tree from a white cousin, Annette Livsey Merritt of Decatur. She accompanied father and son to the National Archives in East Point last year, he said.

“She’s 85,” he said, “and her older sister’s 89. We stopped the show when we got there.

“People just couldn’t believe that we were getting along like family.”

Livsey said he’s glad to share his family’s experience of tracking down their roots with any other families interested in following a similar path. He can be reached at tlivseyflnb@yahoo.com.

A much-decorated Livsey cousin —- Gen. William Livsey, who served in Korea and Vietnam —- will be addressing the extended family gathering this weekend.

How many folks does Tom Livsey expect will attend?

“I’m sure it’s going to be 200,” he said. “But that’s just a normal cookout for family.”

Tags: Uncategorized