Pic #1: L-R (Tom Livsey, Jonathan Hannah, Thomas Livsey, Sean Hannah, Joan Livsey, Denise Livsey Barrett, Teena Livsey Broadnax, Avis Livsey Hannah, Jack Livsey, Annette Livsey Meritt, Pic #2: Jeff Hannah and sons

by Jeff Hannah and twomucht,

White and Black Descendants of One of Gwinnett's First Families---Returned to Their Progenitor's Gravesite.

More than ten descendants of Green Livsey came together this past weekend for a hike in the woods at the east border of Gwinnett County. Even though some had different skin colors, they all had one thing in mind: they wanted to visit either their great-great grandfather's or their great-great-great grandfather's gravesite. For some it was their first visit, for others it was their first visit in over forty years. One thing was for sure, everyone present was reeling with anticipation!

Ranging in age from eight to eighty-nine, they hiked a treacherous mile track through thorns, bushes and fallen trees, in order to celebrate their family history at Green Livsey's gravesite atop the summit of an undisturbed mountaintop.

The gravesite of Green Livsey, along with seven other family members buried there nearly 200 years ago has been long-lost in the changing landscape of Gwinnett and Walton Counties. Only a handful of living people knew where the gravesite was located, deep in the woods alongside the Old Wagon Trail, near Grady Smith Road.

Jeff Hannah, a white, ggggreat-grandson of Green Livsey, led the group on the hike, along with two of his sons, any many other family members, all direct descendants of Green Livsey. Thomas Livsey, a seventy-nine-year-old, black, ggreat-grandson of Green Livsey and his son Tom Livsey also joined the journey. After the hike, the family sat down to a nice meal at the Journey's End Restaurant in Loganville to recap the event and discussed their family interesting family history...

The family history of the Livseys of Gwinnett County started back in Virginia, with the birth of a son to an English family. New to the original American Colonies, and after some extensive research, they eventually found their new home, in a small town named Culpepper, Virginia. Shortly after that, the family welcomed a new-born boy named, Green in 1794.

As a first-generation American of English descent, Green Livsey served in the "War of 1812," as a private from Virginia. After the War, he moved to Georgia around 1815. On January 7, 1817, he married Barbara Ann Poss, the daughter of Henry Poss Sr. of Wilkes County, Georgia. The Poss family was of Dutch descent.

Green H. Livsey (name spelled as, Lipsey in Wilkes Co.1820-'39 records), lived in Wilkes County about twenty-five years before selling his plantation there in 1838. He then served for two years as overseer at the Sen. Robert Toombs Plantation, before he moved to the county borders of Gwinnett and Walton in 1840.

Gwinnett County was established in 1818. Yet, in an effort to attract more stable farmers and settlers to this former Indian territory, the county raffled tracts of 250 acres in a Land Lottery in 1820 to those who could tame this wilderness into a thriving, prominent community. However Gwinnett County had to wait for over two decades, before rooting its first handful of permanent families in the 1840's.

Recently the Gwinnett County Historical Society acknowledged the families who became the backbone of our County today. These early settler families are now known as simply, "The First Families Of Gwinnett County." The Livsey family, as a whole, has not left this County since then.

Two years ago the Livseys gained national recognition when the white and black Livseys came together as a family again after over 187 years apart.

Sandy Levisey was born in 1821. He is allegedly the mulatto son of Green Livsey. Sandy was the progenitor of the black Livsey families that were registered in the 1870 U.S. Population Census in Gwinnett County records. In the 1880 U.S. Census, both Livsey family parties were using the current spelling of "Livsey."

1870 records indicate that Sandy maintained his family throughout all of the obstacles faced by most slaves or freedmen from 1820 to 1865. Interestingly, he was not faced with separation of his family members, as depicted in the historic fiction, Roots. He was not listed in records as a slave; however he did remain loyal and close to the white Livseys of Gwinnett County till his death in 1885.

"No one owed anyone 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," reiterates the Livsey Reunion Association President, Tom Livsey, a descendant of Sandy Levisey.

After more than a decade of family genealogical research, Tom Livsey (_tlivseyflnb@yahoo.com_), a news editor along with his father Thomas Livsey, together have almost united the Livsey Family Racial Tree, including their Cherokee Indian relatives.

Tom Livsey explains, "We are tri-racial: Black, White and Indian. By getting to know my new cousins, we have gathered information about our side of the family that is not located in any library, historical society, courthouse or website, if it even existed in the first place! Many names and dates that were handed down from their family ancestors, in the form of pictures, Bibles, albums, and diaries answered so many of our difficult questions.The information that they gave us was priceless!"

Livsey adds, "Most importantly, we must advocate and educate...without hate. The past is gone. The future is from the mold we make today. I am proud of my heritage. You are born into your heritage, your heritage is not born to you. I know that there are many families like mine and I hope my struggles and successes might help those who yearn for their complete family history.

I strongly urge those who are seriously considering doing a book on their family tree to get to know their other family from the past. No apologies needed, just love and understanding."