Synopsis "Some Friends and Some Relations: A Memoir of My Family"
Some Friends and Some Relations is Dr. Russell Thornley Sharpe's personal account of growing up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. This delightful, witty, and readable narrative includes a gallery of portraits of the town, its history, its people, his family, and the events which shaped his life. Russell recounts the rich history of East Greenwich, its neighborhoods and houses, growing up on Crompton Avenue, the town's parades and celebrations. Russell was born in East Greenwich on October 9, 1905. His great-grandfather led the crew that built the arched-stone railroad bridge on King Street; his grandfather established the W. R. Sharpe Hardware store in 1878; his father was born on Division Street and served as a State Senator for two terms beginning in 1923; his great Uncle Sammy served in the Civil War and hid gold coins from that era in his furniture. Russell's grandmothers, aunts, and mother and were good Victorian wives and mothers. They went to church and practiced Christian virtues, played cards, painted china, and ran good homes. The book is rich with tales from this era. Although college and the military took Russell away from his hometown, he always appreciated his East Greenwich, Rhode Island roots.
