About

About Me

Hi, I’m Cheri, and I’m so glad you could stop by.

I am the family genealogist/historian, and the voice, author, and creator of Connecting To Our Past, which I started recently to share my family history journey and hope to help others on their journeys, as well.

As a lifelong New Englander, I feel fortunate to have had access to numerous historic sites, which fueled my fascination and passion for researching history.

Fun Facts:

I’m a homeschooling mom, a step-mom, a mormor (grandma), and a crazy cat lady. Our family is a little bit Yours, Mine, & Ours. We have 5 kids: our two sons (Ryan & Russell), my son (Nathan), his son (Calvin), and his daughter (Kierra).

Lover of the Arts, Books, and Nature! I am indulging my creative side at Artsy Creations By Cheri where every day is a good day to craft. ​Creating handmade, handprinted, and customized gifts from the heart.

I can often be found balancing, juggling, & dancing through life with my wacky monkeys (aka the kids), which you can read about on my other blog, Artsymom’s Balancing Act.

Working on our family tree has become one of my favorite ways to incorporate history into our lessons and a great way to involve the family in one of my passion projects.

Our Family Tree

Our family roots are vast and include:

  • Europe: (most, if not all countries)
    • Norman Ancestry / Vikings
    • Nordic Region / Scandinavian Countries
    • The British Isles
    • Baltic Countries & Eastern Europe
    • France, Germany
    • Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece
  • Colonial America & Canada:
    • Gateway Ancestors
    • Royal Ancestry
    • Magna Carta
    • Mayflower
    • Puritan Great Migration
  • Immigrants to the US in the 1800s – early 1900s from:
    • Lithuania
    • Sweden
    • Ireland
    • Germany
    • Poland
    • Italy

I am a 12th generation New Englander, 4th generation Lithuanian & Swedish immigrants, 5th generation German immigrant, and 6th generation Irish immigrant.

My husband, Tim, is a 12th generation New Englander, 5th generation Irish Canadian & Italian immigrants, 6th generation German immigrant, and 10th generation French Canadian immigrant.

My son, Nathan, is also a 4th generation Italian immigrant, and a 5th generation Polish immigrant.

Want to connect on genealogy / family tree sites or social media?
Check out my Let’s Connect page.

I have spent countless hours working on our family tree, exploring various resources on a journey to where our stories began. In addition to records, I have also been using DNA test results to help put our family puzzle together.

The key is finding the right pieces to connect.

Recently, I began collaborating more with other genealogists/family historians on WikiTree and other websites, to help grow accurate public family trees and share knowledge with others.

I look forward to helping others to create their family trees, connect with family, and learn about where their own stories began.

Come join me…

~ Cheri (Thunstrom) Harrington