Biography

Cheryl Cruise has English ancestors.

Cheryl Cruise has French origins.

Cheryl Cruise has Scottish Ancestors.

Cheryl Cruise has Appalachian roots.

Cheryl Cruise is a graduate of the US Black Heritage Project's PATH.

Cheryl Cruise is a graduate of the USBH Heritage Exchange Track on the PATH.

Cheryl Cruise Participated in the 2021 US Black Heritage Project Connecting Challenge.

Cheryl Cruise is a member of the US Civil War: War Between the States Project.

Cheryl Cruise is a member of the Appalachia Project (South Central Appalachia Team).

WikiTree Day Attendee: 2022

Cheryl was born in Southern California during the 1960s and was raised in Northern California in the beautiful coastal redwood country. Cheryl moved to Washington State in 1984 for her education and there found her life's work. Learning American Sign Language came easily to her, feeling more like something remembered than the acquisition of new knowledge. Cheryl connected strongly with the Deaf community and felt a passion for advocating for them and working alongside them. In her early 20's, she worked with a dedicated group from the Deaf community to found a non-profit all volunteer-run service center of the Deaf, to provide much needed services to the deaf and hard of hearing population in a ten county area in southeastern Washington State. Within a short time, the government of the State of Washington recognized the tremendous work being done by the volunteers at the SEWSCDHH, and awarded two state contracts to the center, allowing the first paid staff to be hired. Years later, she served three terms on the center's executive board. Additionally, she, alongside a Deaf instructor, co-taught American Sign Language at the university and college level for 20 years.

Cheryl became an interpreter for the Deaf in the 1980s. In 2005, the Southeastern Washington Service Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing named her the first Interpreter of the Year, awarding her a commemorative plaque that states, "Your Hands Show Your Heart." She continues to work in this field, primarily in college and university settings.

In 2008, another of Cheryl's passions resulted in the founding of another non-profit 501(c)3 organization--this time to save the lives of adoptable pets who were dying in a local kill shelter. With two other animal loving friends, Cheryl founded Mikey's Chance Rescue, an all-volunteer run foster-home based organization, in October 2008, and over the years more than 15,000 dogs and cats have been saved from death. Cheryl handed off the administration of the organization to the next generation of volunteers in 2014, but continues to help by fostering.

Cheryl continues to reside with her family in Washington State in a lovely green valley nestled against the Blue Mountains.

• Adopted son: Living Gardner

Other Family Members:

• Living Delius
• Mary Ellen "Rory" Burford--In Memoriam, with Much Love--29 April 1958-14 October 2023
• Living Norwood

Personal statement: I have held a long-time interest in family genealogy, which began when I was a young child, when my maternal grandmother, our family historian and also an officer for the John W. Dawes Family Association, began to teach me about our family history. I have done some work on it over the years and am eager to add to my knowledge and share with others.

Family Surnames

I am especially interested in my family lines:

Paternal:

• Cruise/Crews: West Virginia (early 1900s), Virginia (1600-1900s), England (earlier)
• Jones: Virginia (late 1700s, still researching)
• Martin: Virginia (late 1600s)
• Walden: Virginia (1700s)
• Howell: Virginia (1700s)
• Witt: Virginia (1600-1800s), England (1600s)
• Dehart/De Hart/de Hart: Virginia (1700-1800s), South Carolina (1700s), New York (1600-1700s), Holland (1500s), Burgundy (earlier)
• Jordan: Virginia (1600-1800s), England (earlier)
• Justice: Virginia (1700-1800s) (family tradition says full-blood Cherokee, but no records found yet)
• Underwood: Virginia (1700-1800s), Pennsylvania (1700s), Maryland (1600s), England (earlier)
• Hollingsworth[?]: Virginia (1800s, still researching)
• Hurd/Herd: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Hylton/Helton: Virginia (1800s, still researching)
• Handy: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Harris/Harriss: Patrick, Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Hill: Virginia (1700-1900s), Ireland (earlier)
• Moran: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Owen: Virginia (1700-1800s, still researching)
• Canaday/Cannaday: Virginia (1700-1800s), Maryland (1600-1700s)
• Wright: Virginia (1700-1800s, still researching)
• Bird/Byrd: Virginia (1700-1900s)
• Michael: Virginia (1700-1800s), Prussia (earlier)
• McBride: Virginia (1800s)
• Semones: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Perdue: Virginia (1700-1900s), Maryland (1600s), France (earlier)
• Conley: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Blankenship: Virginia (1700-1900s)
• Burton: Virginia (1700-1800s)

Maternal:

• Rittenhouse: Central Virginia (1800s), Pennsylvania (1600-1700s), Germany (earlier)
• Turner: Virginia (1600-1800s)
• Witt: Virginia (1600-1900s), England (earlier)
• Strictland/Strickland/Stricklin: Virginia (1600-1800s), England (earlier)
• Roberts: Virginia (1700-1800s)
• Harris: Virginia (1600-1800s), England (earlier) Line of William Harris IV (abt.1596-abt.1656) of Jamestown, VA
• Wingfield: Virginia (1600-1800s)
• Nicholas: Virginia (1700-1800s), Dorset, England (earlier)
• LaFave/Lefebvre: New York (late 1800s), Quebec (1600-1800s), France (earlier)
• Girardin/Girard: Quebec (1600-1800s), France (earlier)
• Muir: Quebec (1800s), Scotland (earlier)
• Bertrand: Quebec (1700-1800s), France (earlier)
• Paine/Payne: New York (1800s), Quebec (1800s), England (earlier)
• Bennett: England (1700-1800s)
• Callow: South Dakota (1800s), England (earlier)
• Lewis: England (1700-1800s)
• Barker: Wisconsin (1800-1900s), England (earlier)
• Fitzgerald: England (1800s)
• Barnes: Wisconsin (1800-1900s), New York (1800s)
• Strong: Wisconsin (1900s), Vermont (1800s), Massachusetts (1600-1800s), England (earlier)
• Westover: Wisconsin (1800s), Quebec (1800s), Massachusetts (1700-1800s), Connecticut (1600-1700s), England (earlier)
• Brigham: Wisconsin (1800-1900s), Vermont (1800s), Quebec (earlier) (partly indigenous Canadian; name changed in 1800s from original French name, which is unknown)
• Trahan/Strong (anglicized): Wisconsin (1800-1900s), Quebec (1600-1800s), France (earlier)
• Destroismaisons Picard/DesTroisMaisons dit Picard: Quebec (1700-1800s), France (earlier)
• Dawes: Wisconsin (1800-1900s), New York (1700-1800s), Pennsylvania (1600-1700s), England (earlier)
• Patterson: New York (1700-1800s, still researching)
• Waldorf: Ohio (1800s), New Jersey (1700-1800s), New York (1700s), Germany (earlier)
• Fell: Pennsylvania (1700-1800s), England (earlier)

Earlier maternal ancestral surnames I am researching/following:

• Carter: Virginia (1600-1700s) Line of Robert "King" Carter I (1663-1732) of Corotoman Plantation, Lancaster County, Virginia
• Lee: Virginia (1600-1700s) Line of Dr. Henry Lee (abt.1645-aft.1693) of Chiskiack Plantation, York County, Virginia

Notes: My paternal and maternal Witt lines connect; my paternal and maternal Harris lines do not. Common Witt ancestor: John Witt (abt.1645-bef.1715), immigrant from England to Virginia.

USBH Project

Current project: While my family had some early and staunch abolitionists, sadly there were those that also held slaves. I am attempting to document the enslaved, both of my ancestors and others, in hopes it might help someone else who is trying to connect with a previously enslaved ancestor. Thus, the part of the family that held slaves in Virginia is my current focus. I am a member of the US Black Heritage Project: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:US_Black_Heritage, and I lead the US Black Heritage Project Virginia Team.

Gateway, Notable, and Civil War Ancestors

Cheryl is the 23rd great granddaughter of Empress Maud, Lady of the English.

Descendant of several Magna Carta Surety Barons.

Cheryl Cruise is a descendant of Mayflower Passenger Richard Warren.

Descendant of William Harris IV, a Jamestown settler.

Gateway, Notable, and Civil War Ancestors:

Descendant of Agnes (Harris) Edwards. Agnes was an American colonist who was a descendant of Magna Carta Surety Baron William Malet.

Descendant of Dannett Abney. Dannett was an American colonist who was a descendant of Magna Carta Surety Barons William Malet and Saher (Quincy) de Quincy.

Descendant of Pvt. Hiram Barnes, Union Soldier.

Descendant of Pvt. William Barry Barker, Union Soldier.

Descendant of 2nd Lt. John Martin Cruise, Confederate Soldier.

Descendant of John Justice, Confederate Soldier.

Descendant of 2nd Cpl. John Moran, Confederate Soldier.

Descendant of Pvt. Clayborne Jackson Hurd, Confederate Soldier.

Descendant of Sgt. James Robert Hill, Confederate Soldier.

Descendant of Cpl David Washington Rittenhouse, Confederate Soldier.

In Progress

Research on Henry Rittenhouse

Digital Afterlife

Digital Afterlife Instructions: this note is my permission that upon my demise or incapacity, for my family firstly, and then secondly, the WikiTree staff, to manage the profiles where I act as PM, in any way they see fit, as long as this is in line with the Honor Code and preserves the privacy of living people. Cruise-394 15:53, 5 March 2022 (UTC)

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Cheryl Cruise at registration.

• Sourced family tree handed down from maternal grandmother