In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell popularized the term “connector.” By having a foot in many different worlds, connectors have the effect of widening their circle while bringing people together.

Upon reading The Tipping Point when released in 2000, a nephew pegged me as a connector. I’d not previously thought of myself that way, but I freely acknowledged my inclination. In truth, the relationships I have cultivated over decades yield affirmations of belonging. I cherish my friendship circles as vital to my wellbeing, casting off feelings of loneliness and insecurity that periodically seep into the crevices of my psyche.

Connectedness and belonging have the beneficial effect of opening up my world, much like a captivating book that expands my knowledge, understanding, imagination, and empathy. I love learning people’s stories, their experiences, discoveries, and the lessons I learn from them. I also love those instances when I find out we’re somehow connected.

“Six degrees of separation” often feels like “two degrees” in my world, especially as a resident of small-town Pensacola, Florida. A case in point—in the course of writing the story of my family following America’s course across 400 years and 14 generations, I made an uncanny discovery:

Tracing a genealogical thread to my nine-times great-grandparents Simon and Isabel Sackett, I learned that they were among the first colonists to settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, upon emigrating from England. The surreal connection to my friend and neighbor Marsha Stanton came from bringing up the topic of my book—The Westcott Story—in a conversation with her sister. Chris said that their many-times great-grandparents the Sacketts were some of the first to settle in Cambridge in the timeframe of the early-1700s. Not so fast. How could that be if my Sackett relatives settled there in 1630? Together wading through my ancestral records, we quickly determined that in fact, Marsha, Chris, and I descend from Simon and Isabel Sackett who made the arduous journey across the Atlantic in 1630. We're blood relatives! The break in our shared lineage came with their sons—Simon Sackett II (1630-1659) is my eight-times great-grandfather; his brother John is theirs.

For me personally, The Westcott Story evokes a multigenerational sense of wonder, connection, and belonging as the circles ripple exponentially. By the numbers, I “memorialize” 1,535 distinct individuals who give life to this narrative. Among them, I claim 175 as my lineal ascendants. In total, 342 of those referenced in the chronicle share my family’s direct lineage; another 655 distant relatives share ancestry as extended family members. Sequenced by generation, the complete listing is accessible as a downloadable “People Index” PDF published on my website at www.ChristineBEmmanuel.com. It includes a description of how each person fits in as a family member, distant relative, or noted non-relative.

With an innate sense of curiosity, as a connector I wonder who among the people featured in my family’s story you happen to know. How might we relate—aside from our connection as fellow Americans?