About Us

“Those who take no interest in the deeds of their ancestors are not likely to do anything worthy to be remembered by their descendants.”

— Unknown

Welcome to the genealogy site of the Lewis and Bratti families. Our goal is to gather and share as much information as possible about the ancestors of Bryan Lewis and Kirsten (Bratti) Lewis. You will find an emphasis on the surnames: Lewis, Bratti, Sigler, Fredette, Marchino, Willoughby, Tozzini, Grenier, Gilbreath, Jones, Crabtree, LeFevour, Zilli, Biti, and Theroux.

I did a lot of research in the early 2000s, but then life got in the way and I stopped working on this site and my research. I revived my research in 2019 and this website in 2020 with the goal of creating a much more complete genealogical record for our families. I feel that this information provides us with a much more tangible link to our past, and it's beneficial to know more about the people whose shoulders we stand on.

Currently, my primarily interest is in direct ancestors. In addition, I try to record the siblings of each of our direct ancestors, and the spouse of each sibling; but typically I am not recording their descendants (our "cousins") other than a few of my closest relatives. I simply have too much direct line research to do. One day I will start on the related lines.

I welcome any suggestions, corrections and additions. If you are related to us in any way, and wish to share your information or ask questions, please feel free to do so. I will respond as best I can. Please use the Suggestion Form, as I do not wish to collect SPAM by publishing my email address.

Please note that most information about living people is withheld for those who are not logged in. You can see their names and how they relate to others, but that is about it. In addition, some vital records and personal documents of recently decesased people are also private. If you are a relative with interest in living/recently deceased persons in this tree, please contact me and I will grant you an account to view the necessary information.

I want to thank all of my family, without whom this site would not be nearly so interesting. Special thanks to Homer Sigler, Linda (Sigler) Hanson, Gerald Bratti, Nancy (Fredette) Bratti, Jeannette "Granny" (Grenier) Fredette, and Essie (Willoughby) Lewis. I also wish to thank my wife Kirsten, who has not only put up with this little pet project, but encouraged me all the way.

Bryan Lewis

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DNA

Both Kirsten and I have done genealogical DNA testing. If you think you are a blood relative and want to compare DNA results, please contact me and I will provide you with the relevant GEDmatch IDs.

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Thanks, Special Sites, and Sources

The following are people & research that has been particularlty helpful in my research. Thank you all!

• Art Moore: An amazing genealogist, with excellent attention to detail. He has provided me with tons of information on the Moore family, to which I am related on my paternal grandfather's side (Lewis).
• Ken Hinds: My father's second cousin, who I found by chance; we share Willoughby/Long ancestors.
• Clan Galbraith: I have discovered much about my maternal grandfather's Gilbreath line. The Gilbreaths are part of the Scottish Clan Galbraith, and this is the Clan's U.S. organization.
• Shari's HyperTree: While Shari S. is not actively doing genealogy work, she has published huge amounts of info (with great notes) about the Lewis/Bracken families.
• Geraldine Brick: She has provided invaluable information on the Bratti/Zilli lines. She has even gone back to Italy to continue research. Very good stuff.