Meet the Branches
Explore the major family lines that make up our heritage — where they came from, how they lived, and how their stories connect to ours today.
Stringer (Stringat / Stringatto)
Origin: Waldensian valleys of Piedmont, Italy.
Story: This branch begins with Bartolomeo “Bartram” Stringat, who arrived in Missouri in 1880 and lived with cousin Charley Rouet. The Stringer line represents the Waldensian migration into the Ozarks.
Burris
Origin: Early American frontier families of Virginia and North Carolina.
Story: The Burris line connects to the Leakey and Lakey families and becomes central to the Missouri roots through Clay Dean Burris and Sarah Edith Leakey.
Leakey / Lakey / Lackey
Origin: Scottish (Leckie, Stirlingshire), later Scots‑Irish in Ulster.
Story: This branch traces a clear path from Scotland → Ulster → Pennsylvania → Virginia → North Carolina → Indiana → Missouri. It is one of the most documented lines in the family.
Avaro
Origin: Piedmont, Italy (Waldensian communities).
Story: The Avaro family appears in the same parish books as Stringat and Rouet. Pineotea Avaro’s marriage to Bartolomeo Stringat unites two Waldensian lines in Missouri.
Rouet
Origin: French‑Occitan Waldensian surname.
Story: The Rouet family is directly tied to the Stringat line through the 1880 census “cousin” entry. Their migration mirrors the same Waldensian exodus to Missouri.
Maraux
Origin: French‑Occitan.
Story: Appearing in the same Waldensian registers as Stringat and Avaro, the Maraux family represents another interconnected valley lineage.
Coisson
Origin: Waldensian valleys.
Story: A surname found throughout the same villages as Stringat and Rouet, often linked through godparent and community relationships.