Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws

Derck Brouwer, a son of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Jans, was probably born about 1666 at Flatlands, in Kings County, Long Island. No record of baptism has been found. Despite the absence of a baptism record, Derck is certainly a son of Jan Brouwer. The circumstantial evidence being the fact that Derck named his eldest son, Jan (for his father), and lived at Flatlands as a young man. He cannot be a son of Adam Brouwer.

Only a few records have been found for Derck Brouwer. In September 1687 he took the Oath of Allegiance at Flatlands, and is recorded as "Dirck brouwer, native" (O'Callaghan, Lists of Inhabitants of Colonial New York...Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1979; page 39). Also listed as taking the oath from Flatlands are Jan Brouwer (Derck's father), and Pieter Brouwer (Derck's brother).
On September 25, 1694, Peter Carsten of Cape May, West Jersey, sold to Cornelis Williamsen and Dirck Brouwer, "two allotments of land lying and being in the limits of Gravesend upon Gisberts Island...land received from William Goulding living then in this towne of Gravesend" (Corson, Three Hundred Years with the Corson Families in America, Burlington, Vt: Free Press Interstate, 1939; page 2:21, citing Gravesend Book VI, p. 136). The Cornelis Williamsen in this deed was married to Derck's sister Maghtel Brouwer.
According to T. G. Bergen, Early Settlers of Kings County (1881), page 52, Derck married Hannah Daws on 6 October 1694 at Flatlands. Bergen does not provide a source for this date, and the original record has not yet been located.
In 1698, "Derick Brewer & his wife Hannah," with one child, are listed among the Dutch Inhabitants of the Town of Flushing, Queens County, Long Island (O'Callaghan, List of Inhabitants of Colonial New York..., page 40).
On September 22, 1700, "Dirrick Brewer of Jamaica (L. I.) and Hendrick Brouwer of Flatlands" sold a house and 75 acres on the borders of Hempstead, Jamaica and Flushing (Queens County Deeds Lib. A, pp.180-181).

Derck Brouwer's wife was Hannah Daws. She was the daughter of Elias Daws (of Gravesend in 1672) and Anna (whose family name is unknown). The given name, Elias, as it appears in the early generations of the descendants of Derck and Hannah, as it's origins with Hannah's father, Elias Daws. Derck probably died in 1702 or 1703 at Jamaica, Long Island (no record of his estate is found) and Hannah was remarried to Joseph Goulder, probably in 1704. With her second husband she relocated to Monmouth County, New Jersey and had five children. Hannah was deceased by October 22, 1716, when Joseph Goulder married, as his third wife, Maritje Van Dyke.

It is presumed that Derck and Hannah had five children. As the couple were married in late 1694 and as Derck was deceased in say 1703, they would have been married but nine years, and having five children would be about all a couple might have in that length of time. Of the children (all sons) a record of baptism is found only for the eldest, Jan, who was baptized about June 9, 1695 at Flatbush. The sponsors were Jan Brouwer and Jannetie Teunisse (Derck's father, and his sister who had married Theuinis Jansen Amack). The other four sons are assumed, and their placement as children of Derck and Hannah is based largely upon either their own given names, or names they themselves gave to their children (the grandchildren of Derck and Hannah). The four would be 1) Elias, certainly named for his maternal grandfather, Elias Daws, who married Helena Willemse. 2) Pieter, who married Susanna Titsoort and named a son Dirck, and a daughter Annatje (which name can be a variation of Hannah). 3) Jacob, whose wife was named Marike (family not identified) and who also named children, Dirck and Annatie. 4) Possibly, a Derck Brouwer who is found in Hempstead in 1742 when his property is mentioned in a deed, and who in 1738 was on the Queens County militia muster rolls. Another possible son could be a Samuel Brouwer/Brewer who appears in Raritan, New Jersey at the same time as the known sons of Derck (Elias, Pieter and Jacob). However, it is much more likely that Samuel is a son of Willem Brouwer and a grandson of Adam Brouwer, and his appearance at Raritan at the same time as Derck's sons is simply a coincidence as many families from Kings County were relocating to the Raritan area at the same time. (Families of the children of Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws will be covered in future posts).

Derck Brouwer can be found as no. 7 in "Descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I." (Note that this document is subject to change and future corrections). He is found as no. 3 in "Jan Brouwer of Flatlands and Descendants," New York and Genealogical Record, volume 138 (October 2007), pages 255-259. He can also be found at Richard Brewer's website, "Brewer Descendants of Johannes (Jan) Brouwer." A Family Group sheet is online as well.

Descendants have participated in the Brewer DNA Project. A chart with the participant's pedigrees is online at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. Data can be found at both Jan Brouwer Group DNA Results, and at the Brewer DNA Project Results page. We are continuously looking for new participants for the Brewer DNA Project, especially those who can provide a confirmed line of ancestry back to the progenitor, Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. We would also like to find descendants of Jan Brouwer's son, Pieter Brouwer (wife Annetje Jans) to participate. Of Jan Brouwer's five (or six) sons, only Derck and Pieter are known to have descendants. Adding the data of individuals descended from Pieter, would be a valuable addition for the Brewer DNA Project.

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