"The Great Mount Brewer Expedition"

Mount Brewer, a 13,576 foot peak in the Great Western Divide of California's Sierra Nevada range, was named for William Henry Brewer (1828-1910), who in 1864 worked on the first California Geological Survey. William Henry Brewer is a descendant of Adam Brouwer and he was mentioned in a previous post on his grandfather, Nazareth Brouwer (1756-1817).

William Henry Brewer

A couple of months back I was contacted by Arthur Brewer Matthews, a great-grandson of William Henry Brewer who passed on a couple of items that might be of interest to others. First, we have a newspaper account of a 1970 climb of Mt. Brewer by a team of his great-grandchildren.

The Great Mount Brewer Expedition, Duluth News-Tribune, August 16, 1970

Second is a panorama taken from the top of Mt. Brewer. It's composed of seven images, "stitched" together.

Panoramic view from Mt. Brewer

William Henry Brewer was born on September 14, 1828 at Poughkeepsie, New York. He was a son of Col. Henry Brewer (1804-1880) and Rebecca DuBois (1800-1874). He graduated from Yale University in 1852. He was a botanist, studied natural science in 1855 at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and headed the first California Geological Survey which was conducted in 1864. He was later, the first Chair of Agriculture at Yale's Sheffield Scientific School. He participated in other expeditions, including one to Greenland in 1869, and one to Alaska in 1899. He authored, Up and Down California in 1860-1864.

William Henry Brewer was married twice. His first wife, Angelina Jameson, died after giving birth to their son, Edward J. Brewer, who died himself at about six weeks of age. William's second wife was Georgiana Robinson (married in 1868), and the couple had four children, all of whom reached adulthood. William Henry Brewer died on November 2, 1910 at New Haven, Connecticut. Arthur has provided a link to his family tree at Ancestry.com.

The Brouwer Ancestry of William Henry Brewer

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Drakes of Orange County, New York and Related Families

Drakes of Orange County, New York and Related Families is a manuscript collection of notes compiled by Imogene H. Lane in 1970. It is available on microfilm from the Family History Library (FHL film #872801, item 4). My copy was included in the William B. Bogardus Collection, and the scanned pages are now online as a PDF using the above link. The file is large so it must be downloaded to your computer or devise. It cannot be viewed online.

Imogene H. Lane was born Imogene Thetis Hawks in Nebraska in 1913. In 1941 she married Harry H. Lane. She is a descendant of Samuel Drake and Eunice Carpenter of Orange County, New York. Samuel Drake, who was born (according to Lilian Drake Avery) in 1746, in Orange County, has been said to be a son of Joseph Drake and Amy Carmen of Goshen, in Orange Co., New York, and a descendant of Josias Drats and Aeltje Brouwer. This claim is not correct. Samuel is not a son of Joseph Drake and is not descended from Josias Drats and Aeltje Brouwer. Samuel Drake's ancestry has not been proved and is not presently known. I suspect that he may descend from Samuel Drake who was at Fairfield, Connecticut and Eastchester, New York, and who died in 1686. But this possibility also has not been proved. (Imogene H. Lane's Drake Ancestry).

In 1989, Imogene H. Lane published a thirteen generation genealogy of descendants of John Hawks of Windsor, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts. A digital version is available online through the Family History Library, John Hawks, A Founder of Hadley, Massachusetts... (be forewarned, this takes a while to download).

As stated above, The Drakes of Orange County, New York manuscript is a collection of notes concerning the Drake families found in Orange County, New York. Although relatively small in geographical area, Orange County, New York was populated, from the mid 1700s on, by a number of unrelated families named Drake. Whether or not Imogene H. Lane realized this is not clear. When common given names, especially John, William and Samuel, are factored in, it can be appreciated how the Drakes of Orange County have been confused by researchers over the years. Lillian Drake Avery's, Drake Genealogy in the Line of Samuel Drake of Lower Smithfield Township, Northampton (now Monroe) County, Pennsylvania (Pontiac, MI: the author, 1926) and Louis Schneider Drake's Jesayas Jansze Drake of New Netherlands, 1648-after 1720?: With an Explanation of tieup between Bogardus, Webber, Brouwer and Drake Families (Edwardsville, IL: the author, 1967) are two examples of published genealogies focused on Drake families of the Orange County, New York area, that did not appreciate the fact that a number of unrelated Drake families are found there. Both works are riddled with errors reflecting this misunderstanding, and both must be used with caution. Frankly, I would suggest avoiding Louis S. Drake's work completely. It is apparent from her notes that Imogene H. Lane did rely somewhat on Lillian Drake Avery's published work, including the incorrect placement of her ancestor Samuel D. Drake as a son of Joseph Drake of Goshen, New York.

Included in the manuscript are occasional notes referring to Anneke Jans Bogardus and her, believed, Drake descendants. (Please take note that there are no persons named Drake, during the colonial period, who are descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus). Much of this material was collected by Imogene H. Lane from earlier researchers who deposited their work with the Orange County Historical Society. None of it should be accepted at face value by anyone conducting research today. There is also a good deal of notes and correspondence originated by Victor M. Drake in the late 1800s. Much of it is focused on Francis Drake of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York. This Francis Drake is not related to the Drakes descended from Josias Drats and Aeltje Brouwer. Additionally, there are some notes on the Oakley and Holly families of Orange County, New York, a brief Hawks genealogy, and a lineage beginning with Richard Drake and Mary Wood.

As I alluded to above, nothing in this manuscript should be accepted verbatim. Look to original records (vital, church, probate and deeds) to confirm any relationships found within. It is, however, a collection that anyone researching the surname, Drake, in Orange County, New York, should have access to.

Details on many of the above mentioned can be found at the Drake Genealogy Database website.

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The Family of Aeltje Brouwer and Josias Janszen Drats

Aeltje Brouwer, a daughter of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon, was probably born about 1664 at Gowanus, Long Island. No record of baptism has been found for Aeltje. She is named in her father's will of January 22, 1691/92, and is one of the three children who Adam cites for "their disobedience."

Aeltje is covered by William Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings" at TAG 24 (1948):30-32. Because of earlier, published, incorrect claims regarding the descendants of Aeltje, her family is given more attention than are the families of her sisters.

Aeltje was married to Josias Janszen Drats on April 30, 1682 at Brooklyn. The banns, dated April 16, 1682, are found in both the records of the New York Reformed Dutch Church and the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church. They read, "Josias Janszen Drats, j.m. Van Amsterdam, en Aeltje Brouwer, j.d., Van de Gauwanes." The banns tell us that Josias was born at Amsterdam (in the Netherlands) and Aeltje was born at Gowanus and that neither Aeltje nor Josias were married prior to this marriage. The Flatbush record adds that at the time of publication of the banns, Josias was residing at New York, and Aeltje at Gowanus.

Aeltje and Josias had seven known children for whom baptism records are found. The eldest child, Josias, was baptized 28 May 1682 at Amersfoort (Flatlands), Long Island, recorded in the Flatbush records, sponsors Willem Brouwer and Elizabeth Brouwer. This baptism occurs about a month after Aeltje's and Josias' marriage and it is therefore obvious that he was conceived prior to their marriage. Perhaps this was the "disobedience" that Aeltje was cited for in her father's 1692 will.
Daughter Sarah was baptized 20 June 1684 at Brooklyn, sponsors were Michiel Hansen and Sara Strijker (Stryker).
Son John, baptized as Jan, son of Jesaijas Dreets and Aeltje Brouwer, was baptized at Brooklyn on 11 December 1687. Sponsors were Adam Brouwer de jonge (the younger) and Antje Brouwer.
Daughter Catharyn was baptized on 20 February 1691 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. Sponsors were William Nagel and Maryken Brouwer.
Cornelis, son of Josias Dreads and Aeltje Brouwer, was baptized at New York on 11 March 1696, with sponsors Barent Tilburg and Johanna van Swanen.
Betty, daughter of Jesayas Drets and Aeltie, was baptized at Brooklyn on 15 January 1699. Sponsors were Willem Hiltin (William Hilton, husband of Aeltje's sister Anna), and Johana Kaer.
The last child was Casparus, son of Jesaias Draake and Aeltje, baptized at Brooklyn on 30 March 1701. Sponsors were Niclaas Brouwer and Sara Neyt (Sara Knight, sister of Aeltje and wife of Thomas Knight).

The first mention of Josias in the New World is on 28 May 1679, when as "Josias Dret" he is recorded as a member of the New York Reformed Dutch Church. On 14 September 1679, when recorded as "Josias Strakken," he, along with Aeltje Brouwer his future wife, witnessed the baptism of Magdalena Brouwer, daughter of Willem Brouwer and Elizabeth Simpson, at Brooklyn. This entry, in which Josias is recorded with the surname, "Strakken," may be either an error, or it may be a clue to Josias' early days in New York. On 23 September 1683, Jesies Dregz, with 1 poll and 1 horse, was assessed at Brooklyn. In September 1687, Josias Dreths, "26 Jeare" (in the country for 26 years) took the oath of allegiance at Brooklyn. He is recorded next to Adam Brouwer. On 30 September 1691, Josias Dret, with Aeltie Brouwer and Barent van Tilburg, witnessed the baptism of Anna Nazareth, daughter of Willem Nazareth and Helena Brouwer. On 7 January 1694/95, Josias Drack bought a "peec of land lying at the end of his lot paying twenty-five shillings per acor or there abouts and to pay ye monys to Edward Stevenson & Richard Betts." This piece of land and lot was in Newtown, Long Island, a predominantly English neighborhood. On 1 June 1696, Josias Drates of Newtown in Queens County, conveyed to Richard Betts, Junr., of the same place, a lot lying in Newtown. On 7 October 1696, Josyas Draets of Newtown deeded to Jurian Nagell of Bushwick, land in Bushwick "scituate to the Normans Kill." Finally, on 30 Mar 1701, we have the baptism of Casparus, son of Jesaias Draake and Aeltje. This is the last known record pertaining to Josias Drats. As can be seen from the above records, the recording of Josias' surname was inconsistent. A summery and timeline is online. We do know that Josias' children and descendants are found with the surname "DRAKE." However, as Josias himself is not found recorded with that surname, we cannot assume that his original surname was DRAKE. It may have well been something else entirely, that simply sounded to the early 18th century ear at western Long Island, as "Drake."

The 1687 oath of allegiance tells us that Josias was in the New World for 26 years. This places his immigration to America at 1653. His marriage banns state that he was born at Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and he is recorded with the patronymic, "Janszen." From these two records we can conclude that Josias was born prior to 1653, in Amsterdam, and was a son of a man named Jan (or John). This is as about as detailed as we can presently get regarding the origins of Josias Janszen Drats. We also know that, assuming the age estimation for Aeltje Brouwer is about right (born ca. 1664), then Josias had to be more then ten or eleven years older then his wife. We also can see from the records of the baptisms of Josias and Aeltje's children, that while there were many sponsors from Aeltje's Brouwer family, NONE, of the sponsors can be readily identified as members of Josias' immediate family. It is probably safe to assume that Josias Janszen Drats was alone in the New World. He had no immediate family leaving in the vicinity of New York and western Long Island.

Among the baptism records of Josias' children, there is Sara, baptized on 20 June 1684 at Brooklyn. Here the sponsors are Michiel Hansen (Bergen) and Sara Strijker (Stryker). Mentioned above, is the 14 September 1679 baptism record of Magdalena, daughter of Willem Brouwer, in which Josias is recorded as a witness with the name, "Josias Strakken." Sara Stryker, witness for the baptism of Josias' daughter of the same given name, Sara, was a daughter of Jan Strycker, a prominent man of his time in Kings County. Jan Strycker came to New Netherland in 1652 (in the country for 35 years on the September 1687 oath of allegiance in Kings County). On the same oath, Josias is stated to have been in the country for 26 years, therefore he arrived in 1653. Although not an exact match, 1652 and 1653 are close, and perhaps either Jan Strycker or Josias was off by a year with regard to their recollection. Based upon his being identified as "Josias Strakken," and the appearance of Sara Stryker as a witness for his first born daughter, could it be that Josias was somehow associated with the family of Jan Strycker from an early age? Perhaps Josias came to New Netherland with the Stryker family, perhaps as a child. Or, perhaps as a young man, maybe from the time he was a child, Josias was in the care and/or employ of Jan Strycker.

It is also known, from his marriage banns, that Josias was born in Amsterdam, and was the son of a man named Jan, or John. Although it is not known with certainty whether Josias was of English or Dutch ancestry, his given name, Josias, would in itself point to English as the more likely of the two. The Amsterdam church records from the mid 1600s are very much available for inspection, and a check of them does yield one family of interest. On 13 August 1653, Josias, a son of John DREDGE, was baptized at the English Presbyterian Church at Amsterdam. In 1650, John Dredge had daughter, Sara, baptized there, and in 1652 a son, John, was also baptized (the mother is not recorded in any of the records, and the 1653 baptism of Josias is the last one found for John Dredge). Josias Drats named his first daughter, Sara. As mentioned above, his father was named Jan, or John. Could Josias Janszen Drats be Josias Dredge, baptized in 1653 at the English Presbyterian Church in Amsterdam? If so, and assuming that his claim on the 1687 oath of allegiance is about right, then Josias would have come to New Netherland as an infant.

Of the seven children born to Josias Janszen Drats and Aeltje Brouwer, two sons, John and Cornelis, are known to have had families and descendants. As mentioned above, descendants carried the name, DRAKE. Due to the fact that there were numerous families with the DRAKE surname found in colonial New York, New Jersey and New England, many of whom have no relation to the others, reconstructing the early families of the colonial period is difficult. The sons, John and Cornelis will be addressed in separate, future posts.

Son, Josias, baptized on 28 May 1682, had been suggested in published accounts of the DRIGGS family, to have been Joseph Driggs of Middletown and East Haddam, Connecticut. Y-DNA testing of descendants of both Josias Drats and Joseph Driggs prove that this claim is impossible. This was covered in an earlier post, Joseph Driggs is not Josias Drake, Jr. Whether or not Josias Drake, son of Josias Drats and Aeltje Brouwer had children and descendants is not apparent. At least no direct evidence of any has been found. On 23 February 1735, the administration of the estate of a Josiah Drake of Middlesex County, New Jersey, was granted to John Berrien, merchant of Somerset County. Normally administration would first be granted to a widow or eldest son. When such persons do not exist, administration is often granted to a creditor. This may have been John Berrien's relationship with Josiah Drake of Middlesex Co. John Berrien was born in Newtown, Queens Co., Long Island in 1711. His father, Peter Berrien, and grandfather Cornelis Jansen Berrien had been there since 1687. Cornelis Berrien was married to Jannetje Strycker, daughter of Jan Strycker and sister of Sara Strycker mentioned above. So, more possible connections to consider.

It is not known when, or where, either Josias Janszen Drats or Aeltje Brouwer died. The 1701 baptism record of son Casparus, is the last confirm-able record for either of them. Lillian Drake Avery, in Drake Genealogy in the Line of Samuel Drake of Lower Smithfield Township, Northampton (now Monroe) County, Pennsylvania (Pontiac, Mich.: the author, 1926), states that Josias died in 1701, but offers no proof and does not elaborate in any way. In 1717, Rutger Waldron and his wife Cornelia, of New York City, sold property to Josiah Drake of Oyster Bay, Queens County. The property described in the deed was a house and garden spot in Flatlands, Kings County. By a deed of 1716, the same grantors, sold to John Drake, of Jamaica, Queens, the same property in Flatlands. On 12 April 1719, Josias Drake of Flatlands conveyed the property to John Drake of Jamaica. Whether the Josiah Drake mentioned in the deeds is Josias Janszen Drats, the elder, or Josias Drake, Jr., is not apparent, although it is certain that Josiah Drake of the deeds, is one or the other.

Three published accounts need to be mentioned. The three are wrought with errors and must be pointed out as a warning to those new to researching Aeltje Brouwer and Josias Janszen Drats. The three begin with the above mentioned account by Lillian Drake Avery. While the account of her own direct ancestry, and the families closely related to her line is in all likelihood accurate, her accounts of the colonial period generations is riddled with numerous errors. Many of them pertain to son John Drake (of Jamaica, L. I. and Goshen, Orange Co., N.Y.) and will be addressed in a later post.
The second published work is Driggs Family History, by Howard R. Driggs (Salt Lake City: Publisher's Press, 1959). Besides introducing the idea that Joseph Driggs was Josias Drake, Jr., this genealogy also proposes the incorrect theory that Josias Janszen Drats was somehow a member of a family named, de RAET, that is portrayed as a family of some importance in 17th century Netherlands. In 1663, Johannes, son of Roelof Harmenszen de Raedt was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church (sponsor Metje Elberts). On 26 August 1640, Jan, son of Jan de Raet and Annetje Barens, was baptized at the Nieuw Kerk (Reformed) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In the early 1660s, a Capt. Hendrick de Raet made an appearance in New Netherland as captain of the Waeg. But he did not settle in New Netherland, and the only real record of him pertains to his responsibility for lighthouse dues and some bad words he had for the Dutch West India Company. The short of it all, is that there is no evidence, and really no reason to suspect, that Josias Janszen Drats has any relationship to any of those just mentioned, or to any family named, de RAET found in Europe.
Saving the best (worst) for last, the third published account, Jesayas Jansze Drake of New Netherlands, 1648-after 1720?: With an Explanation of Tieup Between Bogardus, Webber, Brouwer and Drake Families, by Louis S. Drake (Edwardsville, Ill.: the author, 1967), should be completely avoided. The author, Louis Schneider Drake, is a descendant of William Drake (1758-1828) and Eunice Helme of Dutchess and Greene Cos., New York. Descendants are later found at Elba, Genesee Co., New York and in Michigan. Louis S. Drake makes the claim that his ancestor, William, is a son of Joseph Drake of Goshen, New York (a grandson of Josias Drats and Aeltje Brouwer). Here, Louis S. Drake makes the mistake of blindly following Lillian Drake Avery, in stating first, that Joseph Drake had a son named William, and then second, assuming that this William is his ancestor (Lillian Drake does not make this second claim). In fact, there is no evidence, whatsoever, that Joseph Drake of Goshen ever had a son named William Drake (Joseph's will of 1807 mentions four daughters, and no sons). Additionally, Louis S. Drake, follows other errors of Lillian Avery Drake, and the de Raet errors of the Driggs Family History. And although he spends a considerable amount of print discussing the possible origins of "Jesayas Jansze Drake," is own final conclusion is so preposterous that I will not mention it any further. Consult this last work only if you are curious in seeing an example of truly incompetent research.

Any verifiable input (please supply sources) on the possible origins of Josias Janszen Drats is welcome.

The Family of Aeltje Adamse Brouwer and Josias Janszen Drats

Also see the Brouwer Genealogy Database for source citations and additional info.

The Drake Genealogy Database was created to congregate the numerous notes and details collected regarding the various unrelated Drake families found in colonial New York, New Jersey and New England.

For a pre-colonial de Raet family, see The Nobilities of Europe, pages 453-455. (Although Josias Janszen Drats has no relation to this family, the surname was brought up above, and those obsessed with locating a heraldic ancestry no doubt will be interested).

The "Drake" Group DNA Project, has posted some pedigrees online at Drake DNA Surname Project. "Dutch Drakes," in other words, descendants of Josias Janszen Drats, are found on page two. They belong to the Haplogroup R1b1, which is most commonly found in western Continental Europe and the British Isles.

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The Family of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse

Adam, son of Adam Brouwer and Magdaleentie Jacobs, was baptized on May 18, 1662 at the Old First Dutch Reformed Church at Breuckelen (Brooklyn). The sole sponsor/witness was Neeltje Jans, a daughter of Jan Pieterszen and the wife of Gerrit Dircksz Kroesen, a close neighbor of the Adam Brouwer family (Neeltje later married Volkert Hendricksz Bries, another immediate neighbor of the Brouwers).

Adam Brouwer is covered by William J. Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings," where is is no. 9, found at TAG 24 (1948): 29-30. Hoffman's account is rather brief.

Adam was married to Marretje Hendrickse. The banns, found in the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church records, read, "Adam Adamse (B)erkoven, j.m., met Marretie Hendricks, j.d., beijde woonachtigh tot Bruekelen." The banns tells us that both Adam and Marretje had not been previously married and that both were living at Brooklyn. Adam is recorded with his patronymic (Adamse) and the surname, "Berkvoven." This would the earliest recording of that surname with respect to the family of Adam Brouwer, who himself used it for the first (and only) time in his will of January, 1692. (For more on thoughts regarding the use and meaning of this surname, see "New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer," 2008).

Marretje Hendrickse's parents are not known with certainty. Hendrickse, of course, is a patronymic, and therefore we do know that her father was named Hendrick. It is most likely, and William J. Hoffman suggested this in his articles on the Bras(s), Brasser, Bresser, Bries, and Brazier Families, published in The American Genealogist volumes 20 (1943) and 21 (1944) at 21:148, that Marretje was a daughter of Hendrick Bries and Geertien Claes. This would make sense. Hendrick Bries was an immediate neighbor of Adam Brouwer at Gowanus, and therefore the two families would have known each other very well. Hendrick Bries had six known children, among them a daughter named Hillegont. This relatively uncommon name also was given to a daughter by Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse (baptized December 27, 1696 at Brooklyn) and the sponsors were Arien Claessen (brother to the above mentioned Geertien Claes) and Rachel Brouwer (Adam's sister). No further records have been found for Hillegond Hendrickse Bries, and it may be that she died just prior to December 27, 1696, and Marretje named her new born daughter to honor her deceased sister. Although this is a plausible scenario, it cannot be proved, and until additional evidence surfaces, all we can say now is that Marretje is possibly (maybe even probably) a daughter of Hendrick Bries.

Adam Brouwer makes six appearances as a sponsor at baptisms for children of his siblings between 1679 (Hendrick, son of Matthys Brouwer) and 1696 (Helena Nazareth, daughter of Helena Brouwer). Adam took the oath of allegiance at Brooklyn as "Adam Brouwer, Junior, native," in September 1687. He is found in the 1698 census at Brooklyn with a household of 1 male, 1 female and 4 children. He is named in his father's will of January 22, 1691/92. On March 18, 1694, Volkert Hendricksen Bries (son of Hendrick Bries mentioned above) sold to Adam Brouwer of Brooklyn, a lot situated in Brooklyn towards Gowanus and between the lands of Jacob Brouwer and Volkert Bries. The price was fifty pounds. On October 23, 1701, the same Volkert Bries, and his wife, Elizabeth, of Gowanus, sold to Col. Gerardus Beeckman of Kings County, land in Gowanus bounded by land formerly owned by Adam Brouwer, Jr. As the 1698 census record is the last recording of Adam Brouwer, Jr. found, it may have been that he was deceased by this date (October 23, 1701). It is most certian that Adam was deceased by December 20, 1706, when "Marya Brower," was assessed at Brooklyn with 26 acres of land. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings," states that Adam was deceased by June 12, 1712 (deed), which is certainly true, but too conservative of a guess. From the assessment list it is apparent that Adam was deceased six years earlier, and from Volkert Bries' 1701 deed, possibly eleven years or more earlier than Hoffman's estimate. He may be that Adam Brouwer, Jr. died between 1699 and 1701. No record of the settlement of his estate has been found.

Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse had four known children, with their baptisms all found in the records of the Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Breukelen (Brooklyn). Madaleentje (named for Adam's mother, Magdalena Verdon) was baptized in 1692, with sposnors Volckert Hendrickse (Bries) and Hillegont Hendrickse (Bries), which further supports the notion that Marretje Hendrickse was a Bries family member herself. Madaleentje, also called Helena (marriage record) and Lena (husband's second marriage) was married to Thomas Barber at the New York Reformed Dutch Church in 1714. Children have not yet been identified, but she was deceased by October 31, 1730, when her husband remarried.

Maritje, daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marritje, was baptized at Brooklyn in 1695, sponsors Willem Nasareth and Lena Nasareth (Adam's sister and her second husband). No further record of Marytje have been identified with certainty, but it should not be assumed that she died at a young age. As many Kings County families relocated to New Jersey, particularly along the Raritan River in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, the family identities for many young women become lost as records there tend to ignore the surnames and/or patronymics of women. Marritje, or Mary (Maria), of course is about the most common female name known. There are many "Marritjes" found in New Jersey in the 1700s whose families have not been identified. Marritje, the daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse, may just be one of them.

Hillegont (mentioned above) the daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marritje Brouwer, was baptized in 1696, sponsors being Arien Claessen and Rachel Brouwer (possible maternal great-uncle, and paternal aunt). As with her sister Marritje, no further record of Hillegont has been identified, but as with Marritje, I am hesitant to declare the book closed with those famous last words, "no further record," which are found too often in published genealogies. There are just too many unidentified women from the colonial period whose families still need to be found.

Hendrick, the only known son of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse was baptized on January 15, 1699 at Brooklyn with sponsors Willem Brouwer and Angenietje, his wife. Willem Brouwer was a brother of Adam Brouwer, Jr., and "his wife Angenietje," though unidentifed, has been discounted as an error by Hoffman. (Although previously having accepted Hoffman's word on this matter, in retrospect I do not see any reason to claim this as an error. Although there are no known children for Willem Brouwer and Angenietje, it is still possible that they could have been husband and wife. I have since included Angenietje as a second, of possibly four wives, for Willem Brouwer, on the BGD website). Hendrick, as the only son of Adam Brouwer, Jr., is given mention by Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings," at TAG 24:30. Hoffman states, "It would seem that this Hendrick Brouwer is the one who settled at the Raritan (in New Jersey), rather than Hendrick, son of Matthys (Brouwer) as Bergen and "Our Home" (probably following the former) suggest. Hendrick of Raritan named his eldest son Adam and his eldest daughter Marietje, undoubtedly for his parents, the usual Dutch custom. He apparently had no son named Matthys." I would agree, it is near certain that this Hendrick Brouwer, son of Adam Brouwer, Jr., settled at the Raritan. Perhaps his sisters, Marytje and Hillegont, settled there as well. All we know of Hendrick's wife is that her name was Elizabeth. Her family has not been identified (which is not unusual for families found in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties in the 1700s). The couple had six known children, including five boys, the names being Adam, Hendrick, Marietje, Willem, Peter, and Hendrick (again). They were baptized between 1721 and 1733 at the Reformed Church of Raritan (Somerville), Somerset County, and the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick (Three-Mile Run) in Middlesex County. Of the six baptisms sponsors are recorded for only the first two. Adam, baptized March 5, 1721 at Raritan, had sponsors Thomas and Neeltje Bouman (Bowman). The first son named Hendrick, baptized January 3, 1722 at Raritan, had sponsors Thomas Mellot and wife Neeltje. What relationship, if any, either of the two couples had to either Hendrick or Elizabeth is not (presently) apparent. Other then Adam, we see that Hendrick's sons were given the names Hendrick, Willem and Peter (in that order). Perhaps one of them is a clue to the name of Elizabeth's father.

We have a handful of participants in the Brewer DNA Project, who through Y-DNA testing, are known to be certain descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus (the elder). Four in particular can trace their Brewer ancestry back to Pennsylvania or Virginia. The Earliest Known Ancestors (EKAs) for the four are Henry Brewer/Henrich Bruer of Westmoreland Co., Pa. (kit #32813), Henry Brewer of Berkeley Co., Va. and Adams Co., Ohio (kit #182867), Peter Brewer of Westmoreland Co., Pa. and Hardin Co., Ky. (kit #28193) and William Brewer of Philadelphia, Pa. (kit #46637). I strongly suspect that Hendrick Brouwer, son of Adam Brouwer, Jr. is the ancestor for some, if not all four of these unplaced EKAs. The earliest migrations of European settlers into the central and western parts of what would later be Pennsylvania, and northern and western Virginia (much of which was later West Virginia) originated with people found in New Jersey. No trace of Hendrick Brouwer, or of his five sons, has yet been found in New Jersey after the 1733 baptism record of the younger Hendrick. We of course can see a continuity in given names here as well. Unplaced are Henry, Peter and William, while Hendrick has sons named Hendrick, Peter and Willem. Hendrick Brouwer (b. 1699) and his father, Adam Brouwer, Jr. (b. 1662) are presently the best candidates for connecting the unplaced EKAs back to Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. (The just mentioned four EKAs will each be given individual attention in future posts. For now links can be found on the Unplaced Page, and on the Adam Brouwer Group DNA page).

The Family of Adam Brouwer, Jr. and Marretje Hendrickse

BGB 198 

Helena Brouwer and her Two Husbands, David Hendricksen and William Nazareth

Helena, daughter of Adam Brouwer and Magdaleen Jacobs, "by the mill," was baptized on October 31, 1660. The baptism is found in the records of the Brooklyn Reformed Dutch Church. It is one of the very few baptisms from the Brooklyn Church records that does not record sponsors or witnesses. Helena is named in her father's will dated January 22, 1691/92, and her second husband, William Nazareth, was appointed as one of the executors for the estate.

Helena is very briefly covered by William J. Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings" at TAG 24(1948):29.

Helena's first marriage was to David Hendricksen. The banns dated October 22, 1681 were recorded at both New York and Flatbush in the records of the Reformed Dutch Church. The marriage took place on November 6, 1681 at Brooklyn. The record reads, "David Hendricksen, j.m. Uyt Engelant, en Helena Brouwers, j.d. Van de Gauwanus, beijde woonachtig in N. Yorke, en getrouwd, den 6 Nov. op Breukelen." This tells us that David Hendricksen was born in England, that Helena was born at Gowanus, that both were living in New York City, neither had been previously married, and that they were married at Brooklyn on November 6th.

Very little is found regarding David Hendricksen. He did appear as a sponsor at the baptism of Henricus, a son of Jacob Pieterszen and Marretje Brouwer on January 23, 1684. "Hendricksen" is probably a patronymic which would imply that he was of Dutch or Scandinavian ancestry, despite the fact that his marriage record states that he was born in England (the English of course used surnames and did not use patronymics). No record of the settlement of any estate has been discovered for David Hendricksen.

Helena and David had at least one, and possibly two children. Christina, child of David Hendrickszen and Helena Brouwers was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on February 9, 1684. Sponsors were Theunis Janszen and Susanna Simons. Christina was married three times, first to John Ellesson, second to Henry Mercier, and third to John Dyer. She had children by all three husbands. Christina appears in records both with her patronymic, as Christina Davids, and with her father's patronymic, as Christina Hendricks/Hendricksen. A son Thomas may also have been born to David Hendrickszen and Helena Brouwer. No record of baptism has been located, but a Thomas Davids was a sponsor at the baptism of Rachel Knight, daughter of Thomas Knight and Sara Brouwer (Helena's sister) on April 27, 1703. David Hendrickszen was probably deceased before 1690 as Helena was married to her second husband by that year.

A marriage record for Helena and her second husband, William Nazareth, has not been found, but the baptism of their first child, Lysbeth (Elizabeth) is found in the New York Reformed Dutch Church with the date March 21, 1690. Sponsors were Pieter Legrand and Anneke Brouwers. Helena and William had seven children baptized at New York, namely Lysbeth, Anna, Maritje, Helena, Susanna, Willem, and Willem again, between 1690 and 1702. William Nazareth was named as an executor of his father-in-law, Adam Brouwer's will, in 1692. William is found on the New York City census, as "Wm. Naeros," in 1703, in the East Ward. He is recorded with a household of 1 male aged 16-60, 1 female, 1 male child and 4 female children. William was a mariner, and in 1704 was quartermaster on the Dutch ship, Del Rey. On May 6, 1715, administration on the estate of William Nazareth of New York, mariner, was granted to his widow, Helena. Marriages are known for four of William and Helena's children. As of this posting, children have been found only for daughter Maritje Nazareth who married Peter Beldow. Daughters Lysbeth (Elizabeth), Anna and Susanna, have been found recorded in the Dutch Church records on the Island of Curaçao in 1715 and 1720, and in 1732 when "Elizabeth Nazareth, widow of Thomas Playr, born in New York, was married to William Anderzon, bachelor, born in New York." Annatje Nazareth was one of the witnesses. The Dutch Church records at Curaçao need to be checked further for baptism records of children. The son, Willem Nazareth, baptized on September 19, 1702 at New York, was married to Magdalena Woll by January 1744. Magdalena, a daughter of Jörgen Woll and Aeltje Matthyse Brouwer, and Willem Nazareth were first cousins once removed. Children have not yet been found for this couple. Interestingly, the name "Nazareth," lived on as a given name among descendants of Nicholas Brouwer, Helena's youngest brother. While Adam Brouwer did not appoint any of his seven adult sons as executor of his estate, he did appoint his son-in-law William Nazareth as one. And considering the fact that Nicholas Brouwer chose to name a son (probably his first or second son), Nazareth, in honor of William (while he was still living) certainly implies that William Nazareth held a position of high regard among his in-laws.

Helena was living in 1715 when she was granted administration on the estate of her late husband. She is last found in February 1730, as Helena Nazarets, on a assessment list in the North Ward of New York City. She is assessed with a "house & - 10." Her date or place of death is not yet known.

Helena Brouwer and Her Two Husbands, David Hendricksen and William Nazareth

BGB 197

A Description of Gowanus, 1679

In 1679-1680, two representatives of the Labadists, Jasper Danckaerts and Peter Sluyter, traveled from Europe to the American colonies with the purpose of seeking out a suitable location in the New World for their community to settle. They traveled along the eastern seaboard visiting New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Boston, Massachusetts. During the course of his travels, Jasper Danckaerts kept a journal describing the locations he visited and the people he met. On Friday, September 29, 1679, he visited Gowanus, Long Island, and wrote the following:

 Here we crossed over, my comrade, Gerrit, our guide, and myself, in a row-boat, as it happened, which in good weather and tide, carries a sail. When we came over we found there Jan Teunissen, our fellow passenger, who had promised us so much good. He was going over to the city, to deliver his letters and transact other business. He told us he would return home in the evening, and we would find him there. We went on, up the hill, along open roads and a little woods, through the first village, called Breukelen, which has a small and ugly little church standing in the middle of the road. Having passed through here, we struck off to the right, in order to go to Gouanes. We went upon several plantations where Gerrit was acquainted with almost all of the people, who made us very welcome, sharing with us bountifully whatever they had, whether it was milk, cider, fruit or tobacco, and especially, and first and most of all, miserable rum or brandy which had been brought from Barbados and other islands, and which is called by the Dutch "kill-devil." All these people are very fond of it, and most of them extravagantly so, although it is very dear and has a bad taste. It is impossible to tell how many peach trees we passed, all laden with fruit to breaking down, and many of them actually broken down. We came to a place surrounded with such trees from which so many had fallen off that the ground could not be discerned, and you could not put your foot down without trampling them; and notwithstanding such large quantities had fallen off, the trees were still as full as they could bear. The hogs and other animals mostly feed on them. This place belongs to the oldest European woman in the country. We went immediately into her house, where she lived with her children. We found her sitting by the fire, smoking tobacco incessantly, one pipe after another. We enquired after her age, which the children told us was an hundred years. She was from Luyck (Liège), and still spoke good Wals [French of the Walloon variety]. She could reason very well sometimes, and other times she could not. She showed us several large apples, as good fruit of that country, and different from that of Europe. She had been about fifty years now in the country, and had above seventy children and grandchildren. She saw the third generation after her. Her mother had attended women in child-bed in her one hundred and sixth year, and was one hundred and eleven or twelve years old when she died. We tasted here for the first time, smoked "twaelft" [twelfth], a fish so called because it is caught in season next after the "elft" [eleventh] (ed. note: Striped bass and shad, respectively. The word "elft" has nothing to do with eleven, for elft = Fr. alose, or Eng. allice). It was salted a little and then smoked, and although it was now a year old, it was still perfectly good, and in flavor not inferior to smoked salmon. We drank here, also, the first new cider, which was very fine.
We proceeded on to Gouanes, a place so called, where we arrived in the evening at one of the best friends of Gerrit, named Symon (Simon Aertsen DeHart). He was very glad to see us, and so was his wife. He took us into the house, and entertained us exceedingly well. We found a good fire, half-way up the chimney, of clear oak and hickory, which they made not the least scruple of burning profusely. We let it penetrate us thoroughly. There had been already thrown upon it, to be roasted, a pail-full of Gouanes oysters, which are the best in the country. They are fully as good as those of England, and better than those we ate at Falmouth. I had to try some of them raw. They are large and full, some of them not less than a foot long, and they grow sometimes ten, twelve and sixteen together, and are then like a piece of rock. Others are young and small. In consequence of the great quantities of them, everybody keeps the shells for the purpose of burning them into lime. They pickle the oysters in small casks, and send them to Barbados and the other islands. We had for supper a raosted haunch of venison, which he had bought of the Indians for three guilders and a half of seewant, that is fifteen stivers of Dutch money, and which weighed thirty pounds. The meat was exceedingly tender and good, and also quite fat. It had a slight spicy flavor. We were also served with wild turkey, which was also fat and of good flavor; and a wild goose, but that was rather dry. Everything we had was the natural production of the country. We saw here, lying in a heap, a whole hill of watermelons, which were as large as pumpkins, and which Symon was going to take to the city to sell. They were very good, though there is a difference between them and those of the Caribbee Islands; but this may be owing to its being late in the season, and these were the last pulling. It was very late at night when we went to rest in a kermis bed, as it is called (shake-down, bed on the floor), in the corner of the hearth, along side of a good fire.

Jasper Danckaert's journal was found in 1864 by Henry C. Murphy, corresponding secretary of the Long Island Historical Society. He found it in an old bookstore in Amsterdam. Included was a drawing of a view of New York City from Brooklyn Heights, made in 1679 by Jasper Danckerts.

New York from Brooklyn Heights, 1679

The journal itself was published in 1913. The above description of Gowanus mentions "the oldest European woman in the country." In 2011, Harry Macy, in an article published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, concluded that, although Jasper Danckaerts did not mention her by name, she could only be Aeltje Braconie, the mother of Maria Badie and grandmother of Magdalena Verdon, the wife of Adam Brouwer.

Sources:
Bartlett Burleigh James and J. Franklin Jameson (editors), Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680, Original Narratives of Early American History (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1913), pp. xv-xxv, 52-54.
Harry Macy, Jr., "Some New Light on Aeltje Braconie and Maria Badie," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol. 142 (2011), pp. 21-36).

BGB 196

Embody Descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.

John Rose is not the only ancestor who has descendants who are genetic descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. An individual with the surname, EMBODY, conducted a Y-DNA test through Family Tree DNA and his results also demonstrated that he was, despite his surname, a genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. The participant is now a member of both the Brewer DNA Project and the Embody DNA Project. The Embody participant is represented by kit #11677, and his Y-DNA test results can be found on the Jan Brouwer Group DNA Results Page. A chart of his known EMBODY ancestry is also available. The Embody participant matches on 37 of 37 makers with one of the descendants of John Rose, with one of the descendants of John Brewer of Scioto Co., Ohio, with the descendant of Richard Brouwer of Albany and Delaware Cos., New York, and with one of the known descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. The Embody participant also matches the model values (at 37 markers) for all descendants of Jan Brouwer. His Y-DNA test results are instrumental in tying all of the various sub-groups of Jan Brouwer descendants together.

The genealogical ancestry (that which is derived from records such as vital, religious, estate, census, etc.) of our Embody participant is known all the way back to the immigrant ancestor to America. It is also known from the Y-DNA test that the participant's biological, or genetic ancestry, must lead back to Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. What is not known is, what is the correct lineage from the participant back to Jan Brouwer, and at which generation, and under what circumstances, did the "Brouwer to Embody" transition occur. We can, however, narrow down the possibilities.

As mentioned above, a chart of the Embody ancestry of the participant is available online. The immigrant ancestor to America, of the Embody family, was John/Johan Adam Inbody. He is sometimes found simply as Adam Indody, and descendants are found variously, depending on time and place, with the surnames Inbody, Imbody, Enbody, Embody, and a few other variations. John Adam Inbody is stated to have been born February 27, 1709 in Switzerland, and came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around 1740. He died on June 27, 1790 in Berks Co., Pennsylvania and is buried at Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery in Berks County. It is known from Y-DNA testing of descendants of John Adam Inbody, that he cannot be a genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer. At least three confirmed descendants of John Adam Inbody have been tested and while their Y-DNA test results all match each other, they are very different from our Embody descendant of Jan Brouwer. Of John Adam Inbody's four known sons, the one we are interested in his Henry Embody. He is the direct ancestor of our Embody participant. Although the Embody pedigrees of the participants in the Embody DNA Project are not publicly available, I have been told through correspondence with the administrator of the Embody Project, that at least two of them are descendants of Henry Embody. This fact, therefore, eliminates Henry Embody from consideration. Immediately we can eliminate both John Adam Inbody and Henry Embody as the possible ancestor who might have had a Brouwer father.

Henry Embody was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1746. As a young man he apparently had some legal troubles in Berks County, and left the area, settling at Canajoharie, a town in the Mohawk River Valley of upstate New York. There he was married to Leah Countryman and the two had ten children. Of these, the one that is the ancestor of our Embody participant is Daniel Embody, born about 1788, and probably died by 1820. Daniel's wife is known only as, Bautje, and the couples two known children are a son Isaac (ancestor of our participant) and a daughter Belinda. Isaac Embody was married to Phebe J. Van Vorst. The couple had three children and lived at Norway, Herkimer Co., New York (1850), Sennett, Cayuga Co., New York (1860) and finally at Auburn, also in Cayuga County, New York (1870, 1880, 1900). Isaac died on March 20, 1900 and is buried at Soule Cemetery in Auburn, New York. Of Isaac's three children, two where sons, Daniel A. Embody (ancestor of our participant) and William H. Embody. It was hoped that we might be able to locate another living male descendant of one of these two brothers. Y-DNA testing of one or more male descendants of Isaac Embody would help us narrow down the possible generation in which the Brouwer to Embody transition occurred. Unfortunately, after conducting genealogical research, it has been concluded that there are no other living male descendants of Isaac Embody, other than our Embody participant who is a genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer. We are then left with the possible generations in which the Brouwer to Embody transition occurred to either Daniel Embody (1788-bef. 1820), Isaac Embody (1814-1900), Daniel A. Embody (1841-1907), his son George C. Embody (1876-1939), or Daniel R. Embody (1914-2007), the father of our participant. (A chart, and a genealogical summery of the descendants of Daniel Embody are online).

We know that all of the Embody families just mentioned were small, and that they lived in central New York, first in the area of Minden (now in Montgomery County, south of the Mohawk River, and at Auburn, at the north end of Owasco Lake, then at Ithaca in Tompkins County at the south end of Cayuga Lake. Finding a Brouwer male, or a Brouwer family, descended from Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I., living in one of the just mentioned locations at the same time as the Embody family, could narrow down our search for our participant's Brouwer to Embody transition.

Genealogical details on the early generations of the Inbody/Embody Family is from Eber F. Inbody, Genealogy of the Inbody Family (E. F. Inbody, 1963). Other source citations and a bit more on the families of John Adam Inbody and Henry Embody can be found online at the Brouwer Genealogy Database. Use the links available from the Embody DNA Chart.

We would very much like to thank our Embody/Brouwer descendant for joining the Brewer DNA Project, and for assisting in the search for descendants of Daniel Embody. We would welcome any input and new information pertaining to the descendants of Daniel Embody (b. ca. 1788).

August 11, 2015: Embody data from FTDNA's Big-Y Test added to "An Application of FTDNA's Big-Y Test to our Brewer DNA Project," by Richard Brewer.

BGB 195

John Rose of Ohio: A Genetic Descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.

John Rose died in December, 1830 at Madison Twp., Pickaway Co., Ohio. His wife is known simply as Dorothy, and the couple had eight known children and numerous descendants. The identity of John Rose's parents, and of his ancestry is presently not known. A number of descendants of John Rose have had Y-DNA testing completed through Family Tree DNA. The results of their Y-DNA tests resulted in a surprise in that they all matched tested descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. to a high enough standard that we can only conclude that the participants whose surname is ROSE, are most probably genetic descendants of Jan Brouwer. The earliest known ancestor for each of the participants is John Rose who died in December 1830. The descendants of John Rose who signed up for Y-DNA testing with Family Tree DNA are now included in the Brewer DNA Project. There is also a seperate Rose DNA Project, and the John Rose descendants are members of that project as well.

The Y-DNA test results for the seven participants, all descendants of John Rose, are included on the Jan Brouwer Group DNA Results Page at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. A chart for the descendants is also provided. In addition, on the Unplaced page, is a link for a chart of some descendants of John Rose, with links to individual profiles. Marg Bond is responsible for much of the information gathered on the descendants of John Rose and his wife Dorothy, as well as for discovering records that do, or may, pertain to John Rose himself. Marg continues to be interested in hearing from others who may descend from John Rose, and her e-mail address is provided under "John Rose" on the Unplaced page.

What is known about John Rose is limited. It is known that he died in December 1830 at Madison, Pickaway Co., Ohio. He appeared on the 1830 U.S. census there with a household of 1 male aged 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 15-20, 1 male 60-70, 2 females 5-10, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 30-40 and 1 female 50-60. Assuming that John Rose is the male aged 60-70, we would place his birth as between 1760 and 1770. The 1880 U.S. census record of John's son Solomon Rose, at Pleasant Hill, Saline Co., Nebraska, records the birthplace of Solomon's father as Virginia. It is certainly possible that John Rose was born in Virginia, but it is not certain and census records can be inaccurate when it comes to the stated birthplace of parents. The first U.S. census in which the birthplace of parents was asked as a question was the 1880 census. No other child of John Rose is known to have lived that long, depriving us of the opportunity for comparison with Solomon's census record. It is possible that John Rose was born in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or perhaps on Long Island.

In 1820 it is believed that John Rose is the John Rose found on the U.S. census at Hocking, Fairfield Co., Ohio. In 1810 it is believed that he was the John Rose found at Harrisonburg, Rockingham Co., Virginia. In the years 1801 through 1805, a John Rose was taxed at Rockingham Co., Virginia, and in 1806 a Jacob Shaver was taxed there on property formerly belonging to John Rose. The 1850 census records for sons John, Abraham, Isaac and Solomon, all record their birthplaces as Virginia. The birthplace of the eldest son, Anthony (b. 1792) is stated as Pennsylvania on the 1850 census.

The 1790 and 1800 U.S. census records have a John Rose enumerated at Lehigh, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania. John Rose's eldest son, Anthony Rose, married Mary Woodring in Fairfield Co., Ohio. Mary Woodring was born in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania in 1790 and her father, Peter Wotring/Woodring moved the family to Fairfield Co., Ohio, after previous stops at Hagerstown, Maryland and Hempfield, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. Also found in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, on the 1790 census (at Forks) is another man named Anthony Rose (household of 1 male over 16 and 1 female). The just mentioned records provides us with some circumstantial evidence to consider the possibility that our John Rose may have his origins at Lehigh in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania. But, as of this writing, it can only be described as a "lead." More conclusive evidence is needed.

The Y-DNA testing of descendants tells us that despite the fact that John Rose has the surname, ROSE, either he, or one of his direct male ancestors was a son of a man named BROUWER, BROWER or BREWER, who himself was a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. The Y-DNA tests do not tell us with certainty which generation experienced the transition from BROUWER to ROSE. We have to suspect that either a BROUWER family had a child that was then adopted into a ROSE family and assumed that family's name, or that a ROSE woman had an illegitimate child by a BROUWER man, and that child was brought up with his mother's surname. It is also possible that a woman married to a man named ROSE, had a son by a man named BROUWER, and the son was raised in the ROSE household as a ROSE. In this last case, the woman's family name is not known. There certainly are other, probably more complicated possibilities, but the above three, seem to me, to be the most likely to have taken place. If John Rose was born in the decade of 1760 to 1770 (as implied by the 1830 census), then he is most likely a member of the fifth generation of descendants of Jan Brouwer. Therefore, if John Rose is the son of a man named BROUWER, then we must look among the fourth generation descendants of Jan Brouwer for his father. These fourth generation BROUWER men would be the sons of the third generation men who were featured in the various posts on this website between October 14, 2012 and October 24, 2012. It of course is also possible that John Rose was born to a man named ROSE, and that this man was the son of a man named BROUWER. If this scenario is correct, then the BROUWER man who fathered a ROSE son is one of those found in the third generation of descendants of Jan Brouwer. It is also possible that the BROUWER (father) to ROSE (son) relationship was established in either the second or first generations. This possibility would leave us with only five men to consider: Jan Brouwer himself, or one of his four sons, Johannes and Hendrick (neither of who had known children) or Pieter and Derck (both of who's children constitute the third generation). So there are a lot of possibilities, and really no way, with the amount of information known presently, to narrow down the search. But as all of the families found in the first four generations of descendants of Jan Brouwer are found either in Kings or Queens Counties, Long Island, or in Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset or Hunterdon Counties, New Jersey, then it is most likely that our ROSE son, born to a BROUWER father, was born in one of these locations.

Of course, a large part of locating John Rose's parents would involve identifying the ROSE family that he was associated with. Over a year ago we found an woman named Elizabeth Rose, who was brought before the court in Hunterdon County in 1772 on charges of fornication. Although her illegitimate child was not named it was initially suspected that this one lead might provide us with an answer to the identity of our John Rose's parents (the time of birth was about right). However, this was not to be the case. In August of 2011, Marg Bond was able to view the entire case file for the action against Elizabeth Rose. Although the documents do not give the illegitimate child's name, they did reveal the father as Jacob Quick, and not some man named Brouwer. So, unless Jacob Quick is himself a genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer (also by an illegitimate birth), then it appears that this lead was a dead end.

There are a number of families by the name of ROSE found in the areas of New Jersey that we are interested in. Among them are Rose families of English ancestry with origins at eastern (Suffolk Co.) Long Island and settled in Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. It also has to be considered that some families found in the later part of the 1700s and into the 1800s, named ROSE, were descendants of early Dutch families named ROOSA or ROOS. It also is apparent that there are other families named ROSE, other then the three just mentioned, that have to be considered. I have not, and likely will not have the opportunity to research all the various ROSE family possibilities. However, the following links provide some information on what I do have, much of which is not complete, but does offer a start:

Rose: Long Island to Hunterdon Co., New Jersey

Roosa-Roos-Rose Notes

Family Group Sheet: Aldert Heymansz Roosa

Family Group Sheet: Arie Roosa

Family Group Sheet: Gerrit Jansen Roos

Family Group Sheet: Heyman Roosa

Family Group Sheet: Jan Roosa

Family Group Sheet: Johannes Gerritsz Roos

In addition, descendant charts for Aldert Heymansz Roosa and Gerrit Jansen Roos have been added to the BGD website. They are not complete but do cover most of the descedants who might be considered as possible families to which our John Rose might belong.

And finally, Descendants of John Peter Vautrin. Mary (or Polly) Woodring, #115, was the wife of Anthony Rose, a son of John Rose. Perhaps the origins and movements of the family of Mary's parents, Peter and Margaret Wotring/Woodring can provide clues to the locations where John Rose himself may have lived.

 Once again, thanks to Marg Bond for sharing her research. She can be contacted at the e-mail address found on the Unplaced page at the BGD website.

BGB 194

Unplaced: Elias E. Brewer/Brower of Marlboro, New Jersey

Elias E. Brewer (or Brower) lived at Marlboro, Monmouth County, New Jersey. He died on June 22, 1855 and is buried in the Old Brick Church Cemetery in Marlboro. His age on the 1850 U.S. Federal census is given as 67 years. No record of birth or baptism has been located for Elias E. Brewer, and the identity of his parents is not known. A descendant has participated in the Brewer DNA Project and from his Y-DNA test results we are certain that the participant, and therefore all of his known direct male Brewer/Brower ancestors including Elias E. Brewer, are descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island.

Elias E. Brewer's wife was Elizabeth. There is some uncertainty regarding her maiden name. The index card for her application for a pension as a widow of a soldier in the War of 1812, records her maiden name as "More." This same index card gives Elias and Elizabeth's marriage date as May 26, 1810. A published account, Brick Church Memorial, 1699-1877, The days of old and their commemoration, by Theodore W. Wells (1877) gives her maiden name as "Myers." Elizabeth died on February 17, 1879 (age 87yrs 3mos) and her New Jersey State Death Certificate records her mother as "Mary Jefris," but does not name a father.

Elias and Elizabeth had eight or nine children whose dates of birth were recorded in a Family Bible record. The eldest child, a daughter Anne, is questionable as her date of birth is given as May 8, 1810, which is two years prior to the date of marriage supplied by Elizabeth in her pension application (the application may be the document in error as it was created long after the marriage took place, or as the index card is a transcription, there may have been an error in transcribing). If we accept Anne, then Elias and Elizabeth had nine children born between the years of 1810 and 1828. Marriages are known for six of the children and at least four of them, sons John, Jacob C., William Ede, and Isiah, had descendants.

Elias is found on the 1830 and 1840 Federal census at Freehold, Monmouth Co., New Jersey (census records prior to 1830 for New Jersey are lost). The 1840 census refers to him as "Elias E. Brewer." In 1848, Marlboro was formed as a Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, created from a part of Freehold. On the 1850 Federal census, Elias E. Brewer, age 67, is enumerated with Elizabeth in Marlboro Township. They are enumerated next to Benjamin D. Brewer, a son of Isaac Brewer and Styntje Van Brunt (Isaac may be a son of Elias Brower and Elizabeth Palmer).

As mentioned above, Y-DNA testing of a descendant confirms that Elias E. Brewer is a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. The fact that his given name is Elias, tells us that he most likely is a descendant of Jan Brouwer's son, Derck Brouwer. The fact that Elias appears to have spent his entire life at Marlboro, New Jersey tells us that he more then likely is closely related to the other Brewer families found there. There is probably three generations between Elias E. Brewer and Derck Brouwer, and it may be that Elias Brower and Elizabeth Palmer constitute one of the generations. But, at this time, this is merely an educated guess. Additional records are sought and we would welcome hearing from anyone who can add provide more information.

Thanks to Hank Graham for providing important details and records pertaining to Elias E. Brewer and his family, and thanks to the descendant who participated in the Brewer DNA Project. The participation of additional descendants would be welcomed. Details and source citations can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, a link to a chart and profile of Elias E. Brewer is found on the Unplaced page. An e-mail address for contacting Hank Graham can also be found there.

BGB 193

Update: Brouwer Genealogy Database, and Introducing, Bennet Corrections

The Brouwer Genealogy Database website has been updated. Launched on July 29, 2008, the BGD now includes profiles of 33,786 individuals.

With this update we have included results from a new participant in the Brewer DNA Project. The participant is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I. through his eldest son Pieter Brouwer. He is represented by kit #252546, and his lineage can be found on the descendants of Pieter Brouwer Chart accessible from the Adam Brouwer Group DNA Results Page. The participants data is a very valuable addition to our efforts in understanding the descendants of Adam Brouwer using Y-DNA testing, and we would like to express our thanks to the participant for agreeing to join the project. We would also like to encourage other Brouwer, Brower and Brewer descendants to join as well.

Also added is a Chart of the some of the descendants of Willem Adriaensen, whose descendants adopted the surname, BENNET. Willem Adriaensen was the second husband of Maria Badie, and their descendants are cousins to the descendants of Adam Brouwer, by virtue of the fact that Adam Brouwer's wife, Magdalena Verdon, was Maria Badie's eldest daughter by her first husband, Jacob Verdon. Through some more complicated twists and turns, it has also been found that some descendants of Willem Adriaensen and Maria Badie are also cousins of descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. Descendants of Willem Adriaensen have been covered in a published account. Wilson V. Ledley, published, "Willem Adriaense Bennet of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Some of His Descendants," in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. His series of articles ran from volume 93, no. 4 (1962) through volume 95, no. 4 (1964). Unfortunately there are many errors in Ledley's published account, some have been repeated in later published articles citing Ledley's original account. Since the past summer I have found some time to periodically consider some of these errors, and have had the opportunity to correspond with two excellent researchers, Mike Morrissey and Liz Johnson, both of whom are very familiar and experienced in researching colonial families of New Netherland, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Many of the corrections are now addressed on the BGD website, and the chart of Willem Adriaensen's descendants is intended as a convenient method for accessing complete profiles, and as a guide to my current take on the Bennet family. The chart currently covers five generations and is not complete. In the coming months I will add posts regarding some of the more critical corrections and they will have the label, "Bennet Corrections." The first post, Identifying the wife of Isaac Bennet, was published here on August 25, 2012. More will eventually follow.

In the meantime, issues that will be addressed in the coming months will start with the addition of a few more Unplaced descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.; the completion of posts focused on the remaining children of Adam Brouwer; posts on Unplaced descendants of Adam Brouwer, and posts on other Unplaced Brewers who have had descendants that participated in the Brewer DNA Project. The BGD will likely be updated again in early 2013.

Also of interest to those researching related New Netherland families would be the identification of the Father and Brother of Aucke Jans Van Nuys, by Liz Johnson and just recently published on her website, Sketches of 17th Century Hollanders. The article also includes the discovery of baptism dates for three, possibly four, of Aucke's children who were baptized in Amsterdam prior to the family's migration to New Netherland. Aucke Jans Van Nuys settled in Kings County on Long Island and his children married with members of a number of other prominent early Kings County families. Aucke's descendants are numerous, some were among the early settlers in New Jersey, and some have ties with Brouwer, Brower and Brewer families descended from both Adam Brouwer and Jan Brouwer. There are also important ties with the Bennet families mentioned above.

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Unplaced: Stephen Brewer of New Jersey, Kentucky and Indiana

Stephen Brewer was said to be born in 1772 in New Jersey, although the 1850 and 1860 U.S. census records his place of birth as Virginia. A descendant of Stephen Brewer has participated in the Brewer DNA Project and Y-DNA test results demonstrate that the participant and therefore all of his direct male BREWER ancestors are descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. Although Stephen Brewer is a descendant of Jan Brouwer, we still do not know his correct ancestry back to Jan Brouwer. As he was born in 1772, it is most likely that Stephen Brewer is a great-great grandson of Jan Brouwer.

Stephen Brewer was married to Mary Melinda Whitsett on May 26, 1811 in Harrison County, Kentucky. A chart of some of their descendants, linked to individual profiles, can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, at the Unplaced page. Much of the information and research concerning Stephen Brewer comes from Charles Wells, a descendant.

A published, early 20th century account found in Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Sedgwick County, Kansas (Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1901), page 469, makes the statement that Stephen was born in a "suburb of New York City" (which of course could include parts of New Jersey) and that his father was also named Stephen, and both served during the Revolutionary War (the younger Stephen apparently as a boy who helped transport supplies, etc.). This volume can be found online at Internet Archive. Whether or not, and to what degree this is accurate is something that we would like to find out.

The 1793 tax rolls at Bernards Twp., Somerset Co., New Jersey includes a Stephen Brewer. If his stated birth date of 1772 is correct, our Stephen Brewer would have been aged 21 in 1793 and therefore certainly eligible to appear on a tax roll. From his above mentioned marriage, it is clear that Stephen was in Harrison County, Kentucky by 1811. In the years between 1811 and 1815 Stephen Brewer is found on tax rolls in Harrison County. Also appearing on these rolls is an Aaron Brewer. The relationship between Stephen and Aaron Brewer has not been determined. It is suspected that they are brothers. Aaron Brewer was married to Polly McFarland on September 10, 1812 in Harrison County. The 1850 U.S. census gives his age as 63 (so born ca. 1787) and place of birth as Virginia. Among Aaron Brewer and Polly McFarland's probable children is Aaron W. Brewer (1828-1908), who through Y-DNA testing of a descendant is also a genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer. Presently, all that links the three (Stephen, Aaron and Aaron W.) is fact that they are found in the same locations and have genetic links to a common ancestor. Conclusive proof, in the form of records, that would tie the three together in one way or another, have not been found.

Stephen Brewer and Mary Melinda Whitsett had seven known children. Harrison County, Kentucky is in the northeast portion of the state, just south of the Ohio River and a bit southeast of the state of Indiana. In 1820, Stephen is found at Jennings Twp., Fayette Co., Indiana on the U.S. Federal census. In 1830 and 1840 Stephen Brewer is found in Delaware Co., Indiana, and in 1841 he registered federal land in Madison Co., Indiana. The 1850 and 1860 U.S. census finds Stephen in Grant Co., Indiana and he last resided at Fairmount Twp., Grant Co. Stephen Brewer died sometime between the 1860 census and 1864. His place of burial or exact date of death has not been discovered.

As mentioned above, a direct descendant has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. From the results and from the known circumstantial evidence it is safe to say that it is very probable that Stephen Brewer and Aaron W. Brewer are closely related (the tested descendants match on 37 of 37 markers). They, and/or their immediate ancestors (meaning parents) likely began in New Jersey, then made their way to the Berkeley Co., Virginia (now West Virginia) area sometime soon after the American Revolution, and from there headed down the Ohio River into Kentucky. Numerous families of Dutch ancestry, with origins on Long Island and in New Jersey made this very move. For many of these families, linking the descendants found in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana during the early 1800s, back to their Long Island/New Jersey families of the 1700s has been extremely difficult. Vital records, estate records and land records for this period are just very limited. DNA testing and analysis of descendants of these pioneers offers a new opportunity for tying these families together. But we need more participants. Especially needed, are participants who can conclusively demonstrate their descent from Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L.I. Test results from these participants provide us with a base to which we can compare those who do not know their complete ancestry.

As always, additional details and source citations are found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database.
Descendants Chart: Stephen Brewer. 

Thanks to Charles Wells for providing a good deal of the information on the origins and descendants of Stephen Brewer.

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New York County Deeds Index

Back on October 27th I posted a link for a source that provided an index to the deeds recorded in New York County prior to 1800. There of course were many more deeds recorded after 1800 and many of then involve persons named Brouwer, Brower and Brewer.

The link below will take you to digital images of the index pages for persons named Brouwer, Brower and Brewer, found in the Grantees index of New York County Deeds. These images are from FHL film # 888237.

Brewer-Brower NY Co Deeds Grantees Index

The link below leads to digital images from the Grantors index, FHL film #888232

Brewer-Brower NY Co Deeds Grantors Index

Currently the complete deeds are only accessible at the New York County Courthouse or by viewing filmed copies at a local Family History Library Center. Hopefully, the day will come when Family Search makes the images available online. Deeds can be an important source of otherwise unknown information useful to discovering family links. There are a lot of Brouwer, Brower and Brewer names mentioned in this index. I have no doubt that there is some yet undiscovered clues to family relationships that are waiting to be found by some researcher.

It is suggested that you download images to your own computer so that they can be more easily enlarged and manipulated for better viewing.

Update June 8, 2019: Here is a link to the online image for the Grantors Index where the surname BROUWER begins. This is image number 373 in Conveyance index-grantor 1654-1866 A-C. The images are faint, but still better than the photographed images placed online seven years ago.

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Unplaced: Richard Brouwer of Albany & Delaware Cos., New York

Richard Brouwer is known to have lived at Duanesburgh, Albany Co., New York (1790 census) and at Walton (1800) and Tompkins (1810, 1820) both in Delaware County, New York. He was married to Mary Blann/Blain/Blean sometime prior to 1779. Richard Brouwer was mentioned in an earlier post, Six Derck/Dirck Brouwers.

A descendant of Richard Brouwer has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. The results of his Y-DNA test confirm that he, and therefore all of his direct male Brewer ancestors, are descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. Richard Brouwer's direct ancestry back to Jan Brouwer, however, is as yet unknown.

We know of four children of Richard Brouwer and his wife, Mary Blann. They are recorded in baptism records at Schenectady and Guilderland Center, New York. The first two are found in the records of the First Reformed Church at Schenectady. They are for George Washington, son of Richard Brouwer and Mary Blann, with sponsors Johannes Mynderse and Eva C. Yates, dated January 31, 1779; and Petrus, son of Richard Brouwer and Mary Blean, with sponsors Petrus Westvaal and Sophia Westvaal, dated January 16, 1782. Then on November 6, 1787, Helena, daughter of Richard Brower and Margariet (sic) Blaine, was baptized at the Helderbergh Reformed Church at Guilderland Center, Albany County. Sponsors were Evert Van Arnem and Helena Vroman. On April 17, 1795, Derick, son of Derick Brewer and Maria Blain, was baptized at the Helderbergh Reformed Church. No sponsors were recorded and the child's date of birth was given as May 1, 1790. The name Richard, of course, is a derivation of Derick. What relationship if any, of the above mentioned sponsors to either Richard or Mary, is not known. Extended families for each of the named sponsors would have to be compiled before any potential family relationship might be found. The parents of Mary Blann, and her ancestry is also unknown, but discovering her whereabouts prior to her marriage, may be helpful in locating Richard's parents. Richard and Mary were said to have had fourteen children. If this is correct, then we still have ten children who have not yet been discovered.

The descendant who participated in the Brewer DNA Project is descended from the above son Derick, who was known in adulthood as Richard Brewer. In 1817 Richard, and his brother Peter, relocated to what was known as the "Firelands" in northeastern Ohio along the south shore of Lake Erie. The "Firelands" were in a larger area that was originally under the jurisdiction of the State of Connecticut and was known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. Richard Brewer settled near Florence in Huron Co., Ohio. In 1838, Erie County was formed from Huron County and Richard is found on the U.S. Federal census records of 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 at Florence, Erie Co., Ohio. His wife was Nancy Schaeffer and they had eight children born between 1821 and 1844. In 1889, Howard Tuttle presented a sketch of Richard Brewer before the Firelands Pioneer Society. It was published in The Firelands Pioneer and can be found online at Google Books. Richard Brewer apparently developed a legend, to some extent, as an early pioneer. A number of statements with regards to his age and date and place of birth were exaggerated and/or in error. In 1889, Richard was still alive, and he was stated to be aged 105 years, was given a birth date of May 1, 1783, and stated to have been born at "Greenbush, Delaware Co., New York." Of course we know from his baptism record that Richard was actually born on May 1, 1790, and Greenbush is a town, not in Delaware Co., but in Albany County (now in Rensselaer Co.), New York. Richard would have lived for some years during his childhood in Delaware County, but he was not born there. Richard's brother Peter was also said to have gone to Ohio, however, a family and what became of him, has not yet been found.

The above mentioned account by Howard Tuttle stated that Richard Brewer's father (Richard Brouwer) had fourteen children. Whether or not this too was an exaggeration we do not know. As mentioned, only four have thus far been identified. From the baptism of George Washington Brouwer in January 1779, we can assume that Richard and Mary were married prior to that year. If we then assume that Richard was at least twenty years old we can state that he was born prior to 1759. We do not know whether George Washington Brouwer was the first child of Richard and Mary. They may have been earlier children who have yet to be discovered. As of now, all we can possibly say is that Richard Brouwer was probably born sometime between 1730 and 1759. With this large range for a birth date, there are two known Dirck Brouwers who might be Richard Brouwer. They are Dirck, son of Pieter Brouwer and Susanna Titsoort, baptized on September 1, 1743 at Readington, New Jersey, or Dirck, son of Jacob Brouwer and Marike, baptized on May 29, 1737 at Readington, New Jersey. A third possibility is that Richard is an otherwise unknown son of Dirck Brouwer who himself was baptized August 15, 1732. This last possibility is the least likely as Dirck's believed family is in itself speculative. (This last Dirck Brouwer I am referring to is #4 in Six Derck/Dirck Brouwers).

It should also be noted that the 1830 U.S. census at Tompkins, Delaware Co., New York, records a Jacob Brewer with a household of 1 male aged 50-60, 1 female 5-10 and 1 female 40-50, and a John Brewer with a household of 1 male under 5, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 50-60, 1 female under 5, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 30-40. Richard Brouwer (Brewer) is not found on the 1830 census and is presumed to have died between 1820 and 1830. Jacob Brewer and John Brewer, each of who would have been born in the decade of 1770-1780 (assuming the census record is correct) may have been additional sons of Richard Brouwer and Mary Blann. John Brewer is found on the 1840 census at Tompkins, New York. Jacob is not found in 1840. No persons named Brewer (or Brower) are found at Tompkins, New York in 1850.

We would like to hear from anyone with any additional documented records or information. Any direct male Brewer or Brower descendants of Richard Brouwer are encouraged to participate in the Brewer DNA Project. As usual, source citations can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. A chart of known descendants, with links, of Richard Brouwer can also be found at the BGD.

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