William Brewer (or Brower) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Among the earliest participants in the Brewer DNA Project are three cases in which the results of Y-DNA tests on the participants demonstrate that they are certain descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. The participants had tested some years ago, and the effort to find the connection to other families descended from Adam Brouwer stalled. Since that time more source information, in the form of databases and scanned records found primarily at Family Search and Ancestry.com, have become accessible from home. We'll take the time to revisit these three cases and see if any new evidence that might help us connect these lines back to Adam Brouwer can be found. In addition we'll make an effort to pull together as many descendants as possible and bring those lines up to at least to the early 1900s. The first case to look at is that of William Brewer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2007, a descendant of Joseph Brower and Elizabeth McGregor, joined the Brewer DNA Project. Since that time the participant has upgraded his test to the 67 marker level (which is something I would encourage all other participants to do as well). The test results match closely to other participants who are descendants of Adam Brouwer. In addition, the participant had his haplogroup confirmed through testing and the results tell us that he belongs to haplogroup E1b1b1a, which now has the new shorthand name of E-M78. Results can be viewed at both the Adam Brouwer Group DNA Results Page found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, and at the Y-DNA Results page at the Brewer DNA Project site at Family Tree DNA. The kit number for the descendant is N46637.

With complete confidence we can trace the participant's direct paternal line back to Joseph Brower who was born in September 1828 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died 3 May 1908 in Birmingham, Alabama. The direct ancestry is online in chart form at the BGD website. Links from each individual in the chart will lead to a profile which includes source citations which will not be repeated here.

In 1850, on the U.S. Federal census, Joseph Brower is found recorded as Joseph Brewer, in the household of William Brewer, in the 2nd Ward of Southwark, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Southwark, which was the oldest English settlement in Pennsylvania, was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia in 1854. A handicap of the 1850 census is the fact that relationships between persons found in a particular household is not stated specifically. The terms, "Head," "Wife," "Son," etc. are not found on the 1850 census returns. In a strict sense we cannot state that Joseph is a son of William Brewer simply because he is found in William's household in 1850. Fortunately, during the past few years, death certificates (or at least indexes to them) for the state of Alabama have been made available online. Joseph's death certificate records his father as William Brower. The certificate records his mother as "Mrs. William Brower."

The 1850 census record for the household of William Brewer gives his age as 73, and place of birth as New Jersey. This would place his year of birth as about 1777, but I have the impression that his age was overstated and is incorrect on the 1850 census record. Here is an image of the 1850 census sheet (downloaded from Ancestry.com). It is best viewed when downloaded to your own computer and then enlarged.

William Brewer, 1850 Southwark PA (NARA, downloaded from Ancestry.com)

In the above census sheet, William's occupation is not entirely clear, and I can decipher it only as "C?aterman." I'm inclined to believe he was a cartman, or carter, in the city. Below William, is Ann Brewer, who although not stated as such, and until proven otherwise, I will assume to be his wife. Her age is not clear, but I read it as "50," and would suggest comparing it to the age written in for Elizabeth Prikett, who appears six lines below Ann. The Joseph in this household is recorded with the age of "12," which I believe must be an error for 22. Joseph's occupation is "Store Keeper," and I don't believe a 12 year old boy would have such an occupation. Also in the household are William Brewer, age 23, a cabinet maker; Margaret Brewer, age given as 19, and Hannah Brewer, age given as 15. The assumption, based on what is known now, is that William, Margaret, Hannah and Joseph, are all children of William and Ann Brewer.

The reason for questioning William's stated age on the 1850 census as 73 years, is that in 1840, William Bruer, is found in the 5th Ward of Southwark, with a household of 2 males age 10-15, 1 male age 20-30, 1 male 40-50, 2 females 5-10, 2 females 15-20, and 1 female 40-50. William, as head of the household, would most certainly be the male aged 40-50, therefore placing his year of birth between 1790 and 1800 (and not about 1777 as implied on the 1850 census). The description of the family also leaves open the likelihood that William had other children besides those who are found on the 1850 census.

Wm Bruer, 1840 Southwark PA (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

In 1830, William Brewer is enumerated at East Southwark, with a household of 2 males under 5, 1 male 30-40, 1 female under 5, 2 females 5-10, 1 female 20-30. This age range would again place William's birth as between 1790 and 1800. The oldest female, assumed to be his wife, would have been born between 1800 and 1810. The 1850 census gives Ann's age as 50 (if we've read the return correctly), so born about 1800, while the 1840 census gave the age of the oldest female as 40-50, so born between 1790 and 1800.

Wm Brewer 1830 East Southwark PA (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

In 1820, William Brewer can be found at Southwark, Philadelphia County, with a household of 1 male 16-26, 1 female under age 10, and 1 female 16-26. This would indicate that both William, and his wife, were born between 1794 and 1804.

William Brewer, 1820 Southwark PA (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

The family of William Brewer, as described in the 1820 census record, is certainly a young family, and no person named William Brewer is found as a head of household in Philadelphia County in 1810. A search of the 1810 census (using Ancestry.com) finds, as heads of households in Philadelphia County, an Elizabeth Brower, who's household includes a male aged 16-25 (born between 1785 and 1794) and an Ephrem (Ephraim) Brower, who's household includes a male aged 10-15 (1795-1800). Both Elizabeth and Ephrem are enumerated at Northern Liberties, which later was also incorporated into the City of Philadelphia. There is also a George Brewer, who's household includes a male aged 10-15 (1795-1800) and he to is found in Northern Liberties.

Also of interest:
- A William Brower was listed as a member of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in 1822.
- The Philadelphia Death Certificate Index (Ancestry.com) includes a William Brewer who died 23 December 1867, age 73, which places his birth at about 1794. He was buried at the Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Cemetery on 26 December 1867, and had resided at 1725 Otsego Street in the City's First Ward. I have not yet located our William Brewer/Brower on the 1860 U.S. census.
- The same Death Certificate Index includes Ann Brewer who died 17 May 1858, age 60, therefore born about 1798. She was buried in the Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Cemetery on 22 May 1858. Her residence is not given. These early "death certs" were apparently, in actuality burial records obtained from the various cemeteries. Details, such as names of parents are not recorded (unless the deceased was a minor).

Although we know, from the Y-DNA test results of a descendant that William Brewer was a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, we still do not have any firm evidence that would complete William's line back to Adam Brouwer. The three heads of households found in 1810 in Philadelphia County, mentioned above, should be explored further. In the past I have tentatively stated that William could be a descendant of either Hendrick Brouwer, baptized in 1699 (son of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendricks) and who is later found in Somerset County, New Jersey where is own children were baptized, or Samuel Brouwer, baptized in 1706 (son of Willem Brouwer and Marthe Boulton) who also is likely found in Somerset County, New Jersey in the mid-1700s. This "guess" as to William's ancestry, is based simply on the fact that Somerset Co., New Jersey is geographically close to Philadelphia, and we do know that many Somerset County families did migrate into nearby Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In addition, the given name, William, could be found among descendants of Samuel Brouwer, who's father was named William. But, this reasoning is weak, and since this guess as to where William belongs was made, a new piece of information has surfaced.

As we all know, Philadelphia was founded by Quakers, and during the colonial period it served as the center (for lack of a better word) of Quaker activity in the northeast. We have a record from the Shrewsbury, New Jersey Monthly Meeting, dated 4 February 1788, in which George Brewer, "a youth" was placed in the care of Samuel Clark, of Philadelphia (Watring, Anna Miller. Early Church Records of Monmouth County, New Jersey. n.p.: Colonial Roots, 2004, page 95). On 7 January 1788, Lydia Brewer, at the Shrewsbury Meeting, had requested a certificate (for transfer from Shrewsbury to Philadelphia) for her son George who had been placed with Samuel Clark. This George Brewer, being a minor in 1788, would have likely been born between 1770 and 1780. His parents were George Brewer, born 20 May 1730 at Shrewsbury, and Lydia Clark, who were married on 25 Jan 1764. As mentioned above, a George Brewer is found in 1810 at Northern Liberties. He was aged 26-44, so born between 1764 and 1784. This lead needs to be explored further, but for now, would be the most promising possibility for linking William Brewer/Brower to the family of Adam Brouwer. The elder George Brewer, b. 1730, was a son of Adam Brewer and his first wife, Deborah Allen, of Shrewsbury. Adam Brewer is in turn, believed to be the son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus, baptized in 1696, and is a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus. The given named, William, is found among the descendants of Adam Brewer of Shrewsbury. The family and ancestry of Lydia Clark has not yet been researched.

The descendants of William Brewer, which include a lead to the possible identity of Ann (presumed to be the wife of William Brewer) will be considered in a follow up post.

For a chronology of the political subdivisions of the County of Philadelphia from 1683 to 1854, see this page at the City of Philadelphia website.

BGB 339

Freehold and Middletown Freeholders in 1748 and 1755

Back on October 20, we looked at the list of Freeholders at Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey in 1748 and 1755. The list came from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, which had in previous issues published the lists for Freehold, Middletown and Upper Freehold. The list for Freehold is found in volume 16 (1941), beginning at page 83, and it includes a short introduction about the lists of Freeholders in Monmouth County for the years 1748 and 1755 which pertains to the previously posted Shrewsbury list as well.

Freeholders at Freehold, New Jersey, GMNJ 16 (1941)

The list of Freeholders at Middletown is found in volume 17, no. 1 (1942) beginning at page 13.

Freeholders at Middletown, New Jersey, GMNJ 17 (1942)

Notably absent from both lists are any persons named BROWER or BREWER. We do know that there were BROWERs and BREWERs in, or in the vicinity of Freehold and Middletown during the mid 1700s. We know this from a few records of baptisms that appear in the records of the Reformed Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown, although the majority of these baptisms are found either previous to 1748, or a few years after 1755. One specific case that is worth mentioning is Elias Brewer (recorded as Lias Brewer or Brewen) who was a resident of Middletown on 27 January 1753, when a marriage license was issued to him and Elizabeth Palmer of Shrewsbury. Elias does not appear on the 1755 list at Middletown, and no person named PALMER appears on the Shrewsbury list. Elias and Elizabeth had daughters Marya and Catharina baptized at the Reformed Dutch Church at Freehold and Middletown in 1764 and 1767 respectively.

It's clear from the fact that Elias Brewer is absent from the lists of Freeholders that he was not a land owner in Monmouth County. The fact that the first baptism of a child of Elias is from 1764, eleven years after his marriage, might also suggest that he and his family was, for the years between 1753 and 1764, living elsewhere.

There is, on the Freehold list (on page 87) a "Rowliff Schank: Brewer" in 1748, and a "Rulif Scank Brewer" in 1755. This Freeholder's name would be Roelof Schenck, and his occupation was, brewer. The occupation was apparently included to distinguish him from "Rowliff Schank: Carpenter" in 1748.

The lists are certainly of value to those researching families, other than BROWER or BREWER, in Freehold and Middletown. Those familiar with the many of the other families will certainly recognize names that tie back to King County, Long Island, and are inter-married, or otherwise associated with some BROWER and BREWER families.

BGB 338

State of New Jersey v. Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson

Item no. 22 in Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part I, is a record from the Court of General Quarter Sessions held at Freehold in October 1786. It is a case of the State of New Jersey v. Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson Junior of Monmouth County, who are indebted to the State of New Jersey for the sum of twenty pounds.

No. 22. State of New Jersey v. Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson

I'll make an effort at a full transcription. Please note, that although there are two pages to this file, both are scans of the same page. The original was on legal size paper, to large for the scanner bed, therefore not possible to be scanned as one page. The fifth line down from the top of page one, is the first line of page two. The last two lines of page two, are not included on page one. There are a few words (or abbreviations) that I cannot decipher.

Monmouth, to wit, The State of New Jersey , To the Sheriff of the County of Monmouth Greeting: Whereas on the fifteenth day of October Seventeen hundred and Eighty-six before Garret Longstreete Esquire one of the Justices of the said County the Peace to keep

aforesaid (?) came Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson Junior of the County aforesaid and acknowledged themselves to owe and be indebted to the State of New Jersey each in the sum of twenty pounds to be livied of their and each of their goods and chattels lands and (?) for the use of the said State of New Jersey upon condition nevertheless (?) that if the said Peter Brewer should be and appear before the next Court of General Quater Sessions of the Peace to beholden at Freehold in and for the County of Monmouth aforesaid Tuesday the Seventeenth day of October then next following to answer to such things as should on the part of the State be then & there objected against him. And whereas at the said Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace holden at Freehold aforesaid in and for the County aforesaid on the said Seventeenth day of October before Elisha Lawrence, John Emlay, and Denis Denice Esquires and others theri fellow Justices assigned (?) the said Peter Brewer altho solemmly demanded came not, and the said Luke Johnson altho solemmly called to bring forth the body of the said Peter Brewer made default and each of them made default whereupon on motion of the Attorney General of the said State the said Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace hath awarded a Writ of Scire Facias against the said Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson. Therefore you are hereby commanded as before you was commanded to make knowing unto the said Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson that they be and appear before the Justices of the said Court of General Quater Sessions of the Peace to be holden at Freehold in and for the County aforesaid on Tuesday the twenty fourth day of April next (?) if anything they have or know to say for themselves, why the said (?) once ought not to be forfeited judgement entered against them and execution to (?) thereon pursuant to any of Act of Assembly in (?)

Unfortunately, this does not tell us anything more about Peter Brewer and Luke Johnson Junior that might help in identifying the two. The court action takes place in October 1786, so we can assume that both are of legal age at that time. They would have certainly been over the age of twenty-one, and probably over the age of twenty-five, and so born, at least, before 1765 and probably before 1761. The document only tells us that they were of Monmouth County, and does not state which town they lived in. Luke Johnson is referred to as "Junior," but this does not necessarily mean that his father was also named Luke Johnson. During the colonial period, the suffix, "Junior," was not used solely for identifying a son as opposed to his father. It may be that there was another man named Luke Johnson, known to the Court, who was older then the Luke Johnson Junior mentioned in the hearing. The suffix, "Junior," in this case may simply be a way of identifying the younger of two men named, Luke Johnson, whether they are related or not.

We do know that Pieter Brouwer and Antje Van Dyk did have a son named Petrus/Peter born in 1759 and baptized at Freehold-Middletown. We also know that Hendrick Brouwer and Abigail Hunt had a son named Petrus/Peter who was baptized at Freehold-Middletown in 1770. However, assuming this Peter was born in that same year (1770) he would certainly be too young to be the Peter Brewer who is the subject of this court record. Among the descendants of Adam Brewer, of Shrewsbury, his son William Brewer (wife Sarah Allen) is stated to have had a son named Peter Brewer (by William J. Hoffman in his "Brouwer Beginning" manuscript notes) but no independent evidence for such a son has been found (I have the impression that Hoffman was placing Peter Brewer, the first husband of Antje Van Dyk, as a tentative son of William Brewer and was unaware of the presence of some descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands in Monmouth County during the 1700s). Antje Van Dyk married, as her second husband, James Johnson. A thorough study of the Johnson family (or families) of Monmouth County may throw some light on who Luke Johnson was and how, or if, he might be related to Peter Brewer. Petrus/Peter, the son of Pieter Brouwer and Antje Van Dyk would be the best candidate to fit here as the Peter Brewer of this court hearing, but more evidence is needed.

BGB 337

The Cases of Two Women Named Catharine Brewer

Items nos. 20 and 21 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, concern two separate cases involving the paternity of children born to two different women named Catharine Brewer.

The first case (no. 20) was heard at the Monmouth County Court session on June 7, 1825. On October 17, 1822, Catharine Brewer, a single woman of Middletown, gave birth to a daughter, and on November 22, 1822, swore under oath that the father was Garret Hendrickson. At this session, Garret Hendrickson and Hendrick Hendrickson, both of Middletown, acknowledge that they are indebted to the state for the sum of $1000 each. Garret Hendrickson is ordered to appear at the next session.

No. 20 Catherine Brewer, Garret Hendrickson

The child's name is not stated at this hearing, and it is difficult to determine with certainty who this Catharine Brewer is. John Brewer and Nelly Hendrickson had a daughter Catharine who was baptized on 30 May 1795 at Freehold-Middletown. She would have been aged 27 in 1822, and no marriage has yet been identified for her. Her grandfather, Hendrick Brouwer/Brewer, lived in Middletown and it is assumed that her father, John Brewer, did as well. John and Nelly Brewer are buried in the Luyster Cemetery in present day Holmdel, New Jersey.
A second Catharine Brewer, who could possibly be identified with the Catharine Brewer in this court record, would be the daughter of Isaac Brewer and Styntje Van Brunt, who was baptized at Freehold-Middletown on 4 December 1804. She would have been just shy of age 18, in October 1822 when the child was born. Isaac Brewer, however, lived at Freehold, and not at Middletown.
The better candidate of the two Catharine Brewers, as the one who gave birth to an illegitimate daughter of Garret Hendrickson, would be the daughter of John Brewer and Nelly Hendrickson. Enough is not known to make a definite identification.

Item no. 21, took place at the Court Session of October 1806. On July 10, 1806, Catharine Brewer, the widow of Peter Brewer, late of the township of Middletown, states that on June 17, 1806, she was delivered of a son, and names Thomas Field of Middletown as the father.

No. 21 Catherine Brewer, Thomas Field

On 18 September 1794, Catharine Hendrickson and Peter Brewer were married and the marriage is recorded in the records of the Reformed Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown. I suspect that this couple is the Catharine and Peter who are named in the October 1806 court hearing. Presently I do not have positive identifications for either Catharine Hendrickson or Peter Brewer, but I would strongly suspect that Peter is the son named Petrus, of Hendrick Brouwer and Abigail Hunt, who was baptized at Freehold-Middletown on 19 March 1770. Neither a wife or date of death has yet been identified for this Peter Brewer. I have no other candidates to identify as the Peter Brewer who is the deceased husband of Catharine Brewer in October 1806.

BGB 336

Shrewsbury, New Jersey Freeholders in 1748 and 1755

A list of freeholders in Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey in the years 1748 and 1755, was published in The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, volume 17 (1942), beginning at page 38.

Monmouth Co. Freeholders, GMNJ 17 (1942)

The list is arranged alphabetically and in two columns allowing for an easy comparison between the two years. Three men named BREWER can be found on page 39. They are Adam Brewer, Jacob Brewer and William Brewer.

The first of the three can be identified as Adam Brewer, who is generally believed to be the son Adam, baptized in 1696 at Brooklyn, the son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus. Adam Brewer was married three times, moved to the predominantly English town of Shrewsbury at a relatively young age, and joined the Society of Friends, or Quakers. He wrote is will on 22 August 1768 and an inventory of his estate was taken 10 March 1769. Since he joined the Quakers early on, none of his children have baptisms that would have been recorded in any of the Reformed Dutch Churches.

The second, William Brewer, could be one of two men named William Brewer who lived in Shrewsbury. The first candidate is Adam Brewer's son, William who was, according to a claimed Bible record, was born 9 May 1722 at Shrewsbury. He was married to Sarah Allen in 1751, and was named in his father's will of 22 August 1768. The second candidate is William Brewer, son of William Brower/Brewer and Marritje Van Oort. While the father, William Brewer, lived at Middletown, his son, William, was a resident of Shrewsbury in 1742 when he was married to Lydia Herbert. This William Brewer wrote his will on 5 April 1775, calling himself, William Brewer of Shrewsbury, son of William, and naming his wife "Ledia," but not naming any children. He was probably born about 1717 (assuming he was married when about aged 25). I tend to think that the freeholder was the later of the two, who was at least married by 1748 (the date of the first list) and was known to have owned real property.

The third, Jacob Brewer, is a presumed son of William Brower/Brewer, and probably a brother of the second William Brewer mentioned above. There is no record of Jacob's birth or baptism, and no probate file for his supposed father, William Brower/Brewer has been located. On 5 April 1755, Joseph Kinnan and his wife, Ruth, sold to Jacob Brewer "of Squan," land in Shrewsbury. "Squan" would be Manasquan, which is a location within the Township of Shrewsbury. In 1772, Jacob Brewer of Shrewsbury was a bondsman on the estate of William Van Oort, and in 1775, Jacob Brewer of Shrewsbury witnessed the will of the above mentioned, "William Brewer of Shrewsbury, son of William."

A "Freeholder" was a person who owned property and held it free and clear. During the colonial period in New Jersey only Freeholders were permitted to be chosen to fill positions in government.

BGB 335

The Docket of Guisbert Sutfin, J. P., Bedminster Twp., New Jersey

Published in the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, vol. 49, no. 2 (May 1974) is an article by Dorothy A. Stratford entitled, "Docket of Guisbert Sutfin, J. P., Bedminster Township, Somerset County." The article consists of abstracted info from Guisbert Sutfin's Docket. The abstracts in the article place a number of Brouwers in Somerset County in the years between 1770 and 1773.

Guisbert Sutfin (or Sutphen) was born 28 August 1720, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, the son of Guisbert Sutphen and Geertruyd Van Pelt (Parsons, Gerald James. "Peter Van Pelt," The American Genealogist Vol. 50-51 [1974-75], at 50:214 citing a Family Bible record). He was one of many who had family roots in Kings County, Long Island and later Monmouth County, New Jersey, who then continued the move inland into Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, New Jersey. For additional background on Guisbert Sutfin I will simply quote the author's introduction here:

"Guisbert Sutfin, son of Guisbert, came to Bedminster Township, Somerset County, from Monmouth County, around 1743. By a series of land purchases, he became one of the large landholders of the area, in 1787 being assessed for 338 acres. He served the county in various civil capacities, as Justice of the Peace prior to 1774, and as Judge in 1778, 1785, 1787 and 1788. His earliest dockets and day books are mentioned in Andrew D. Mellick, Jr., Story of an Old Farm, and in Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 6, page 35, in an article entitled "Stone House Papers." His first wife was Ariantje Van Pelt, who died in 1788. He married as his second wife, Petronella Voorhees. He died Nov. 16, 1796, and is buried in the Bedminster Dutch Reformed Churchyard."

The information abstracted by Dorothy A. Stratford from the Docket is rather brief, and there appears to be little direct genealogical data in the abstracts. Among the files scanned from the material collected by William B. Bogardus are two note cards of copied entries from this article pertaining to persons named Brouwer, and any variation thereof. This file is now available online.

"Docket of Guisbert Sutfin, J.P., Bedminster Twp., Somerset Co." GMNJ v.49, no.2 (1974)

For more on the Docket itself, here again are the author's own words:

"This docket, which begins early in 1770, was at one time part of a display maintained in the Somerset County Courthouse by the county historical society. It covers three years, 1770-1773. The cases for the most part were for non-payment of small debts, and other minor law infractions. All pertinent data have been abstracted from each entry to include names of parties, cause of suit, and any other information of value. The original spelling has been kept, and all phrases taken out of context, but pertinent to the general understanding of the case, are in quotes."

I did look at the article in full in the hope that there was some additional info not recorded on the note cards in the William B. Bogardus Collection. Unfortunately there is none. What you see here is what is in the original. There are thirteen entries pertaining to Brouwers, specifically listed as:

"John Brouwer"

"Jacob Bruwer"

"John and Jacob Bruwer"

"Jacob Bruwer"

"John Bruwer"

"Elias Bruwer"

"Pieter & Jacob Bruwer" with "Adam Bruwer" surety

"Jacob Bruwer"

"Jacob Bruwer"

"Jacob Brower" settled on "Bruwer son-in-law & "Luwis"

"Jacob Bruwer"

"Jacob Bruwer"

"Margaret Brewar"

The cases all occur within a very short time frame of three years, 1770 to 1773, so I would say that it is likely that all of the Jacob Bruwers are one person, and same for the two cases referring to a John Brouwer and a John Bruwer (there is only one John). Just from this list it is not possible to state exactly who each of these "Bruwar"s are, but a few prime suspects can be suggested.

Derck Jansz Brouwer (son of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.) is believed to have had five sons, among them a Pieter Brouwer and a Jacob Brouwer, both of who are found with children baptized at the churches at Raritan, Somerset County, and Readington in Hunterdon County. Pieter Brouwer and his wife Susanna Titsoort had children baptized between 1732 and 1747. Jacob Brouwer and his wife, Marike (family name not known) had children baptized between 1731 and 1745. Bedminster Twp. is bounded on the west by Hunterdon County, and persons living in this area would have used either or both the Raritan and Readington Churches. Derck's sons Pieter and Jacob are in the right place, however, the docket dates from 1770 to 1773, which is twenty-five years and more after the baptism dates, and as both Pieter and Jacob are estimated to have been born between 1700 and 1703 (assuming the placement of both as sons of Derck is correct), each would have been around seventy years old when these cases took place.

Confounding the above, is the fact that an Adam Bruwer is named as a surety in a case involving Pieter and Jacob Bruwer in 1772. There are no known descendants named Adam among the families descended from Jan Brouwer. There is an Adam Brouwer, baptized 5 March 1721 at Raritan, a son of Hendrick Brouwer and his wife, Elizabeth, who is a great-grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus. This Adam Bruwer would then have been about 51 years old in 1772, and he did have a brother named Pieter Brouwer who was baptized in 1731 at New Brunswick in Middlesex County. He would have been aged 41 in 1772. There is (so far) no evidence of a son named Jacob in the family of Hendrick and Elizabeth Brouwer.

Also among the sons of Derck Jansz Brouwer is Elias Brouwer who was probably born about 1699. He was living in 1744, but no confirmed record for him, after that date, has been located. His son, Elias Brouwer (married Phebe Lucas) was baptized 25 December 1740 at Readington. He is said to have moved to Cambridge, Albany Co., New York in 1772, the same year a suit was brought against an Elias Bruwer at Bedminster. Neither of the above mentioned sons of Derck Brouwer (Pieter and Jacob) are known to have a son named Elias. The Elias Bruwer in the Docket would have to be either the son Elias, born in 1740, or his father, Elias, who would be in his early 70s in 1772.

There are two mentions of a "John Brouwer" and a "John Bruwer" in the Docket. Derck Jansz Brouwer did have a son named John (Jan) who died in 1732 after making his will in Somerset County. His two known sons, named Jan and Dirck, returned to Long Island as young children and appear to have lived out their lives there. It is not likely that Derck's son John could be the John Brouwer/Bruwer in cases from 1770 and 1772. Neither Pieter Brouwer or Jacob Brouwer (sons of Derck) are confirmed to have had a son named John (although it is possible that one of them did). The above mentioned Hendrick Brouwer is not known to have had a son named John. It does, however, have to be noted that the families of Hendrick's sons have yet to be discovered. Of interest, though, would be John Brewer of Scioto County, Ohio.

John Brewer of Scioto Co., Ohio, is known to be, through Y-DNA testing of a descendant, a descendant himself of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. John Brewer's first wife was named Elsie Lewis, and John and his wife Elsie are mentioned in the will of Elsie's brother, Barnet Lewis, dated 12 February 1807. Barnet Lewis was a son of Edward Lewis, and the family lived at Bernards Twp. in Somerset County. Bernards Twp. is adjacent to Bedminster Twp. In 1773, a suit against Jacob Brower, was settled "by a note on Bruwer son-in-law & Luwis." The date of birth of John Brewer of Scioto Co. is not known, but is estimated to have been between 1745 and 1755. If closer to the former he could have been old enough to have been involved in a law suit in 1770 and 1772. The appearance of the name "Luwis" (Lewis) makes this case of particular interest, and the somewhat cryptic abstract entry needs to be investigated further.

The best guess for Margaret Brewar, who was sued in 1773, is that she is the Maregrita (family name not known) who was married to Samuel Brewer who was a freeholder in the Western Precinct of Somerset Co. in 1753. They had two daughters, both named Annatje, baptized at Raritan in 1732 and 1735. I suspect that in 1773 she was a widow. In 1760, Samuel Brewer witnessed the will of John Smock of Eastern Precinct, Somerset County. Samuel Brewer is probably the son of Willem Brouwer and Marthe Boulton who was baptized at Brooklyn in 1706. He would be a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus.

It would be of help if the complete original Docket of Guisbert Sutfin could be consulted to see if any other clues might be found. 

Additional details for all of those mentioned above can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

BGB 334

Mary Elizabeth Brower and George Colville Smith, A Follow Up

In January 2011, I placed online a genealogical summery detailing the descendants of George Colville Smith and his wife Mary Elizabeth Brower. At that time the parents and ancestry of Mary Elizabeth Brower had not been identified (a post had been written on the old blog site and is no longer online). In 2008 I had been contacted by someone who was searching for Mary Elizabeth Brower's ancestry, and who had previously corresponded with William B. Bogardus. Five years later, the parents of Mary Elizabeth Brower have finally been found. The above highlighted document has now been updated. It includes a new date of birth, a date of death and marriage date for Mary Elizabeth Brower.

The breakthrough came with an e-mail received from Carole Jean Smith who was researching Smith families. She was able to locate, and forward to me, both a marriage notice and death notice for Mary Elizabeth Brower, that had been published in newspapers of her time.

The marriage notice, as published in the New York Daily Tribune of Monday, August 26, 1861, reads:

SMITH-BROWER - On Wednesday, Aug. 7, by the Rev. Mr. Poisul, Colville Smith to Mary Lizzie Brower, daughter of Robert Brower, esq., all of this city.

The death notice, as published in the New York Herald, Sunday, June 7, 1914, reads:

SMITH - At Jamaica, N. Y., on June 6, 1914, Mary Elizabeth Smith, widow of Colville Smith and daughter of the late Robert D. Brower and Mary Elizabeth Brower. Funeral services at the residence of her sister, Mrs. Samuel W. Kirby, No. 94 Merrick Road, Jamaica on Monday afternoon at three o'clock. Interment private.

From the above we now have the names of Mary Elizabeth Brower's parents as Robert D. Brower and Mary Elizabeth. Further identification of Robert D. Brower and his wife required additional research, and information found on census records and marriage records of other children leads to the conclusion that Robert D. Brower is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, through Adam's son Jacob Brouwer and his wife, Annatje Bogardus.

The Brower Ancestry of Mary Elizabeth Brower

The family of Robert Brower is found on the 1850 U.S. Federal census at Brick, Ocean County, New Jersey. The eldest child in the family is Mary, who is aged 13 years.

Robert Brower household, 1850 U.S. Census (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

The key to linking Mary Elizabeth Brower, the wife of Colville Smith to this Robert Brower household, was the presence in this household of a child, Morris, at the time age five. Morris is found variously in records as Morris Brower, Morris F. Brower, Maurice F. Brower and Maurice H. Brower. His marriage to Catharine Higinson in 1870 can be found online in the Family Search database titled, "New York Marriages, 1686-1980." Here, the parents of "Maurice H. Brower," are recorded as Robert Brower and Mary Robinsen. Marriages for two other children of Robert D. Brower and Mary Robinson are also found in this database, although neither one, David P. Brower, and James Delano Brower, were born at the time the 1850 U.S. census was taken.

The household of Colville Smith, is found on the 1870 U.S. Federal census in the 16th Ward of New York City (in Manhattan). Found in the household, along with Colville's wife, "Lizzie," and his children, Robert, Lizzie and Isaac, is Morris Brower, age 26, a house painter, and Catharine Brower, age 27, "keeps house," who would be his wife (relationship specifics were not recorded on the 1870 census).

Colville Smith household, 1870 U.S. Census (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

Although no record of birth or baptism has been found for Mary Elizabeth Brower, it can be concluded from the above collective group of documents (her marriage and death notices, the marriage record of Maurice H. Brower, and the 1850 and 1870 census records) that Mary Elizabeth Brower is a daughter of Robert D. Brower and Mary Elizabeth Robinson. A bit of a stumbling block in this research had been the 1900 U.S. Federal census in which Mary E. Smith (a widow) had been recorded with an age of 55 years, and born May 1845 in Virginia.

Mary E. Smith household, 1900 U.S. Census (NARA, image downloaded from Ancestry.com)

The presence of her son, George C. Smith, and brother-in-law, Archibald Smith, in her household, make it certain that this Mary E. Smith is our Mary Elizabeth Brower. Why she is recorded as age 55 and born in Virginia is simply one of those U.S. census errors (of which there are many) that defies explanation. In addition her father's place of birth is recorded as North Carolina. The 1850 census states that Mary Brower was aged 13, so born about 1837. The 1870 census records Lizzie Smith's age as 31, so born about 1839. Perhaps she was born in 1838.

In addition to the above, the identity of Colville Smith's mother can be corrected. I had initially been told (by the correspondent from 2008) that her name was Susan Armour. Her name was in fact Susan (or Susannah) Lucas, and is recorded as such on the record of her marriage to Isaac Smith. This info was also provided to me by Carole Jean Smith at can be found at Family Search in the "New York Marriages, 1686-1890" database.

As mentioned, the "Descendants of George Colville Smith" report has been updated, and in addition I have added a "Descendants of Robert D. Brower and Mary E. Robinson," with the caveat that it is not complete. It does contain source citations for all of the above statements. The families will be updated online with the next update of the Brouwer Genealogy Database, although that will not take place for a few more months.

BGB 333

The Petition of Tylee Brewer

The Petition of Tylee Brewer to the Inferior Court of Common Pleas at Freehold, is item no. 19 in Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Records. The petition was considered in the January 1820 term, when Tylee Brewer was confined to goal (jail) for unpaid debts, brought on by a suit initiated by John Robinson. This file is a scanned image of a photocopy of he original documents.

no. 19. Petition of Tylee Brewer

In his petition, a list of creditors is presented, and a Peter Brewer is appointed to oversee the liquidation of assets to satisfy the creditors. The appointment of Peter Brewer is dated 15 March 1820.

Tylee Brewer, a.k.a. Tyle Brower or Tyler Brower, was born 24 February 1794. He is a son of Peter Brower and his wife Anne (surname presently unknown). This information comes from a Family Bible records collected by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and was placed online a few years ago. This file was from the William B. Bogardus Collection and does contain some incorrect information regarding Peter Brower's ancestry (he was not a son of Cornelius Brouwer and Hester Bodine). On the same file is a Bible record of the family of Peter Brower and Catharine Post. This second family is unrelated to the family of Peter Brower and Anne.

According to George C. Beekman, "A Branch of the Van Brunt Family in Monmouth County, New Jersey," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol. 35 (1904), pp. 33-37, Tyle Brower was married to Deborah Tysen, a daughter of Peter Tysen and Anne Gray, by 1818. On the 1830 U. S. Federal Census, Tyler Brewer is found at Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co., New Jersey, with a household of 1 male aged 5-10, 1 male 15-20, 1 male 30-40, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 10-15, and 1 female 30-40.

As per the Family Bible record mentioned above, Peter Brower and Anne had eleven children whos's dates of birth are given in the record. Peter's date of birth is simply given as 1760. He died 13 February 1821. Anne, who's family name is not stated, was born 22 February 1761 and died 11 October 1811, when her youngest child would have been only four years old. "Tylee" and "Tyler" are both uncommon given names from this period and both are known surnames. I would suspect that Tylee Brewer was given a family name, and it may well be the family name of his mother who is otherwise simply known as, Anne.

The parents, and ancestry, of Peter Brower (Tylee's father), are not known with certainty, but given his date of birth is given as 1760 in the Family Bible record, I would first suspect that he is the son baptized as Petrus, on 23 September 1759, at Freehold-Middletown, the son of Pieter Brouwer and Antje Van Dyk (see the post of September 17, 2013). Additional research is needed to confirm this possibility. The court did appoint a Peter Brewer to administer the liquidation of the assets of Tylee Brewer, but whether that Peter Brewer was Tylee's father (who was still living in March 1820), or his brother named Peter (born 22 September 1790), is impossible to say from this petition alone. The petition was originally grouped (by William B. Bogardus) with other documents pertaining to the descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I., and if the suspicion that Tylee's father, Peter Brower, is the son of Pieter Brouwer and Antje Van Dyk is correct, then the placement of this document with that of other descendants of Jan Brouwer, would be correct.

BGB 332

Heirs of Hendrick Brewer, Monmouth Co., New Jersey

Item no. 18 in Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, is from the records of the Monmouth County Orphans Court, volume 2, page 379. The record involves the heirs of Hendrick Brewer, "late of the County of Monmouth," who died intestate (without a will). This document is dated 1 May 1829.

18. Heirs of Hendrick Brewer

Hendrick Brewer was a son of Jan Brouwer and Helena Van Cleef, and was a great-grandson of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. He was baptized 25 December 1735 at Freehold-Middletown (GMNJ 24(1949):46). Hendrick married Abigail Hunt with New Jersey License dated 12 November 1763 (Marriage Records, New Jersey Archives, v. XXII, p. 32). Both were from Middletown, Monmouth County. Hendrick and Abigail had nine children, eight of whom are identified by baptism records of the Reformed Dutch Congregations at Freehold and Middletown. Their eldest son, John, is identified through this record in the Monmouth County Orphans Court. John Brewer had died 2 February 1800, aged 36 years, 2 months and 21 days, and this document identifies five of his children. Hendrick Brewer had died 12 February 1802, aged 67 years. The document mentions some of Hendrick's children and the spouses of two daughters.

This file is a transcript, provided to William B. Bogardus by a correspondent. It consists of one page of handwritten notes and a two page typed transcription of, what apparently is, most of, but not all of the court record. The purpose of the court hearing was to ask the court to order a division of the real estate of Hendrick Brewer among his heirs.

BGB 331

Brewer in Mercer County, Kentucky Court Records

Here is a large file of twenty-nine pages of abstracts and notes taken from various sources in Mercer County, Kentucky pertaining to persons named Brewer. It is from the William B. Bogardus Collection, but I do not know the name of the person who did the work, and gathered all of the leads found in this file.

Brewer - Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County was formed in 1786, out of what was then Lincoln County, Virginia. Kentucky did not become a separate state until 1792. Settlers from the east, including families with ancestral roots in New Netherland, began settlement in the region that would become Kentucky during the years of the Revolutionary War. Daniel Brouwer, born in 1719, a son of Abraham Brouwer and Lea Demarest of Bergen County, New Jersey, and a great-grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, was among the early settlers in Kentucky. His sister, Rachel Brouwer, born in 1716, was the first wife of Hendrick Banta, a leader of the initial movement of settlers in 1780. (Rachel did not make the move to the Kentucky frontier having died some decades earlier, about 1750).

Low Dutch Station Historic Marker (Wikimedia Commons, 2008)

 As was typical with BROUWER families that moved westward into the new United States, their surname was recorded, almost always, as BREWER. Records pertaining to Daniel Brouwer and his sons, who also settled in Kentucky, are found with the name recorded as BREWER in this file. Most, but not all, of the records mentioned in this large file pertain to descendants of Daniel Brouwer/Brewer. Also found among these records is Samuel Brewer, who died in Mercer County in 1835. He is a brother of Peter Brewer who, through Y-DNA testing of a direct male descendant, is known to be a descendant of Adam Brouwer, but who's lineage from Adam Brouwer is still not known. A Vincent Brewer, and a couple of others who are not placed are also found in this file.

This could be a very useful file for anyone researching the Brewer families who settled in Mercer County, Kentucky. There are transcripts, abstracts and notes on marriages, deeds, wills, and other court documents. It is a large file and had to be placed online using Google Drive. Download the file as it may not be up online forever. Use it as a source for locating the complete records that are mentioned. When conducting your own research, you should always make the effort to locate and examine original records yourself.

BGB 330

Brewer in Dutchess County Court Records

This file, taken from the William B. Bogardus Collection, might serve as an index to Brewers and Browers found in the Dutchess County, New York, County Clerk's Office. There are also a number of Bogardus entries in this file.

Dutchess County Court Records in the County Clerk's Office

The first note card in the file contains a list of five Family History Library (FHL) films. Apparently, there are BREWER and BOGARDUS entries found in two of the films. The films are found at the Family Search website in the FHL Catalog under the title, "Declarations, pleas, etc., records of the Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas, 1721-1864." There are seventeen films in the set. FHL film #0565227 is "Minutes Vol. A, 1721-1749," and FHL film#0565228 is "Minutes Vol. B-D, 1750-1770." The BREWER and BOGARDUS names in this file are found, are on these two films.

I have not had the opportunity to view either of the two films and neither one is yet available online.

BGB 329

Church Records (Part VIII): Everything Else

This post will complete all of the files described as "Church Records" in the William B. Bogardus Collection. The files below are for locations outside of New York City, New York State and New Jersey.

Pennsylvania German Marriages: Marriages and Marriage Evidence in Pennsylvania German Churches.  Despite the title, this book also includes records from the North and Southampton Dutch Reformed Church at Churchville, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania. The book, by Donna R. Irish, was published in 1982, and has apparently been re-published in 2009.

Records of the Kingston Presbyterian Church: Marriages, 1794-1850. Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, vol. 29, nos. 3/4 (Jul/Oct 1954). This file was missed during the first go-around and should have been grouped with the other New Jersey files in Part V. Sorry for the oversight. There are four marriages here and I will point out that the "Brewers" of Allentown are actually Brueres. The John H. Brewer is John Horsful Bruere, whose first wife, Mary Blackwell died during the birth of her only child in early 1802. He then married Elizabeth Blackwell. Price Brewer is Price Bruere. The Edward Brewer who married Rachel Ann Lake was from Somerset Co., and is found in Middlesex Co. on the 1850 census. I do not know is ancestry.

Picton Methodist Church Baptisms, Prince Edward County, Ontario. From the Ontario Register, vol. 3, 1970. Two baptisms of children of Martin and Lovina Brower. This is a second file for the same source, however, it includes six photocopied pages.

History of Tonoloway Baptist Church. The photocopy of pages are from a book of this title by Harry Stuart Holman, published in 1980. The Tonoloway Baptist Church is in Bethel, Fulton Co., Pennsylvania and is the immediate area in which Mathew Brower who was the subject of posts from September 11, 2013; September 18, 2013; and September 28, 2013. The Brewers mentioned in the profiles, however, are not descendants of Mathew Brower. They are descendants of Henry/Henrich Brewer/Brauer, a German immigrant who settled in Bethel Twp. A descendant of Henry/Henrich participated in the Brewer DNA Project and his results confirm that there is no family relationship between Henrich and the descendants of Mathew Brower. Here is an excellent example of two families who share the same surname, and live in the same location, but who are not in anyway related.

This post concludes the set covering "Church Records" from the William B. Bogardus Collection.

BGB 328

Annetje Jans and Antje Berge

The post of September 15, 2013, "Correction to the Family of Pieter Jansz Brouwer and Annetje Jans," corrects an error that is found in a 2007 published account of the descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands (NYGB Record, vol. 138, no. 4, p. 250). As mentioned towards the end of the post, the correction leaves us with two women, one being Annetje Jans who we know married a Pieter Brouwer in 1687, and the second being Antje Berge, who we know was a widow of a Pieter Brouwer in 1731. Left with that, I suspect that Annetje Jans and Antje Berge are one and the same, and that their respective husbands, both named Pieter Brouwer, are also one and the same.

We'll start with a timeline of events and locations.

• On 15 February 1687, marriage banns were recorded with the Reformed Protestant Dutch of Flatbush in Kings County reading, "Pieter Brouwer, j.m., tot nieu amersfort met Annetie Jansen, meede woonachtigh aldaar." This translates to "Pieter Brouwer, young man at New Amersfort; with Annetie Jansen, also residing there." [Source: Voorhees, David William. Records of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Flatbush, Kings County, New York, Vol.1, 1677-1720. New York: Holland Society of New York, 1998. Pages 256 and 257]. This record establishes that Pieter Brouwer was never before married and was living at New Amersfoort (a.k.a. Flatlands) and that Annetie's patronymic was Jansen (her father was named Jan), and she was also living at New Amersfoort. Whether or not she had previously been married is not stated in the record and is therefore not known with certainty.
• On 30 October 1695, we have the baptism of Hans, child of "Piter Brouwer and Antie Brouwers," recorded in the Town Records of Flatbush. The sponsors were "Cornelis willemse and machiel willemse," believed to be the brother-in-law and sister of Pieter Brouwer, who is the father of the child, Hans. [Source: Voorhees, David William. Records of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Flatbush, Kings County, New York, Vol.1, 1677-1720. New York: Holland Society of New York, 1998. Page 449, which copied the record from "Flatbush Town Records, Misc., Vol. 1, 1652-1708, page 237]. Note that in this record both the names of the mother of the child and the female sponsor (or witness) is rendered with the surname of their husbands, and not with their own surname or patronymic. This is probably because the record is found in the Town records of Flatbush, which was under English governance. The English, generally, recorded women with their husband's surnames or patronymics. The Dutch, on the other hand, generally, recorded women with their own (maiden) surnames or patronymics. In this record, Annetje Jans is recorded with her husband's surname as Antie Brouwers.
• On 20 December 1706, Antye Browers, is listed with 23 acres on the tax assessment roll at Flatlands in Kings County. [Source: Kings County, New York, Deeds v.1-4. FHL #1413189. New York, New York, Salt Lake City, Utah: Recordak Corp.; Genealogical Society of Utah, 1957. Vol. 3, page 92. A digital image of this record is now available online at FamilySearch, New York Land Records, 1630-1975. Kings. Conveyances 1679-1736, Vol. 1-4, image 418]. Antye Browers is recorded between Marten Roelofse Schenk and Evah Van Sycklyn. Here she is again recorded with her husband's surname, and it is inferred from this record that Pieter Brouwer is, on this date, deceased. If not, his name would have appeared on the assessment list. And again here, this being a Town record, Annetje (Antye) is recorded with her husband's surname.
• On 4 November 1715, "Antie Browers, received by certificate," is recorded as a member of the Reformed Dutch Congregations at Freehold and Middletown in Monmouth County, New Jersey. [Source: "Records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown," Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey Vol. 22 (1947), page 4]. As this was a Dutch congregation, we would expect that women would be recorded with their own surnames or patronymics. However, the pastor of the congregation, at this time, was Joseph Morgan, an Englishman who was born at either Preston or Stonington in New London Co., Connecticut. Examining the Freehold-Middletown records as a whole during the pastorate of Joseph Morgan, we can see that often women (when they are mentioned) are recorded with the surnames of their husbands. Joseph Morgan recorded Annetje Jans' name the way any Englishman would, with her husband's surname, as "Antie Browers." (For an interesting comparison, compare the baptism register of the Freehold-Middletown "Dutch Congregation" during the pastorate of Joseph Morgan, with the baptism registers of the Congregational Churches at Preston and Stonington, Connecticut during the same period. You will find that in most records, the mother's name is not recorded). The fact that Antie Browers was received into the Freehold-Middletown Congregation, "by certificate," tells us that she was a member of a Reformed Dutch Congregation elsewhere, prior to November 1715. That elsewhere, was likely the Flatbush Church in Kings County, Long Island.
• On 11 September 1720, Anke, child of Hans Brouwer and Nelke Golder was baptized at Freehold-Middletown. The lone witness was Anke Browers. [Source: "Records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown," Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey Vol. 22 (1947), p. 85]. Anke is the first known child of Hans Brouwer, who was aged 25 when she was baptized. Following the tradition of the period among Dutch families, it would be expected that Hans would name a daughter for his mother, Annatje (Anke). In such cases, the witness, or sponsor of the child being baptized is usually the very person for who the child is being named. In this case "Anke Browers," is the grandmother of the child, Anke, and therefore, Annetje Jans. She, once again, is recorded by the English pastor, with her husband's surname. From this record we can also deduce that Hans Brouwer had made a move from Kings County, where he was born, to Monmouth County, New Jersey. He had additional children baptized there in 1723, 1725 and 1731 (after which he has not been located).
• On 23 August 1731, "Antie Berge, widow of Pieter Brouwer," is recorded among the members of the Dutch Congregations at Freehold and Middletown, "at Middletown." She is followed on the list by "Lucretia Brouwers, wife of Joh: Luyster." [Source:  "Records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown," Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey Vol. 24 (1949), page 22]. Now, this list is not a roster of members in a strict sense. What it is, as explained in the prelude to the list, is a declaration, signed by the members of the congregation, acknowledging their new pastor, Dom. Gerardus Haeghoort, and making a commitment to conduct themselves as members of the congregation, and to do what ever they can to support the congregation. In effect, it is a list of members, as only members signed the declaration, but what appears to be different here is that the members themselves signed the declaration. This is not a list written by the pastor or some other official of the church. So here, Antie Berge, is using the name by which she refers to herself as. That she is followed by Lucretia Brouwers is significant as well. Lucretia is most probably a daughter of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans. There is no record of her baptism, and there is no probate or estate settlement for Pieter Brouwer, so proof is not absolute, but the placement of Lucretia as a daughter of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans is near certain. She was born at New Amersfoort, as per her marriage banns, and she named two of her children, Pieter and Anna, for her parents.

During the period of time covered by the events listed above, it is clear that Pieter Brouwer and Annatje Jans had at least three children who relocated to Monmouth County, New Jersey and who were recorded in the records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown. In addition to Hans and Lucretia, son Jan Brouwer (married to Neeltje Van Cleef) had children baptized between 1724 and 1738 at Freehold-Middletown. It would not in anyway be a stretch to assume that Annetje Jans, widowed sometime before December 1706, would follow her adult children to Monmouth County, New Jersey. That "Antje Berge, widow of Pieter Brouwer," signed the declaration immediately before "Lucretia Brouwers, wife of Joh: Luyster" signature is probably because she was living in the household of her adult married daughter (therefore they signed the declaration at the same time). It is reasonable to presume that Antje Berge is Lucretia Brouwer's mother, and she is the person recorded as Anke Browers, Antie Browers, Antye Browers, Antie Brouwers, and Annetje Jansen in the records that came before the 1731 declaration.

Could there be another woman, known to exist, named Annetje Brouwer, to whom the some or all of the above records apply. Among the descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, the answer is no. Jan Brouwer did not have any known daughter named Annetje, and only his son Pieter married a woman named Annetje. Among the granddaughters of Jan Brouwer, only Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans themselves named a daughter, Annetje. She was probably born between 1700 and 1705, and was married to Abraham Lane by 1730 (they had a daughter, Jannetje, baptized on 15 April 1730 at Harlingen, New Jersey). Annatje Brouwer, the wife of Abraham Lane, cannot be "Antje Berge, the widow of Pieter Brouwer," on 23 August 1731. While it is possible that she is the Anke Browers who witnessed the baptism of Hans Brouwer's daughter, Anke, in 1720, it is more likely that the witness was the grandmother for whom the child was named.

Among the descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, the answer is, also, no. Adam Brouwer named a daughter Anna, but she was married to William Hilton and all evidence points to her having spent her entire adult life in Albany, New York. Among Adam Brouwer's sons, only Jacob was married to a woman named Annetje (she being Annetje Bogardus). On the same assessment list mentioned above, this "Annitje Brower" is assessed in Brookland, with 26 acres (see image 417 of the above cited source at Family Search). She is listed in succession following Nicholas Brower (with a mill), Abraham Brower and Marya Brower, who, along with Annitie, would be widows of Adam Brouwer (Jr.) and Jacob Brouwer, respectively. Annetje (Bogardus) Brouwer is found as late as 1714 when she witnessed the baptism of a granddaughter at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. Although two of her sons did relocate to Monmouth County, New Jersey, and although one of them (William Brouwer) had a child baptized at Freehold-Middletown in 1723, there is no reason to suspect that Annetje (Bogardus) Brouwer relocated to Monmouth County herself (the other son, Adam Brewer, joined the Quakers and had no children baptized in any Reformed Dutch Church). Of the two granddaughters of Adam Brouwer, named Annatje (or some variation thereof), Anna Jacobse Brouwer was married to Jacob Quackenbosch in 1716 and had children baptized at New York and at Tappan, and Antje Pieterse Brouwer was married to William Ennes in 1726, and had children baptized at Hackensack. Neither had any association with the congregations at Freehold and Middletown.
Among the descendants of Adam Brouwer, named Pieter, who were born early enough to have been married and dead by 1731 (when Antje Berge is a widow) we have: Pieter Brouwer, b. 1701, son of Abraham Brouwer and Lea Demarest, was married to Dina DeGroot and died by 1734. Pieter Brouwer, b. 1699, son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus, who married (first) Elizabeth Quackenbosh in 1721, second Catharina Thong in 1750, and third Sarah Kip in 1751. And, Pieter Brouwer, baptized in 1704 at the Old Sleepy Hollow Dutch Church in Tarrytown, New York, son of Samuel Brouwer and Grietje Smith. No further record of this last Pieter Brouwer has yet been found.
Among the descendants of Jan Brouwer is Pieter Brouwer, probably born between 1700 and 1703, son of Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws. He was married to Susanna Titsoort and had children born between 1732 and 1747.
Among those descended from Willem Brouwer, we have Petrus Brouwer, b. 1697 at Schenectady, son of Hendrick Brouwer and Maritie Borsboom. He was married to Lena Fonda in 1742.
It does not appear that there are any other known candidates who could possibly be the Pieter Brouwer, deceased by 1731, leaving a widow named Antje Berge at Middletown, New Jersey.

This leaves us with only one possibility. Annetje Jansen, Antye/Antie/Anke Brouwers, and Antje Berge, widow of Pieter Brouwer, named in the above records, are one.

Possible parents for Annetje Jans/Antje Berge (or Annetje Jans Berge) will be suggested in a follow-up post. (Update posted November 7, 2013, Annetje Jans/Antie Berge Part II).

For additional source citations, not specifically mentioned above, please see the Brouwer Genealogy Database.

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Church Records (Part VII): "Upstate New York"

The files below are from the William B. Bogardus Collection pertaining to church records found in "Upstate New York," which I define as those counties north and west of Orange County and Dutchess County. The files below are exclusive of those from the "Vosburgh Collection," which was covered in an earlier post. New York City churches and "Downstate New York," were also covered in previous posts.

Records from 1806-1884 of the First Methodist Church of Albany, N. Y. The two extracts found in this file are from Tree Talks, volume 17, no. 1 (March 1977) and volume 22, no. 3 (September 1982). Photocopies of three pages are also found in this file, so there are some other marriages that may be of interest.

First Presbyterian Church, Albany. Photocopy of one page from The Capital, volume 4, no. 4 (1989). One Brower baptism, which is that of Henry Douglas, child of S. D. Brower in 1839.

The Reformed Dutch Church in the Village of Canajoharie, Montgomery Co., N. Y. The complete source is not stated here and there are just two extracts on this one note card.

Records of the St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church, Canajoharie, N. Y. Again, the full source citation is not given. Here are a few extracts dating from 1891 to 1921.

Dutch Reformed Church, Catskill, Greene, New York. This file is taken from the computer printout of marriages, 1732-1833, on Family History Library film #1002751, item 6. There is a 1735 marriage of Heinrich Brouwer and Cretche Emerick. These records were also published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (see this description at the FHL website). This particular marriage is found in NYGB Record vol. 92 (1961), p. 97. It is an early marriage and this Heinrich Brouwer, who had to have been born by 1715 at the latest, is not otherwise known to me. Greene County, New York was not created until 1800 (out of portions of Albany and Ulster Counties).

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Fort Plain, Town of Minden, Montgomery Co., N.Y. No other information is given regarding this source. There is one marriage, that of Michael Coolman and Becky Brower in 1884.

Records of the Reformed Church of Fort Plain in the Town of Minden, Montgomery Co., N.Y. As with the file above, no other information is given with regards to the this source. There are two Brower marriages and one Bogardus marriage on the card.

Marriage Register, 1828-1876, of the Rev. Jeremiah Wood, from Records of the Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church, Fulton County, N. Y. From Tree Talks, vol. 25, no. 3, September 1985, p. 165. A marriage of Edgar Brower and Caroline Furguson in 1871.

Katsbaan and Saugerties Reformed Church, Ulster County, New York. Two pages of extracts of Brower and Bogardus from the 1982 publication by Jean D. Worden. Almost all the extracts are Bogardus.

Katsbaan Reformed Church, 1730-1801. The source is Old Ulster Historical and Genealogical Magazine, volumes 8 -10. The extracts here are probably all found in the above file as well. Brower and Bogardus.

Methodist Records, 1789-1834. Taken from the Steward's Book; Earliest Records of Methodism in Ulster County, Orange County and Sullivan County, New York State. Taken from the book of the same title by Kenneth E. Hasbrouck (1955). There is a baptism of an Elizabeth Brower (adult) and a marriage of an Elizabeth Brewer.

Baptism Records of Schaghticoke Dutch Reformed Church. The town of Schaghticoke, named for a Native American Tribal Nation, is in present day Rensselaer County, New York. At the time of the church records on this file it was in Albany County. The extracts here are from FHL film #532618. The records, as transcribed, and annotated by William Burt Cook, were also published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vols. 59-64 (1928-1933). There are a couple of transcription errors in this file. "Meghel Capmen" is Meghel (Michael) Lampman, and "Margaret Kegger" is Margaret Hegger.

Baptism and Marriage Records of State Street Methodist Church, Troy, New York. The source cited in this file is "film #4487," but this is not an FHL film and I do not know the repository for it. There is a marriage of Jeremiah Brower to Jane Dubos, "7-3-1833" (I assume this is July 3 and not March 7), that I am unfamiliar with.

Marriage Records of the Trumansburg M. E. Church, Tompkins County, New York. The source is Tree Talks, vol. 27, no. 3, September 1987. Trumansburg is just north and west of Ithaca, New York. There is one marriage here, M. Griffin to Louisa Brewer, both of Romulus, 1855.

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Date of Death Found for Sarah (Kip) (Crane) Scudder; 1755-1836

Sarah Kip, baptized 9 March 1755 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, daughter of Dirk Kip and Jannetje Parsell, was married twice. She first married Joseph Crane and her second husband was Capt. William Scudder. Sarah Kip is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island.

In 2007, Diane Crane Benelli published, "Sarah (Kip) Crane Scudder and Her Revolutionary-War-Officer Husbands," in volume 138, no. 4, of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. A few years back I had placed online, Diane's original unedited copy of the published article, which includes additional information on Sarah's ancestry, her extended family, and the lives of her Revolutionary War Officer husbands.

In 2007, when the original article was published, Sarah's date of death was not known. She had been located, as Sarah Scudder, on the 1830 U. S. census in Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia), when she would have been aged seventy-five. Greenbrier County property tax assessment rolls list Sarah Scudder's estate in 1844, so all that was known was that she died sometime between 1830 and 1844. Until now.

This past week Diane e-mailed me with the date of Sarah's death which was discovered in two New York newspapers of that period. Sarah's death notice ran in The New York Commercial Advertiser, December 22, 1836 (page 2, column 6), and in The Spectator, December 27, 1836 (issue 46, p. 1, col. 7). It read:

"In Virginia, on the 10th of November, Mrs. Sarah Scudder, in the 80th year of her age, widow of Captain William Scudder of the Revolutionary War . 

She was tenderly beloved by her children and acquaintances, and by them her death is much regretted."

Sarah (Kip) (Crane) Scudder, died on 10 November 1836 in Greenbriar County, Virginia (now West Virginia). The location of her burial has not been located, but Diane believes she was buried in a "very old Crane burial ground in West Virginia," located off "Scutter" Road, which has several unmarked graves. 

As for details on Sarah Kip's life - I'll leave that to Diane's original account which can be viewed here.

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John Brewer - Methodist Episcopal Church Deed

Item 17 of Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part I, is the deed of John Brewer to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Shrewsbury.

No. 17. John Brewer ME Church Deed

The deed, dated 5 January 1801, was recorded 27 January 1801 in Monmouth County Deed Book M, page 434. The file consists of a handwritten abstract of the deed (author unknown) and a hand drawn map of the property, followed by images of the actual deed as it appears on a microfilm of the deed book. Unfortunately, the microfilm was a negative, so the deed is difficult to read. The land conveyed by the deed to the Methodist Episcopal Society is to be used for a churchyard and John Brewer and his family is to be buried there. The cemetery is now known as the Adelphia Cemetery, Adelphia being an unincorporated village in the township of Howell, which was created out of Shrewsbury in February, 1801, just a month after this deed was recorded.

John Brewer, as stated in this deed, was a son of Aaron Brewer (Aris Brower) and Neeltje Cooper. He was baptized 30 April 1764, recorded in the register of the Reformed Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown. In 1834, John A. Brewer, applied for a pension based upon his service during the Revolutionary War. In his deposition he gave his date of birth as 7 May 1762, and stated that he was born at Shrewsbury. He died 6 March 1845, his gravestone stating he was aged 80 years, 9 months, which placed his birth date at 6 June 1764, which when compared to the date of his baptism, must be incorrect.

John Brewer, also known as John A. Brewer, and as John Brower, was married to Deborah Erickson (or Errickson). Two, known children have been found. Son, Aaron Brower/Brewer (1794-1872) appears to have been married three times, and son, Benjamin B. Brewer (ca. 1800-1850) who married Marinda Downs. Both left descendant. See the Brouwer Genealogy Database for more info and sources.

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Changes to the Family of David Brewer and Jane Woodward

David Brewer is a great-grandson of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. He was a son of Elias Brouwer/Brewer and Phebe Lucas, and was baptized on 23 January 1774 at the Dutch Reformed Church at Schaghticoke, New York. Scott Kraus, one of the authors of the 2007 article titled, "DNA Analysis: Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, Elias Brouwer of New Jersey, and John Brewer of Ohio," published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol. 138, no. 4, has researched and updated the family of David Brewer.

David Brewer was married to Jane Woodward, probably in 1794, and they lived at Kortright and Davenport in Delaware County, New York, and at Oneonta, Otsego County, New York. Using land records from Delaware County, New York, now available as digital images online at Family Search, Scott has been able to confirm one, previously supposed, son of David Brewer, and has been able to identify three others.

Previously, a Peter Brewer was suspected as a son of David Brewer and Jane Woodward. That suspicion has now been confirmed with a deed dated 9 January 1837, in which Peter Brewer of Davenport, New York, sold to Jonathan Brewer, also of Davenport, a portion of the home lot that once belonged to David Brewer (since deceased). In the deed, Peter Brewer, describes himself as a son of David Brewer. (Delaware Co., New York Deeds, v. 19, pp. 625-626).

Three other deeds located by Scott, identifies three additional sons for David Brewer. They were named Ensign, Jarius and Phineas. On 16 August 1837, Ensign Brewer, of Davenport, sold to Emeline Blanchard, of Davenport, his rights, title, interest, etc., in the real and personal estate of his late father, David Brewer, of Davenport. (Delaware Co., NY Deeds, v. 41, p. 58). Emeline was a daughter of David Brewer, who had married Erastus Blanchard. On 20 September 1838, Jarius Brewer, of Davenport, sold to Erastus Blanchard, of Davenport, his rights, title, interests, etc., in property of his late father, David Brewer. (Delaware Co., NY Deeds, v. 41, 59-60). And, on 5 March 1842, Phineas Brewer, of Franklin, Delaware Co., NY, quit claimed to Erastus Blanchard, of Oneonta, his interest in the property of his late father, David Brewer. (Delaware Co., NY Deeds, v. 82, p. 536).

Using other records, including U. S. Army Enlistments and an Index to Guardianships, found on Ancestry.com, Scott had been able to provide approximate birth dates for Ensign and Phineas. Ensign was born in about 1815, and Phineas about 25 February 1821. Jarius Brewer was born about 1818 as he was aged 32 on the 1850 U. S. census at Oneonta, New York.

In addition, a son named Albert, had previously been included in the family of David Brewer. This was based upon undocumented family trees found online. No record has been discovered of this son Albert, and therefore he has been removed from the family. Also, a look at the 1810 and 1820 U. S. census records for David Brewer (at Kortright in 1810 and Davenport in 1820), indicate that there were other members of the household who have not yet been identified. Whether these unidentified individuals are children of David, or whether they are other persons, cannot be determined from the limited information that the census records of 1810 and 1820 provide.

The next update of the Brouwer Genealogy Database (which will not take place for a few months) will reflect the changes mentioned above. In the meantime, both the descendant chart, and the journal report for Jan Brouwer have been updated. (Jarius Brewer is found in the current edition of the BGD, although he is not linked to any parents, as none were known prior to Scott Kraus' research).

The discoveries mentioned above are illustrative of the value in searching land records for evidence of family relationships in locations where no direct birth or baptism records are available. In this case, the deed books for Delaware County, New York are now available online at Family Search. There is no search engine for the images. Specific pages have to be located by browsing through each deed book. The process can be a bit tedious, but having the images available online, at any computer, is certainly better than ordering a film from Salt Lake City and waiting for it to arrive for viewing at a local Family History Library center. I'm looking forward for even more records and images to be made available online by the FHL.

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