An Earlier Marriage for Lysbeth Drinckvelt? Another Child for Lysbeth and Willem Brouwer

Back on March 27, 2012, the post "Willem Brouwer, Lysbeth Drinckvelt: Further Update," brought attention to the date and location of the marriage of Willem Brouwer and Lysbeth Drinckvelt, and provided links leading to the online source. Yesterday, March 27, 2015, a comment was added to this post by Barbara Boram alerting us to the record of an earlier marriage for Lysbeth.

To locate the record discovered by Barbara, first go to the website Digital Resources Netherlands and Belgium. In the column on the left of the page scroll down to Noord-Brabant and select the "internet" option to arrive at this page. Here, scroll down (or use your web browser's search tool) to "Breda - church books:" where you will find a list of a number of indexes with links. Go to the eleventh selection down from the top - Breda, index cath. baptisms 1582-1755 (Brugstraat), 1649-1742 (Nieuwstraat), 1648-1747 (Waterstraat), wal. baptisms 1708-1793 (dragoons), 1748-1796 (grenadiers), luth. baptisms 1649-1810, ref. marriages 1691-1710 and (mixed marriages) 1750-1794, cath. marriages 1713-1810 (Waterstraat), marriages before aldermen 1592-1622, wal. marriages 1707-1793 (dragoons) and 1748-1795 (grenadiers) [SEARCH+], which will take you to a page at the Brabants Historich Informatie Centrum (BHIC) site called "Stamboom" (Family Tree in English). Here I searched using just the surname, Drinckvelt, and was given these results. The seventeenth entry down from the top is for Lisebet Aertsen Drinckvelt.

This is an index entry for the record of the marriage banns of Lisebet Aertsen Drinckvelt to Adriaens van Breda dated 30-11-1641 (30 November 1641) at Dinteloord.

Scroll down to the last entry among the results and you will see Lijsebeth Drinckvelt recorded as the mother in a baptism record of Lambrecht Brouwer, with Willem Brouwer recorded as the father. The date is 8-10-1653 (8 October 1653), the location is Roosendaal, and the church, as with the above marriage, is "Nederduits Gereformeerd," or Low German (i.e. Dutch) Reformed. This record gives us a previously unknown son for Willem Brouwer and Lysbeth Drinckvelt.

Dinteloord is a village in the province of Noord Brabant and can be seen on this Google map. It is only a few miles north, and slightly west, of Roosendaal. Breda is about ten miles east of Roosendaal.

The index entry for the marriage record of Elisabeth Aertsen Drinckvelt and Willem Brouwer is found in a search in the records of the Grote Kerk (Great Church). This record (fourteenth down from top) states that Elisabeth (Lysbeth) was a widow of Cornelis van Hal when she married Willem Brouwer. Assuming that we are referring to only one Elisabeth/Lysbeth Aertsen Drinckvelt in all of the above records, we now have (perhaps) four marriages for Lysbeth. Three of the marriages are confirmed.

Lysbeth's marriage banns to Adriaens van Breda is dated 30 November 1641 at Dinteloord (but see the caveat below).

Lysbeth was married to Cornelis van Hal as stated in the record of her third marriage to Willem Brouwer, which was in November 1648 at Breda. An entry for the marriage of Lysbeth and Cornelis van Hal, has not been found. However, there is an entry for Lijsbeth Aertsen van Drincvelt and Cornelis van Mol, marriage banns 21-06-1642 (21 June 1642) at Dinteloord. I suspect that Cornelis van Hal and Cornelis van Mol are one and the same, and this is our Lysbeth Drinckvelt. There may have been an error in the transcription of the record used to create the index, and the original complete records should be examined.

Lysbeth next married Willem Brouwer, with banns dated 2 November 1648, according to this record, at Dinteloord. (The post of March 27, 2012 states that their marriage took place at the Grote Kerk in Breda, which was incorrect. The marriage banns are recorded in the register there, but the marriage did not take place there).

Lysbeth's final marriage was to Jan Rinckhout and it most likely took place at Beverwijck (now Albany, New York) sometime after 1668, probably in the early 1670s. She was received as a member of the New York Reformed Dutch Church on 4 September 1697, with the record, "Elisabeth Brinckfelt, h.v. Jan Rinckout, met Attestaite van N. Albanien." ("Records of the Reformed Dutch Church in the City of New York - Church Members List," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record vol. 59, p. 162).

Caveat: A search for burial records for both Adriaens van Breda and Cornelis van Mol/van Hal has come up empty. While it is certain that Lysbeth and Cornelis did follow through on their banns and married, and that Cornelis died prior to her marriage to Willem Brouwer, the same cannot be said for Lysbeth and Adriaens. The publication of marriage banns does not guarantee that a marriage took place. Sometimes the marriage does not take place. We like to see a second record confirming the actual marriage. For example, in this case, a baptism record for a child of Adriaens van Breda and Lysbeth Drinckvelt (thus far none has been found) would show that the couple did in fact marry. In light of the fact that Lysbeth's banns to Cornelis are dated only seven months after her banns to Adriaens, we might assume that Adriaens and Lysbeth did not have a child, and therefore we would like to see a burial record for Adriaens dated prior to Lysbeth's banns with Cornelis (none has yet been found). Lacking the burial record, perhaps if the complete original record of the marriage banns for Lysbeth and Cornelis can be examined, it will tell us whether or not she was a widow when the banns were published (it may also give her deceased husband's name). Until a confirming record can be located we will have to leave the question mark, included in the title to this post, in place.

The book on Lysbeth Drinckvelt remains open and anyone acquiring additional info, such as copies of the original church records, is welcome to contact me or leave a comment below.

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Another Child for Levi Drake

Levi Drake was born 29 March 1771 in Lower Smithfield, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, died 11 October 1825 in Smithfield, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania. He is a son of Samuel Drake and Sarah Handy, a grandson of John Drake and Martha Oldham, a great-grandson of Josias Janszen Drats and Aeltje Brouwer, and a great-great grandson of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. The current edition of the Brouwer Genealogy Database (5 Nov 2014) shows Levi Drake with ten children. Lillian Drake Avery's seriously flawed, Drake Genealogy in the Line of Samuel Drake of Lower Smithfield Township, Northampton (now Monroe) County, Pennsylvania (1928), covers Levi Drake's family at page 26 and lists nine children. We now have evidence for an eleventh child and the possibility of a twelfth.

Michael Messinger has provided proof that Levi Drake had a daughter named Jane Drake. Michael is a descendant of Jane Drake and her husband, Ephraim Lockard. Levi's daughter, Jane, is not found in either the current edition of the BGD, or in Lillian Drake Avery's published work. Proof that Levi Drake had a daughter named Jane is found in the Orphan's Court records of Northampton County, Pennsylvania. On 20 January 1826, Silas S. Drake and Jane Drake, minor children of Levi Drake, Esq., late of Smithfield Township, petitioned the court stating that their father died intestate, that they were above the age of 14, and asked the court to approve their choice of guardians. Silas Drake chose William Van Buskirk, and Jane Drake chose Jacob Brown. An image of the page in the Northampton Records was provided by Michael Messinger.

Northampton, PA, Orphan Court records, Vol. 10, pp. 269-270

The Northampton County, Orphan's Court Records are online at Family Search. The page above can be found here. The record regarding Silas and Jane is fourth from the top on page 269. On the following page 270, fourth down from the top, we find the appointment of William Van Buskirk as guardian for Alfred Drake, and the appointment of Jacob Brown as guardian of James Drake, both minor children of Levi Drake. This second record mentions Daniel D. Drake and Wayne G. Drake as administrators of the estate of Levi Drake. The wife of Levi Drake was Helena Van Campen, and she had died in 1824, prior to her husband, and therefore is not mentioned in either record.

Jane Drake is mentioned as a daughter of Levi Drake in Commemorative Biographical Record of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe (1900) at page 590 under the sketch of her nephew Levi Drake (b. 1832) son of Joseph W. Drake (brother of Jane). Here it is stated that she married Ephraim Lockard. This work also includes a daughter Hannah, who had not previously been listed among Levi Drake's children. It states that she "married and died early in womanhood." This statement should be investigated further, but it can be noted that the 1800 U. S. census record for the household of Levi Drake (Lower Smithfield, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania) includes two females under age 10. Hannah may well be one of the two females recorded.

As per Michael's research, Jane (Drake) Lockard died 11 November 1869 and is buried in the Scotch-Irish Burial Ground in Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania. She was born 11 June 1811. Ephraim and Jane were married on 14 September 1830, and had six children. Euphema Lockard (1831-1914) married Elias Messinger; Joseph J. Lockard (b. ca. 1832) is found in 1880 in Washington, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania with a wife and children; Silas Lockard (b. ca. 1838, is also found in 1880 in Washington, PA, with a wife and children and his widowed father, Ephraim Lockard in the household; John Lockard (b. ca. 1839); Eleanora/Ellen, called Elewina (or Elemina) on the 1850 U. S. census was born, according to her death certificate, 12 January 1843; and Morris Lockard (b. ca. 1845). The Pennsylvania death certificate of Ellen Kunsman, names her parents as Ephraim Lockard and Jane Drake.

Ellen Kunsman, PA Death Cert., via Ancestry.com

Ephraim Lockard died 7 October 1884 and is buried in Flicksville Cemetery in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. His age at death is given on his gravestone as 85 years, 7 months and 6 days.

Thanks to Michael Messinger for identifying this previously unknown daughter of Levi Drake, and great-great-great granddaughter of Adam Brouwer. The family of Levi Drake will be revised when the BGD is next updated. Those interested in pursuing research on the descendants of Jane Drake should contact Michael Messinger directly.

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New Brunswick, County Deed Registry Books, 1780-1930

Family Search has an image only collection online titled "New Brunswick, County Deed Registry Books, 1780-1930." The collection consists of digital images of deed and land records found in county courthouses in New Brunswick, Canada, that had been filmed some decades ago. As with many of the collections at Family Search covering land records, the set is subdivided and arranged by county. Of particular interest to those researching the descendants of Adam Brouwer would be the records found in York County.

York County, New Brunswick was established in 1785 and numerous Loyalists and their families, essentially refugees of the American Revolutionary War, relocated there after the war. Among them were children of Adolf Brouwer (1725-1780) and Elizabeth Lassing who were married on 6 Janunary 1749 at the First Reformed Dutch Church of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, New York.

Fortunately there is a very neatly written, and well constructed index for the York County land records. The index is arranged alphabetically, and not just by first three letters (or fewer) of the surname as many old land and probate record indexes are. Additionally, the indexes for both grantors and grantees appears in the same book and on the same pages. There is no need to consult separate grantor and grantee index books as is the norm with most land record searches.

The York County Indexes are broken up into five volumes covering chronologically grouped years. Provided here is a link to the first page in volume 1, which covers the years 1786 to 1849, on which the surname BREWER appears:

BREWER, York Co., New Brunswick, Deeds, Index vol. 1, page 28 (image 33)

The index for BREWERs continues on page 29 (image 34). There is no separate set of entries for the surnames BROWER, BROUWER or BRUER, none of which were known to have been used by the descendants of Adam Brouwer in New Brunswick.

The land records themselves are found in 118 volumes that are accessed from a separate page at Family Search under "Deed Book." I have not had the opportunity to examine individual records myself, but I recognize from the index, some names found among the descendants of Adolf Brouwer (1725-1780) as well as a few, such as a Jeremiah and a Jedediah, that I do not recognize. There may be some openings for some new research among the Brewer families of post-Revolutionary War, York County, New Brunswick.

York Co., NB Deed Index, v.1, p.28 (from FamilySearch.org)

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Brewer in Wayne County, Tennessee, Inventories, Settlements, Wills, 1848-1856

The links below will take you to digital images of pages found at Family Search in their database titled Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927, Wayne, Inventories, Settlements, Wills, 1848-1856. Please note, you will have to sign in with Family Search (register an account if you do not yet have one) to access these links. Family Search does not charge a subscription fee. It is free. But you still have to register. Please see the post of February 25, 2015 for some background and additional info which may help place these records in perspective.

Index Page (image 1)

A. J. Brewer and Wm. James Clark, Administrators of the estate of Wm. Brewer, deceased; settlement; page 30 (image 30)

Joseph Brewer, Guardian of Wasson, minor heir of Mary Robertson, dec'd; settlement; page 33 (image 31)

King Brewer, Letters Testamentary; Application by King Brewer to be appointed administrator of the estate of Thomas B. Melton, deceased; page 47 (image 38)

A. J. Brewer, one of the guardians to the heirs of Mary Hemsley, dec'd.; settlement; page 66 (image 48)

Joseph Brewer, guardian of Wasson Robertson, heir of Mary Robertson, deceased; settlement; page 67 (image 48) [same image as the record above]

Rial Brewer, Exec., Settlement; Rial Brewer, executor and administrator of the estate of Nathaniel Horton, deceased; settlement; pages 78-79 (image 54)

A. J. Brewer, guardian to the minor heirs of Mary Hensley, dec'd; settlement; page 116 (image 73)

Joseph Brewer, guardian to the minor heirs of Mary Robertson, deceased; settlement; page 116 (image 73) [same image as the record above]

Joseph Brewer, guardian to Wasson Robertson, settlement; page 164 (image 97)

A. J. Brewer, guardian to the minor heirs of Mary Hensley, settlement; page 165 (image 97)

G. W. Brewer, dec'd; Account of sales; page 177 (image 103). [Note here that the writing is unclear and the surname in some cases appears to be BROWN rather than BREWER. A Geo. W. BROWN does appear in an earlier record (pages 103, 171) as a guardian. However, it does appear that an A. J. Brewer, and other Brewers, were frequently recorded in the account].

Lewis Brewer, Letters Testamentary; petition of Lewis A. Brewer to be appointed administrator of the estate of George W. Brewer, deceased; page 185 (image 107)

Henry J. Brewer, Letters Testamentary on Henry Brewer, dec'd; page 229 (image 129)

Henry Brewer, Inventory and account of sale; page 221 (image 125)

Joseph Brewer, guardian to Wasson Robertson, minor heir of John Robertson, deceased; settlement; page 231 (image 130)

B in Index of Wayne Co., TN, Settlements, Inventories, Wills, 1848-1856 (Wayne Co. Courthouse via FamilySearch)

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