Sunset at Gowanus Bay

Sunset at Gowanus Bay
Sunset at Gowanus Bay, Henry Gritten, 1851

Monday, July 31, 2017

Brewer DNA Project Updates on YFull's YTree v5.05

YFull has released an updated YTree which is now v5.05. With this new tree our Brewer DNA Project's subgroups stand as follows:

Adam Brouwer Subgroup: Six members are on the tree. The terminal SNP (haplogroup) defined as E-Y19643 with two of the four members in a subclade defined by E-BY6245. The two are known first cousins. In addition there are two more members who have taken the Big-Y test with FTDNA whose analysis by YFull has not yet been completed. Of the eight total, only one can trace his ancestry back to Adam Brouwer with traditional research. The subgroup needs the participation of other known and provable descendants of Adam Brouwer in order to identify additional subclades.

Jan Brouwer Subgroup: Five members on the the tree. The terminal SNP is defined as I-Y7214. Time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) is estimated at 350 years before present (ybp). The subgroup has a sixth member who has taken the Big-Y test for whom we await YFull analysis. This subgroup includes members with the surnames BREWER or BROWER and some with the surname ROSE. Additional ROSE and BREWER/BROWER descendants are needed to identify more recent subclades.

Brewer-Lanier Subgroup: This subgroup now has 19 members on the YTree. Three additional members are awaiting Big-Y results from FTDNA or are awaiting analysis by YFull. The terminal SNP defining the group is defined as I-Y15031. Subclades are defined by I-Y21524 (two members), I-Y23708 (four members) and I-Y29640 (five members). Brewer-Lanier is certainly the most successful group to date in terms of participation.

Ambrose Brewer Subgroup: Two members. The terminal SNP is R-Y18435. The two members include one BREWER and one SMITH. More members of this subgroup will need to be tested in order to get a better idea of when the BREWER-SMITH common ancestor lived.

Arthur Brewer Subgroup: Two members. The terminal SNP defined as J-Y18401.

John Brewer of Sudbury, MA: Our one member is defined by R-S1051. He is presently grouped with two others not known to be BREWERs with a time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) estimated at 3700ypb. The testing of more descendants of John Brewer will be needed to place this subgroup on its own branch.

Hubert Brower Subgroup: One member is defined by R-Y30608 which is a subclade under R-Z29713. This subgroup does have eight members in the project and Big-Y testing of others would better define the terminal SNP for the subgroup.

Under Consideration F Subgroup: R-Z1, which is a broad haplogroup with many subclades defined below it. Our one member traces his ancestry back to Essex, England. The subgroup has one other member and a Big-Y test for that member should help refine the placement of this subgroup on the YTree.

An Ungrouped Member: We have one member who is ungrouped within the Project (in other words no STR marker test matches within the Project). His ancestry is traced to Gloucestershire, England. YFull defines his terminal SNP as I-Y15575 a subclade of I-Y15902.

Thanks to all those Brewer DNA Project members who have participated. Participation in this endeavor requires taking a Big-Y test with Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) and a follow up of analysis of the test results by the independent company, YFull. Please contact the administrators of the Brewer DNA Project with any questions.

BGB 561

Monday, July 24, 2017

Corrections to the Brouwer Genealogy Database

This post will serve as an ongoing report of corrections to the current edition of the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD). The BGD has become too large to update on a regular basis, although I hope to update it again at the end of this year. Since there are errors in the database, and since they should be pointed out and corrected, the best I can offer to do is to keep a running list of them on this post. I would ask readers who do find errors to use the Comments option for this post to bring them my attention and to the attention of others. I will then add individual corrections to this post as they come in. For a log of previous corrections please see this page on the BGD. Also see the Brouwer Genealogy post and comments of November 1, 2014.

The corrections that follow are to errors found in the current edition of the BGD. The date for this edition is 6 April 2016.

  • July 24, 2017. Correction to the date of birth for Moses De Clark. The date given of 27 July 1750 is clearly in error as his father was born in 1745 and his mother in 1744. The error is brought to my attention by Mitch Faulk who also provided a link to his Find-A-Grave page for Moses De Clark. The correct date of birth should be 2 December 1780. This is confirmed in George O. Zabriskie's article on the De Clark Family that was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, volume 96, no. 4, October 1965 (see page 202). Moses De Clark was married to Nensje (Nancy) Brouwer (1783-1873) a daughter of Abraham Brouwer and Rebecca Stevens. Moses and Nancy had eight children born between 1803 and 1823. They lived in Rockland County, New York.
  • July 31, 2017. Annatje Van Gelder, daughter of Hendrick Van Gelder and Femetje Wynants did not marry John Bragier as stated by Arthur Pine Van Gelder in "Van Gelder Families in America," NYGBR 75 (1944), p. 172. John Bragier, a.k.a. John Brasher/Braasjer/Bresser (and other variations) married Annatje Van Gelder, daughter of Abraham Van Gelder and Catalina Post. This Annatje Van Gelder was baptized 8 July 1702, Reformed Dutch Church, New York City, and was deceased by 18 May 1737 when John Brasher married Susanna Baker. On 30 April 1735, Annatje Van Gelder, wife of John Brasjer, witnesses the baptism of Johannes, son of Johannes Boekenhoven and Elisabet Van Gelder. Elisabeth was also a daughter of Abraham Van Gelder and Catalina Post. Annatje Van Gelder and John Bragier had married on 2 December 1732. The will of Hendrick Van Gelder, dated 26 March 1739, names his daughter Hannah, a name often synonymous with Anna (Annatje). Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol. 22, Marriage Records, 1665-1800, page 306 records the marriage of Samuel Pryer and Anne Van Gilder, both of Staten Island, on 3 March 1749. A. P. Van Gelder in "Van Gelder Families in America, assigns this marriage to Annatje Van Gelder, daughter of Hendrick, as well. Further research is need to confirm whether or not this is correct.
  • August 26, 2017. Garret Brouwer, son of Adolph Brouwer and Aeltje Hulst. Garret's date of birth should be changed from 22 February 1787 to 22 February 1793. The date is calculated from his age given at death. Garret died 18 January 1865, age 71-10-27, and not age 77-10-27.
  • August 26, 2017. John A. Brouwer (Brower), brother of the above Garret Brouwer. The date of John's marriage to Elizabeth Burdge should be changed to 8 January 1812 as found here at FamilySearch.org, where John's surname is incorrectly transcribed as "Browin." An image of the original document is available. John A. Brower's death is recorded as 20 November 1860 by his son, John S. Brower, in a Bible record. An alternate death date of 20 December 1860 can be found at FamilySearch. Thanks to April Santinon for bringing these changes to our attention. April also made me aware of an Adolphus Brower who died 5 April 1863, age 55, incorrectly transcribed as Adolphus "Braves" at FamilySearch. The record gives his parents as John and Elizabeth Brower, and his place of birth as Flatbush, Long Island. While the stated age at death (55 years) suggests born about 1808, the 1850 U.S. census gives his age as 38 (so born ca. 1812) and the 1860 U.S. census records Adolphus as age 40 (so born ca. 1820). Adolphus married Adelia Ann, a.k.a. Delia Smith and had eight or nine children. They lived in the Keyport, Middletown later Raritan Twp. area of Monmouth County, New Jersey, as did John A. Brower and his known sons, John S. Brower, Nehemiah Brower and Jacob B. Brower. It is strongly suspected that Adolphus is another son of John A. Brower and Elizabeth Burdge, however, a record or document proving this has remained elusive. More on these families can be found at Ancestry.com at John A. Brower and Adolphus Brower. John and Elizabeth's son Jacob B. Brower has also been significantly expanded. The information found at these pages supersedes that what is on the current BGD website (sorry, but a paid subscription to Ancestry.com is needed to access the pages). 
  • November 8, 2018. Caleb Pell Brower and Caleb S. Brower are two different men. Caleb Pell Brower is incorrectly stated to have married Mary Marschalk. He is incorrectly stated to have been enumerated in 1820 at Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., New York. Please see the post of November 8, 2018 for details.
  • December 7, 2018. Please see the comment below from Jim Hamstra dated December 3, 2018. Corrections and additions here are to the family of Nicholas J. Stansell and Susanna Erskine. Here is a link to the deed involving Eliab T. Stansell. Richard A. Stansell was a son of Henry Stansell and Mary Arnold White (and was not a son of Nicholas J. Stansell and Susanna Erskine. Here is the page for Nicholas J. Stansell and Susanna Erskine at WeRelate.
  • December 14, 2018. This correction involves the post of April 12, 2012, "The Family of Elizabeth Brouwer and Claes de Graaf of Schenectady." Thanks to Tanya Lowry who left a comment on December 13. There was some confusion regarding the children of Claes de Graaf and Elizabeth Brouwer that was initiated by Jonathan Pearson with his publication of his First Settlers of Schenectady in 1873. The Claes de Graaf whom Pearson places as a son, with the birth date of 4 August 1709, is actually a grandson, and a son of Jesse de Graaf and Aaltje Akkermans. He was baptized on 25 Dec 1706 at Schenectady and so could not have been born on 4 August 1709. So, "merge" Claes de Graaf, bapt. 1706 with Claes de Graaf, said to be born 1709. You may note that the younger Claes de Graaf's eldest son was named Jesse. The other questionable child named by Pearson is a Rebecca de Graaf, whom he states was born 28 February 1701. No source is cited for this date and no other record of this supposed Rebecca can be identified. Rebecca is actually Rebecca Groot, who was the wife of Abraham de Graaf, who is a another son of the elder Claes de Graaf and Elizabeth Brouwer. Rebecca is Claes and Elizabeth's daughter-in-law. Rebecca was a daughter of Abraham Groot and Hesterje Visscher, and we note that Abraham and Rebecca's first daughter was named Hester, while their second son was named Abraham, in honor of Rebecca's parents. Jonathan Pearson's books on the early settlers of Schenectady, and Albany, are handy references and a useful place to get an overview of any one of the many families who originate there, however, one does have to use them with caution and a competent family researcher will take the time to seek out verification for every placement Pearson suggests. 
  • December 19, 2018. Cornelius Simonsz Van Arsdalen and his wife Maritie Dirckse Ammerman, AND,  Cornelis Symonse Van Arsdale and his wife Marretje Dirkse, are the same individuals. The profiles for Cornelius and Cornelis and for Maritje and Marretje should be merged. Thank you to Pete Kuhlmann for pointing this out in the comments to the post of June 22, 2015.
  • February 27, 2019. A couple of corrections submitted by Peter Kuhlmann to the comments section of the November 1, 2014 corrections post (scroll down). Alice Longstreet, wife of Peter Wyckoff, is listed with a date of death of 16 June 1809. The source there was William Forman Wyckoff, Wyckoff Family in America (1950), pp. 420-21. Peter cites George C. Beekman, Early Dutch Settlers of Monmouth County (1901), appendix xiv, who gives a date of death as 16 June 1820, age 78y 5m 3d. As both are "secondary" sources relying on other data, and subject to typographical and transcription errors, one might wish to seek out a more direct source to ascertain the correct date for Alice's death. Also, Daniel Remsen, b. 1665, had a wife named only as Jannetje here. James Riker, in Annals of Newtown (1852) p. 386, identifies Jannetje as Jane Ditmars. Riker is another one of those secondary sources that has some problems, so those interested may want to confirm that identification with more direct evidence.
  • July 20, 2019. As pointed out by Pete Kuhlmann (see comments below) Albert Albertszen (Terhune) and  Geertje Dircks did NOT have a daughter, Heyltje (bap. 1650). This baptism record belongs to Heltje Stoothof, a daughter of Elbert Elbertszen (Stoothof) and Aletje Cornelis Cool. Both are found on the BGD, in other words the one baptism is applied twice, in error. The child, Heyltie of Albert Albertszen and Geertje Dircks should be removed. Pete sites Harry Macy, Jr., and Renee L. Dauven, "Origin of the Amerman and Terhune Families, and Their Founding Mother Geertje Dircks," NYGBR 148 (Apr 2017): 97-98. 
BGB 560