Cornelius Brower of Hamilton, Madison County, New York

Digital images of the estate file for Cornelius Brower of Hamilton, Madison County, New York can be found online at FamilySearch.org in their collection of New York Probate Records. It is file number 2916 and is found among the Madison County Estate Records.

Cornelius Brower, Madison Co., NY Estate File 2916 (image from FamilySearch.org)

The file includes a copy of Cornelius' will, which begins here at image 415. The will is not very long. It is dated 18 April 1867. Here is an abstract:

Cornelius Brower of Hamilton, Madison County, New York, age 58 years. All just debts and expenses to be paid. To my wife, Mary A. Brower, the sum of two thousand dollars which shall be accepted by her in lieu of dower. To son Norman Brower, the sum of three hundred dollars. To my sons Norman Brower and Charles A. Brower and to my daughter Artemisia F. Edwards all the rest residue and remainder of my real and personal estate of every description or whatsoever...to be divided equally, share and share alike. Appoints O. B. Lord of Hamilton as executor. Proved 18 Dec 1869 by Hiram A. Tuttle and Mary E. Tuttle.

A very incomplete profile of Cornelius Brower can be found on the BGD. This is based solely on information taken from the 1850 U. S. census at Madison, New York. The will corrects a couple of error found on the census sheet. In his will, written 18 April 1867, Cornelius states that his age is 58 years thereby placing his year of birth as 1808 or 1809. The 1850 census records his age as 31, implying that he was born about 1819 (which is shown on the BGD). The 1860 U. S. census (Madison, New York) records Cornelius' age as 51 (born ca. 1809) which falls in line with his will, and I would venture is the more accurate date. The 1850 census also records Artemisia as male (age 9), which is incorrect as in his will Cornelius calls her "my daughter Artemisia Edwards." Artemisia is found in Cornelius Brower's household on the 1860 census as Artenanec Holmes, age 19, along with Franklin Holmes age 25. Relationship to the head of household was not reported until the 1880 census, so we're making an assumption here (although one that is supported by other events, see below) but it appears that Artemisia was initially married to Franklin Holmes by 3 August 1860, the date the household was recorded. Norman Brower appears on both census records, age 14 in 1850 and age 25 in 1860. Roxa (age 31 in 1850) or Roxey (age 50 in 1860) also appears in the position that we would assume to be Cornelius' wife (again relationships are not spelled out in these years, but this is confirmed by a deed), and since Cornelius names his wife as "Mary A. Brower," in his will, and apparently Mary A. is a second wife and not the mother of his children. A Find-A-Grave page for Cornelius Brower places his burial in Graham Cemetery, Hubbardsville, Madison County, New York. There is a photo of the gravestone (a must for using Find-A-Grave listings as a reliable source, as there are hundreds of pages with errors on this website). Enlarge the image and you will find "Roxie" engraved on the stone as well, with a death date of 1863. Hubbardsville is a hamlet within the Town of Hamilton in Madison County. Roxie's Find-A-Grave page calls her Roxie Phillips Brower, but I would prefer to find more reliable sources for her before accepting Phillips as her family name (the gravestone does not give her family name).

Continuing with the estate file, on 21 December 1869, Norman Brower and Charles A. Brower were administrators of the estate, along with Henry Berry and Damon Richmond, all of Hamilton, put up bond. Norman and Charles A. had sworn to administer the estate on 18 December 1869, and their signatures can be viewed on these two links. The name of Cornelius' daughter, Artemisia F. Edwards, is confirmed in this document dated 13 December 1869. And the file ends at image 430.

Of Cornelius Brower's children, there is an estate file for Charles Albert Brower who died in 1887. It is file no. 5504. However, as of this writing FamilySearch.org has only made available online images up to file no. 3579 which is from 1875.

There are a number of deeds found in the land record books of Madison County that involve Cornelius Brower, including a number with and between his children. Index extractions for the years 1806-1853 are found in the post of April 5, 2019, while index extractions for the years 1853-1873 are found in the post of April 23, 2019.

The earliest deed involving Cornelius Brower in Madison County is dated 1 February 1837 and is found in volume AO, page 495. In this deed, Caleb Hall of the Town of Madison in Madison County, and Lydia his wife, convey to Cornelius Brower, also of the Town of Madison, for the sum of $400, a piece or parcel of land situate in the Town of Madison "known and distinguished as the south forty three acres of the south east subdivision of lot number ninety in Township number three bounded on the north by forty acres of said subdivision conveyed to Loring Lovejoy by deed dated the twenty ninth day of February one thousand Eight hundred and Twenty Eight..." On 9 May 1838 (AR:280) Cornelius Brower (indexed as Brewer) of Madison, Caleb Hall of Brookfield (Madison County) convey to Levi Ludden of Madison for the sum of ten dollars "a parcel of land in the Town of Madison being a part of the southeast subdivision of lot number ninety and being a piece of land cut off of the farm now owned by the said Cornelius Brower by the highway and bounded on the north by Loring Lovejoy's land, on the east by the highway, on the west the said Levi Ludden's land, containing half an acre." If we take a look at the 1840 U. S. census in Madison County, we can find Cornelius Brower in what Ancestry.com has transcribed as Georgetown, Madison County (I do not find the town name on the census sheets) enumerated immediately above Levi Ludden and two places below Benjamin Lovejoy. Cornelius is the twelfth name up from the bottom on the following image.

1840 US census, Georgetown, Madison Co. NY (NARA via Ancestry.com image 22 of 25)

Cornelius Brower's household consists of two males ages 5-10 (sons Charles A. and Norman were born in about 1834 and 1835 respectively), one male age 30-40 (Cornelius), one female age 20-30 (his wife, presumably Roxie) and one female age 70-80 (perhaps the mother of either Cornelius or his wife). As mentioned above, the family then appears on the 1850 U. S. census in the Town of Madison, along with the addition of daughter Artemicia who was born about 1841. I have been unable to find Cornelius Brower on the 1830 census or in any previous census in Madison County.

On 28 June 1852, Cornelius Brower of Madison deeded to Benjamin Barnard, Jr. of Madison, for the consideration of seven dollars and fifty cents, a parcel of land in Madison, being a part of lot no. 92, being a piece cut off by the public highway from the southwest corner of the southwest quarter of the said lot containing about a quarter acre. (This deed was not recorded until 25 March 1873 (Madison Co. Deeds 128:244) which was after Cornelius' death.

On 5 May 1856, Dennis Morse and Sarah Morse his wife of the first part conveyed to Cornelius Brewer of the second part, for consideration of the sum  of five hundred dollars, a parcel of land in the town of Brookfield known by subdivision no. 3 in the cedar swamp, bounded on the west by the town line between Brookfield and Hamilton, on the south by land formerly deeded to Samuel Bacon, on the west by lands formerly owned by Nathaniel Haskell and on the north by lands owned by Phillip Tompkins, containing five acres. (Madison Co. Deeds CK:404)

A series of deeds between Cornelius Brower and his children begin in the late 1850s with the first recording of these deeds happening in 1864.

•  17 September 1864  (recorded 21 November, 100:559). Cornelius Brower of the Town of Madison, to Artimicia F. Holmes of Hamilton, for $500, "a tract of land in Hamilton having been part of the south half of the north half of lot no. nine and bounded..." Those whose land bound the property include, to the north, Albert Brower (Albert is son Charles A. Brower). About twenty two acres.
• 1 September 1864 (recorded 21 November, 100:560). Franklin J. Holmes and Artimicia his wife of Hamilton, to Cornelius Brower of Madison, for $500, "a tract of land in Hamilton being a part of the south half of the north half of lot no. nine and bounded..." About twenty two acres. This parcel is the same property conveyed by Cornelius to Artimicia on the 17th of September (above). [Franklin Holmes enlisted for service during the Civil War on 31 August 1864, was mustered in on 1 September 1864, and died at City Point, Virginia on 26 December 1864 from typhoid fever].
• 22 January 1858 (recorded 28 November 1864, 100:596). Cornelius Brower and Roxa his wife of the Town and County of Madison, to Charles A. Brower of Hamilton. For $450, a parcel of land in the Town of Hamilton "being a part of lot no. nine and bounded as follows..." Seventy acres, with a reserve of ten acres on the east heretofore deeded to William Colson, five acres on the east deeded to Harvey Cowles, a piece of land deeded to Daman Bacon on the west end. [Roxa is also called Roxey in the deed. Charles A. (for Albert) appears to be the couple's eldest child. Records found for him most often call him Charles A., however his gravestone is engraved with the name, Albert Brower].
• 31 October 1864 (recorded 31 May 1865, 104:442). Cornelius Brower of the Town of Madison to Norman Brower, also of Madison. For $500, a parcel of land in Madison being a part of lot no. ninety two in the said town, bounded by Willard Sturtevant on the north. On the east by "the new road running by the dwelling house of Henry Adams." On the south by the town line between Hamilton and Madison. On  the west by "the highway running past the house of Benjamin Barnard." About fifteen acres more or less. [Norman is Cornelius' second son, born about a year or two after Charles A.].
• A deed between brothers, dated 3 January 1865 (recorded 31 May 1865, 104:441). Charles A. Brower and Eliza his wife of Madison, to Norman Brower of Hamilton. For $3000, a parcel in Hamilton being a part of lot no. nine, bounded as follows...containing seventy acres with exceptions for pieces deeded to William Colson, Harvey Cowles and Damon Bacon. [This is the same parcel Charles bought from his parents in 1858].
• 3 January 1865 (recorded 20 January 1868, 113:237). Cornelius Brower of the Town of Madison, to Charles A. Brower of the same place, for $4300, a parcel of land in Madison, bounded on the north by lands owned by Loring Lovejoy, on the east by lands now owned by Alyenas Lovejoy, on the south by the town line between Hamilton and Madison, on the west by the highway, containing thirty four acres, more or less. The premises being a part of lot no. ninety in the Town of Madison. Also a parcel of land in Madison being the southwest quarter or subdivision of lot no. 92, bounded on the north by lands owned by Willard Sturtevant and Loring Lovejoy, on the east by the highway and said Lovejoy's land, on the south by lands owned by Willard Sturtevant and the new road, on the west by the center of the new road, containing twenty six acres, more or less. [I believe that the first parcel described, is the parcel that Cornelius Brower bought of Caleb Hall back in 1837 (above)].
• Finally, 19 December 1868 (recorded 12 June 1877, 125:47), Charles A. Brower and Eliza his wife of Hamilton, to Norman Brower of Hamilton, for $150, a parcel of land in Brookfield being part of subdivision no. 3 in the Cedar Swamp. [This is the property Cornelius Brower bought of Dennis and Sarah Morse in 1856].

The last deed found for Cornelius appears to be the one dated 16 March 1865 (recorded 20 March 1865, 104:130), where Mary D. Plumb of Hamilton conveyed to Cornelius Brower of the same place, for consideration of five hundred and fifty dollars, a parcel of land in Hamilton being the southwest quarter of lot no. 64 (bounds then described). Twelve acres of land, the same more or less. The land was subject to a mortgage of six hundred dollars given by Mary D. Plumb to Sarah Fuller in the fall of 1860. "It is also sold subject to a bond mortgage of eight hundred fifty dollars given by Mary D. Plumb to Abigail Stephens bearing date November 29, 1860."

In Madison County Deeds 122:341, "Whereas my husband Cornelius Brower of Hamilton, Madison County, State of New York died on the 4th day of December 1869 leaving his last will and testament bearing date the 17th day of April 1867 that in said last will and testament he bequeathed to me the undersigned Mary A. Brower a certain legacy therein named..." In this document, Mary A. Brower accepts the sum of two thousand five hundred and forty four dollars paid by Norman Brower, Charles A. Brower and Artimicia Edwards, children "and residuary legatees mentioned in the said last will and testament to which the whole estate is given except my special legacy..." [Here, Mary A. Brower, the second wife and surviving widow of Cornelius Brower, is acknowledging payment, as specified in Cornelius' will, of two thousand plus dollars and is waiving all other rights (her dower rights) to the estate]. Dated 20 December 1869 and recorded 12 June 1871.

To be continued...

BGB 649