"Sites of Historic Interest," Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Hank Graham (administrator of the Brewer DNA Project) sent me a link to this PDF, "Hunterdon County Master Plan, Sites of Historic Interest," published in November 1979. Recent posts have focused on Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and I think that this 550 page publication will be of interest to anyone researching Hunterdon County.

The purpose of the report is explained on page 5, which is essentially to identify, with the intent of preservation, historic sites in Hunterdon County. Hank points to pages 13-28 for information on early settlement and formation of the county during the colonial period. Page 15 has a map showing how the boundaries of the county changed over the years. An important point here is that the city of Trenton, now the site of the capitol of the State of New Jersey, and within Mercer County, was during the colonial period, within the bounds of Hunterdon County, and was the county seat until 1785. The character of the early settlements and settlers who came to Hunterdon County can be found on pages 14-16. The area was initially settled by diverse groups along both ethnic and religious lines. Maps on pages 20 and 21 show the location of townships in 1739 and 240 years later in 1979.

I found an interesting map at page 41 which illustrates the movement of people and settlements during the colonial period along the entire eastern seaboard. Four "centers" of migration are identified with origins in New England, southeastern Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay and southern North Carolina to eastern Georgia. If you are interested in historic architecture you will finds a concise overview with lots of illustrations in the pages that follow.

As the purpose of the report is to identify historic sites and develop a plan for their preservation, a good deal of the pages are devoted to an inventory of sites. This begins at page 104 and is arranged by present day (1979) townships and boroughs. There is some brief historical info in the short introductory paragraphs and some may find family names of interest listed among the numerous properties mentioned. Maps showing locations of the properties are included. There is no "name index" to the properties, but if you have interest in the earlier families of Hunterdon County, and some time, scrolling through the pages will no doubt yield names, and properties, that will catch your attention.

Hunterdon Co., NJ, 1851 (Library of Congress; Cornell, Samuel C, and Lloyd Van Derveer. Map of Hunterdon County, New Jersey: entirely from original surveys. [Philadelphia?: Lloyd Van Derveer & S.C. Cornell, 1851])

Thanks again Hank.

BGB 689

The Earliest Brewers of Hunterdon County, New Jersey

A survey of some of the earliest mentions of persons named BREWER (etc.) found in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. This will be focused on those who lived (were born) during the colonial period, say before 1780. Some years back I extracted all mentions of the names Brouwer, Brower, Brewer, etc. found in the series "New Jersey Calendar of Wills." That document can be found online here and it will be a source for some of those found below. Another is this list of New Jersey Tax payers 1778-1797 that was compiled by a company called T. L. C. Genealogy back in 1990 (before the days of the internet) and came to me by way of William B. Bogardus.  

We still have a number of unconnected Brower and Brewer lineages that can be traced back to the early 1800s or late 1700s but go no further. We know from Y-DNA testing that their ancestor was either Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I., or Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. , or neither (so someone else, yet to be identified). Research of the Brewer and Brower surnames in Hunterdon County show that there are a good number of families named Brewer living there during the 1800s, but how they relate to one another is just not clear. In addition there are a number of families who ventured westward during the late 1700s and early 1800s and settled in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, areas which are now in West Virginia and western Virginia, and eventually beyond, who we suspect had their origins in Hunterdon, or surrounding counties. Recent posts have focused on some of the probate and land records that can be accessed (with a little work and effort). However, they are from the post colonial period, the 1800s, and it may be well worth it to just back up here a minute and get a roster, or picture, of just who the fore-bearers of these post colonial families might be. 

My comments in brackets [   ].

1. 31 January 1729/30, administration on the estate of William Brewer of Hunterdon County, yeoman, was granted to James Chambers. Bond of James Chambers, as administrator, with Malkem McQuarry as fellow bondsman, both of Middlesex County. Same date, the inventory of the personal estate of William Brewer, of Amwell, consisting of a bond from John Hamilton, late of Trenton for £25, and interest for two years, £4 money at 8s., the ounce. Sworn to by James Chambers. Source: Nelson, William. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol. XXIII, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I, 1670-1730. (Paterson, N.J.: The Press Printing and Publishing Co., 1901):60, citing West Jersey Wills Lib. 3, p.40 (administration) and Hunterdon Wills (inventory). [As this is the earliest record of a Brewer in Hunterdon County, and this individual is deceased by the date of administration of his estate, it would be of great help if he could be identified with certainty. We will address the possibilities in a separate post].

2. 29 May 1732. Date of the will of John Severns of Trenton, Hunterdon County. An inventory of the estate, dated 4 March 1732/33 includes a long list of debts due. Among the debtors are "Bruer of Allentown" (which is in Monmouth Co.) and "Bruer of Amwell." Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. II, 1730-1750: 424, citing West Jersey Will Lib. 3, p. 202. [See no. 4 below.]

3. 15 December 1733.  Monmouth County Court for holding of pleas. Casparus Vanostrandt complaint against William Brower otherwise called William Brewer of Readington in the County of Hunterdon, yeoman in custody of Bernardus Verbryck, Esq., High Sheriff of the said county of Monmouth, regarding a debt of fifty pounds eight shillings for what whereas the said William the 15th day of December 1733 at Freehold in Monmouth County within the jurisdiction of this court, acknowledged he was bound to said Casparus for fifty pounds to be paid to the said Casparus... (This followed by a document): “That I William Brewer of Readington in the County of Hunterdon, yeoman, am firmly bound unto Casparus Vanorstandt, blacksmith, in the County of Somerset in the sum of fifty pounds and eight shillings...signed and sealed 15 December 1733 by William Brower (his signature). [See no. 61, with note, here. An adult by 1733, so born by 1712, we'd like to identify this man, who must be a different William from no. 1 above. Perhaps he is no. 5 below.]

4. In a survey dated 3 November 1738, for Benjamin Smith, of 100 acres at Neshaning Brook, Amwell Twp., William Brewer was named as owner of adjoining land. In a second survey bearing the same date, for William Bollowsfelt, 95 acres, same location, adjoining land owners were named as William Brewer, and Benjamin Smith. Book M, Part 2 (West Jersey Surveys): Folio 294 (PWESJ004) online at State of New Jersey, Dept. of State, Early Land Records, 1650s-1900, searched using "Brewer" and "Hunterdon County." [Is he the same, or is a different William Brewer from no. 3? I would lean towards different, see no. 2 above.]

5. A "List of Letters remaining in the Post Office at Trenton, September 28, 1754," published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, October 17, 1754, included William Brower, R:ddentown (sic). [Perhaps no. 3 above?] 

6. The will of Nathaniel McFarson of Kingwood, Hunterdon County, yeoman, dated 30 Sep 1788, was witnessed by Samuel McFarson, Uriah Bonham and David Brewer. It was proved 19 January 1789. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. VII, 1786-1790: 144, citing New Jersey Wills Lib. 32, p. 19.

7. The will of John Barber of Amwell Twp., dated 22 February 1795, proved 5 August 1795, was witnessed by William Taylor, Samuel Brewer, and William Naylor. The inventory, dated 1 August 1795, was made by Samuel Brewer and William Taylor. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. VIII, 1791-1795: 26-27, citing File 1699J.

The List of Taxpayers in Hunterdon County, 1778-1797

This document (obtained from William B. Bogardus) is online here. It is arranged alphabetically and I'm going to just rearrange the names by Township. What is important to note here is that the individuals found on this list would have been adults in the year in which they were recorded, and so (assuming they were of age 21 or older) were born at the latest in the late 1750s or 1760s, and possibly (for some) earlier, perhaps by decades. I am standardizing the varied spellings, Brewar and Brewr, to Brewer. The spelling, Brower, is only found twice, both in Reading.

Reading (which I would assume to be Readington):

  Daniel Brewer, 1779, 1780; Daniel Brower, 1781

  Daniel Brewer, Sr., 1789, 1790

  Daniel Brewer, Jr., 1785, 1789, 1790 

  Henry Brewer, 1785

  William Brewer, 1778, 1779, 1785; William Brower, 1781

  William Brewer, Jr., 1778

Lebanon

  Mathew/Mathias Brewer, 1778*, 1780, 1784

  Mathias Brewer, Sr., 1779

  Mathew/Mathias Brewer, Jr., 1779, 1780

     *Both a Mathew Brewer and a Mathias Brewer are recorded in 1778 (probably one is the Sr., the other the Jr. of 1779)

Bethlehem

  Mathias Brewer, 1785 (twice, Matthias and Mathies), 1786 (once)

  John Brewer, 1785, 1786

  Tevis Brewer, 1786 [I've not seen this name before and suspect that it is a mis-transcription. Tevis? Could this be Thys, a diminutive for Matthys? There are two Mathiases in 1785 but only one in 1786]

Amwell

  Richard Brewer, 1780, 1784

  Samuel Brewer, 1786, 1789 [see no. 7 above]

Kingwood

  Richard Brewer, 1778

  Samuel Brewer, 1778, 1780

  David Brewer, 1779 [see no. 6 above]

  Powal Brewer, 1785

  Wright Brewer, 1789

In addition to the above, there are records of various churches in Hunterdon County to consider. The most available records for the 1700s being baptisms and church memberships. But that is a bit more complicated as some who had children baptized at (for example) at the Reformed Church at North Branch (Readington) may have lived in adjoining Somerset County. There is enough here for a separate post. For a start, this page has a list of Hunterdon County churches and includes a date of when the church was formed. The earliest were Zion Lutheran of Oldwick (Tewksbury Twp.) in 1714, First Presbyterian of Amwell in 1715, the Dutch Reformed Church of Readington, a.k.a. North Branch, in 1718, and St. Thomas (Episcopal) in Alexandria Twp. in 1723. There was also a Friends Meeting (Quakers) at Quakerstown in Franklin Twp., established in 1720. Records (if available) from all the churches extant in Hunterdon County during the Colonial Period should be scoured for mentions of Brewers, Browers, etc. A job for a future post.

Should other records and mentions be found in the future, I will add them to this post. Should anyone know of additional records, please inform us by leaving a Comment below.

BGB 688