A Bit of Brower Ephemera

This piece of a letter, bearing the letterhead of John Brower, Hardware, 81 Murray Street, New York, and dated 1884, was forwarded to me by Richard Brewer (former administrator of the Brewer DNA Project).

It was found at a flea market by an individual (who wishes to remain anonymous) who in turn contacted Richard. We thank that individual for, first off, contacting us, and secondly allowing us to make a digital image available online to others who may have an interest in such things.

The year is 1884, and 81 Murray Street is on Manhattan's lower west side in the block between Greenwich St. and West Broadway. It's just a couple of blocks or so northeast of One World Trade Center (which of course was not there in 1884). Google the address and you can get a present day street view of the address.

We thought we'd might try and figure out just who this John Brower might be. Hank Graham (current administrator of the Brewer DNA Project) suggested he was John Brower, born 8 September 1839, died 18 December 1900, son of John I. Brower and Sophia Wyckoff Olcott. The younger John Brower is found on the 1880 U. S. census at Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey (p. 15, line 18), where his occupation is recorded as "Hardware Merch(ant)." He is enumerated with his wife, Sarah, and six children (lines 19-25).

1880 U.S. Census, Fanwood, NJ (NARA, download from Ancestry.com)

Steve Eustis (who has contributed to this blog), a descendant of John Brower's brother, Henry Wyckoff Brower (1844-1880) confirmed this identification and added that John's father had owned the hardware business and in his later years it was known as "John Brower and Son Hardware." The senior John Brower died in 1878. An incomplete profile of John Brower can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD) here. You can add to the three children listed on the BGD, an additional three (Catharine, Samuel and Theodore) found on the above census record. John Brower is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. He is an eighth generation descendant and his direct line back to Adam Brouwer can be seen here.

John Brower's wife was Sarah Louisa Beckley. Updating the BGD, she was born 13 November 1843 in New York City and died 9 March 1921. She is buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown, New York. Her Find-A-Grave memorial gives her parents as Samuel Marvin Beckley and Margaret De Milt Van Antwerp.

John Brower had pre-deceased his wife by 21 years, and he is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. He lived in East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey when he died.

In addition to the children added from the 1880 census, the Find-A-Grave memorials add a daughter, Margaret DeMilt Brower (1883-1921). A son Van Antwerp Brower (1879-1889) who is buried with a young cousin, Grace Van Antwerp (1879-1880) would undoubtedly be the Theodore Brower, age 6 months on the 1880 census which was taken in June of that year. Steve Eustis provided the gravestone photos seen on the Find-A-Grave pages.

Thanks once again to the finder of this little piece of ephemera from 136 years ago. We're always on the lookout for such items, and should anyone have or find such items, and would like to share them with other Brower/Brewer descendants, please don't hesitate to contact us, or leave a comment.

And thanks to Steve for helping us with the identification of John Brower.

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More on the Browers of Lee, Oneida County, New York

It's been some time since I've had the chance to work on the BROWERs of Lee, New York. Following up on the post of June 20, 2019 where the early Browers of Lee, Oneida County were identified primarily through the use of the early U. S. census records, we now what to examine land records in Oneida County for deeds involving these individuals.

Land Records for Oneida County, New York can be found online at FamilySearch.org through their online catalog. See this page. There is a link for "New York Land Records available online," which takes you to a new page from which you can gain access to land records by county. However, select Oneida County here and you will see that the complete catalog of land records for Oneida County is NOT available on the page selected. Go back to the page accessed via the catalog, scroll down, and you will find the complete list of films, which can, by clicking on that little camera icon on the right, be viewed online. There are indexes for Grantors and Grantees covering various periods of years. The indexes are followed (as you scroll down) by the numerous deed books. (Apparently the deed books for Oneida County are located on the page for Herkimer County when accessed through the "New York Land Records" collection).

I first want to look at the Grantees index with the hope of finding the earliest land buyers in Lee. Remember from the June 20 post, the first appearance of Browers in Lee is on the 1830 U. S. census. Is there a record of a Brower in Lee prior to 1830? The Grantee Index A-B, 1791-1884 is found here.  This index is alphabetized by the first three letters of the last name, and then chronologically. Grantees beginning with BRO begin at page 229 (image 371).

The earliest dated deed for a Brower is not found until 1839 (Grantee index image 378) which is the date it was recorded. There are two deeds for purchases of land by John Brower from Catherine Muller. The deeds are found in Oneida Co. Deeds vol. 88, pages 455 and 457. The first (p. 455) is dated 10 February 1837, whereby Catharine Muller, late of the City of New York, conveys to John Brower of Lee, Oneida County, New York, for the sum of fifty dollars, a certain parcel of land being in Mullers Tract, so called, in the Town of Lee...distinguished as part of the northeast corner of lot no. 48, which lies north of the road leading to Lawrence Mills...containing 32 acres more or less. It is witnessed by A. H. Muller who as Adrian H. Muller, acknowledged the deed on 13 May 1837 in Ontario County, New York, A. H. Muller being a resident of the Village of Batavia at the time. The deed at page 457 is dated 22 August 1835. Here, Catharine Muller of Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York, formerly of Geneva, Ontario County, conveys to John Brower of Lee, Oneida County, for fifty dollars, a parcel of land in the northeast corner of lot no. 48 in the Town of Lee, containing 36 acres and 65/100s of an acre of land. It is also witnessed by A. H. Muller who acknowledges on 7 May 1836 in Ontario County as a resident of Geneva in Ontario County. Both deeds were recorded in Oneida County on 22 February 1839.

Vol. 98, p. 147. Dated 26 Jan 1841. Charles A. Mann and Emma his wife of the City of Utica, to Edward Brower of the Town of Lee. For ninety dollars, a certain parcel in the town of Lee distinguished by a survey made by C. Guiteau in the year 1795 and on a map of said land filed in the Clerk's Office of Oneida County by being part of lot eight (8) that part of Outhout's patent called the Mappa Tract**. Bounded north by the center road, east by land deeded to Charles Ufford and now in possession of Robert Ourns, south by the south lot of said lot no. 8, and west by the west line of said lot no. 8, containing 33 acres.

Vol. 111, p. 485.  Dated 11 Dec 1841 (recorded 13 September 1843). Sarah Hubbard of Royalston, Polly Smith of Spencer, Oliver Harding and Elizabeth Harding of Barre, Alfred Browning and Elizabeth A. Browning both of Spencer, Richardson H. Browning and Abigail M. Browning his wife of Paxton, and Reuben Browning of Holden, all in the County of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, Henry Westcott and Almira Westcott his wife of the Town of Killingly, County of Windham, State of Connecticut, first part, by their attorney Nathaniel Wood, to John Brower, of the Town of Lee, County of Oneida, State of New York of the second part. For the sum of $227, a parcel of land in the Town of Lee, being lot number 56 in the six thousand acre tract Seribas(?)* Patent...containing 105 acres more or less (see deed for full description).

Vol. 129, p. 377. Dated 1 Apr 1847. William Martin and Mary Ann his wife of the town of Lee, to Abraham Brower of the same place. For $945, a certain piece of land conveyed to James Martin bearing date 18 July 1843 executed by Elijah Ward containing forty acres being part of lots 15 and 18 Mappa's Tract** in the Town of Lee, also another piece of lot 15 conveyed to William Martin and James Martin, 8 March 1842, by Joshua Terry containing thirty acres excepting a piece deeded to Zachariah Shaver... Recorded 25 May 1847.

Vol. 136, p. 331. Dated 26 January 1848. James Eames and Mary Eames his wife of the Town of Verona, Oneida County, to Calvin Bishop, Lyman Wilcox, Justus E. Gillett, George Benedict, Morris P. Brower, Henry Dodge, Henry Pollard, Seldon Johnson, Samuel Hills, Samuel G. Brewster, Chauncey Brown (Brower?) and Almon Halcomb. For the sum of $20, a parcel of land containing seven to eight rods, in Verona Village.

Vol. 139, p. 159. Dated 31 July 1848. John Butler of Paris, Oneida County, to Cornelius Brower of the same place. For $125, a parcel of land in Paris, containing 102 rods of land.

Vol. 150, p. 215. Dated 16 November 1849. Jotham Worden and Hannah his wife of Annsville, Oneida County, to John Brower of the same place. For $300, a parcel in the Town of Annsville, part of lot 41, Fish Creek Reservation east side...containing five and 88/100 acres with a right of way twelve feet wide south of the house direct to the road. Also the pantry of the dwelling house...

Vol. 154, p. 509. Dated 14 March 1851. Edward Brower and Harriet his wife of the town of Lee, to George C. Brower of the town of Lee. For $300, a piece of land in Lee distinguished by a survey made by C. Guiteau in the year 1795 and on a map filed in the Clerk's Office of Oneida County, being part of lot no. 8 in that part of Othout's Patent called the Mappa Tract**, west part of said lot...containing 30 acres more or less. [See above].

Vol. 168, p. 205. Dated 28 October 1851. Caleb Evans and Betsey his wife of Annsville to John Brower of the same Annsville. For $350, a parcel of land set the the said Evans and wife in right of the wife from the estate of Warren Douglass, deceased, part of lot no. 41 Fish Creek Reservation, east side...containing 15 30/100 acres of land.

Again, the idea here was to search out early, particularly pre-1850, records of BROWERs in Lee County, and to use this information in conjunction with the post of June 20, 2019. The deeds, unfortunately, do not include a David Brower, who we found in Lee on the 1830 U. S. census. Nor do we find Richard Brower. This post only considered those found through the Grantee Index. We should next take a look at those listed in the Grantor Index.

*Perhaps this is the Sadequahada Patent of 6000 acres. See 103 on Our County and It's People, Colonial Land Patents (Oneida.nygenweb), or perhaps the Servis Patent (104) but this patent was for 2000 acres.
** See 111 on the above page.

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BREWER and BROWER Mentions in Dutchess County, NY Court Records

This is a follow up to the post of October 10, 2013, which features a file from the William B. Bogardus Collection. I'm in the process of reorganizing my own files and as I'm finding items that I haven't looked at for some years now, I think there is an opportunity to bring attention to some of them again. Should I come across any that were overlooked, I will add them as well in future posts.

The original 2013 post provided a link to a PDF of this file uploaded to RootsWeb. That link is still good, here it is again, but in the event that the link should fail at some point in the future, here is a second link to the PDF on Google Drive.

This file is an extraction of BREWERs and BROWERs found in the records of the Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas in Dutchess County, New York. As mentioned seven years ago, the Family History Library has filmed these records, they are on microfilm and are cataloged here online, however, as was the case back in 2013, the FHL has not yet digitized the microfilms for online use. As the FHL is no longer in the business of lending microfilms out to local Library Centers, the only way in which one might access the records is to visit the main library in Salt Lake City. Alternatively, one might be able to access the originals with a visit to the Dutchess County Clerk's Office in Poughkeepsie, New York. Some of the cases are, apparently, also found in the Dutchess County, "Ancient Documents," and can be accessed rather easily online, from home. I'll give an example, but first here is a list of the BREWERs and BROWERs found in the file (the file also includes some with the BOGARDUS surname which are not included below).

• Vol. A, p. 156; May 15, 1744; John Sackett vs. Mathew BREWER
• Vol. A, p. 244; Oct. 17, 1749; Peter Colwell vs. Hendrick BREWER (bail to Samuel BREWER)
• Vol. B, p. 10; May 21, 1751: Jury verdict against Nicholas BREWER
• Vol. B, p. 26; May 21, 1751; Samuel Dusenbury vs. Hendrick BREWER
• Vol. B, p. 283; Oct. 18, 1757; Nicholas BREWER vs. John Bookhout and Ann his wife

 After this the volume isn't given but a date and page number is provided. I would guess that the records are likely found in FHL film #0565228 in volumes C or D (the film covers volumes B-D). The date would be the date of the Court session.

• Oct. 16, 1759, p. 1; John Bookhout and Ann his wife vs. Nicholas BREWER
• May 20, 1760, p. 1; Nicholas BREWER vs. John Bookhout; p. 2 Dolf BREWER witness for plaintiff (note: Dolf would be a variation of Adolph or Adolphus).
• May 17, 1763, p. 22; Nicholas BROWER vs. Robert Soul Butcher
• May 17, 1763, p. 23; Michael Surfelt by William Surfelt vs. Jacobus BROWER
• Oct. 18, 1763, p. 13; Michael Surfelt vs. Jacobus BROWER
• Oct. 18, 1763, p. 15; Nicholas BREWER vs. Robert Soul Butcher
• Oct. 1, 1765, p. 2; Henry Chase vs. Isaac BREWER
• Oct. 1, 1765, p. 20; Isaac BREWER vs. Henry Chase

To the Ancient Documents available online at the Dutchess County Government website. Go to the Search page and enter a name. I'm going to try Hendrick Brewer and when I do I get this result. And when I click on Document Number 2561 (highlighted in blue) this image appears. It's a PDF and can be easily downloaded. This is actually a lot easier then searching through the digitized microfilms of the Ancient Documents of Dutchess County found on the FamilySearch website. However, it appears that not all of the documents mentioned above are found in the Ancient Documents files.

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Corrections to Johannes (John) Brouwer and Perkins Lambert

An incomplete profile of Johannes Brouwer (a.k.a. John Brower or Brouwer) and his wife Perkins Lambert is found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD) here. Newly found records forwarded to me by Sara Brower corrects data found in this profile for John and Perkins, their son Thomas, and especially their daughter Susannah.

Regarding son Thomas, placed as a son with the stipulation, possible, a baptism record for "a son" of "John & Pirkins Brouwer from New York," is found in the baptism records of the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The date of baptism is recorded as June 13, 1779. The entry records the child as "son." A given name is not recorded. The identity of this son as Thomas, therefore still needs further verification. However, it is apparent that John and Perkins did have another son born after the five children whose baptisms are found in the New York Reformed Dutch Church between 1769 and 1776 (see the BGD profile for citations).


John and Perkins (Lambert) Brouwer's daughter, Susannah, baptized 11 August 1776 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, is shown on the BGD as the Susannah Brower who married David Osborn (Osburn, Asburn) on 16 November 1800 at Poughkeepsie, New York (First Reformed Church), and with a date of death of 21 September 1873 and a burial at the New Hurley Reformed Dutch Church cemetery. This marriage, date of death and burial are incorrect.

Records of the Old Swede's Church, Philadelphia, include an entry under December 1795, which reads: "Joseph Cole, son of Andrew Cole in N. W. Jersey, and his dec'd wife Latitia, twenty five (and) Susannah Browers, dr. of the dec'd John and Perkins Browers, heret. of Philadelphia, nineteen."

Therefore, the Susanna Brouwer who married David Osborn, is not a daughter of Johannes (John) Brouwer and Perkins Lambert. In addition to Susanna's profile on the BGD, a Find-A-Grave memorial for Susannah Brower Osborn is also incorrect in placing her as a daughter of John and Perkins (Lambert) Brouwer. Although David Osborn did marry a woman named Susannah Brower (they had a daughter, Sally, baptized at Poughkeepsie, 23 August 1801, that Susannah is not a daughter of John Brouwer and Perkins Lambert. The marriage record of Joseph Cole of Salem Co., New Jersey and Susannah Browers (sic) of Philadelphia, tells us otherwise. The identity and parents of Susannah Brower, wife of David Osborn, is now unknown. She is, however, the Susannah Osborn who died 21 September 1873 and is buried in the New Hurley Reformed Church Cemetery (with her husband) and the Susannah, John and Perkins Brouwer's daughter, is not buried there. In that regard the Find-A-Grave memorial is correct and it does include a photo of David Osborn's gravestone (a repair of the stone apparently obscures his wife's name).

The marriage record also tells us that John and Perkins Brouwer, both died prior to December 1795. John did not die in 1823 as shown on the BGD. The Find-A-Grave entry for Johannes Brouwer is therefore incorrect. I'll note that the Find-A-Grave page for Johannes Brouwer cites the BGD, and you know, if you are creating a Find-A-Grave memorial you really shouldn't do that! Find-A-Grave was intended as a website were one could post memorials, backed up by actual graveyard records and photos obtained through visits, and not as a place to post genealogical summaries that were previously published elsewhere, whether online or in printed format (books or genealogical journals) without ever visiting the graveyard to see if some certain individual is in fact actually buried there. I could go on regarding this but I won't except to say that Find-A-Grave started out as a good, well intentioned idea, but it's become a site that unfortunately propagates a terrific amount of incorrect information. There is in fact a terrific amount of incorrect burial information regarding descendants of Adam Brouwer (including Adam Brouwer himself) found on Find-A-Grave. It's unfortunate, but enough said.

Sara sent me images of published transcriptions of these records. The marriage record of Joseph Cole and Susannah Brower can be found online at FamilySearch.org in "Early marriage records of Pennsylvania Churches: Old Swedes Church..." by Mildred C. Williams, p. 39, where the year is incorrectly transcribed as 1775 (which is impossible based on Susannah's baptism date). I imagine that the complete record as quoted above can also be found here, although this digitized film can only be viewed at a Family History Library location. I would gather that the 1779 baptism record for "a son" of John & Pirkins Brouwer from New York, can be found in this digitized film, again only viewable at a FHL location.

The marriage record of David Osburn (sic) and Susannah Brower in found in Kelly, Arthur C. M., Poughkeepsie Reformed Church Marriages, 1746-1824. Rhinebeck, N. Y.: Kinship, p. 25, no. 546. Parents names are not recorded. The baptism record for their daughter Sally is found in Kelly, Arthur C.M., Baptism Records - Poughkeepsie Reformed Church, 1716-1824. Rhinebeck,N.Y.: Kinship, 1998, p. 102. (Sally, b. 3.13; parents: Davis Asburn, Susannah Brower; no witnesses recorded).

Much thanks to Sara Brower.

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