Jan Brouwer Group Report on 23 BigY Participants: Abstract

 This abstract is from Hank Graham, Administrator of the Brewer DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA. He has recently completed a report of his analysis of BigY test results of participants in the Jan Brouwer Group of the Brewer DNA Project. His abstract was posted to the Project's Activity Feed page which is only available to members of the Brewer DNA Project. Hank has given permission to reproduce the abstract here.

JAN BROUWER GROUP REPORT ON 23 BIGY PARTICIPANTS: ABSTRACT

 Johannes Brouwer b.ca.1630 had five sons, but only two sons, Pieter Brouwer b. 1660 and Derck Brouwer bpt.1666, had sons whose male Brower/Brewer lines continue to the present time. Based on the research of Richard Brewer and Chris Chester there are six grandsons and most of their approximately 18 sons in Gen.4 expected to have living paternal line male descendants. In Gen.5, there are 32 known sons from ten of the 18 Gen.4 men are , but this is an undercount because sons from eight of the known Gen.4 Brouwer great grandsons of Johannes Brouwer b.ca.1630 are not represented and the Johannes Brouwer descendants in the Rose and other Families are not represented in the count. A greater estimate of the Gen.5 male Brouwer/Rose and other surname descendants is not 32, but approximately 50-60. The missing sons and later grandsons of the 18 Gen.4 men create a different picture of the continuous paternal lines of Johannes Brouwer – 2 sons, 6 grandsons, 18 great grandsons, and about 50-60 great great grandsons. 

The first five generation of the Jan Brouwer Family is located here: “Descendants of Jan Brouwer, of Flatlands, L.I.” provided by Chris Chester on 15 June 2018.

In this report focus is on four sons of Derck Brouwer bpt.1666 - Each of Derck's sons named a child after their father: 

1) Derck’s son Jan Brouwer bpt. 9 June 1695 m. Aegje Sprong – three Brouwer sons, Jan 1726, Derck 1730 ,and unnamed “last and youngest son” 1732 ( a descendant of Jan b. 1726, has a proven pedigree). 

 2) Derck’s son Elias Brouwer b. ca. 1697 m Lena Willemse -three Brouwer sons, Dirck bpt.1732, David bpt. 1738, and Elias bpt.1740 (a descendant of Elias bpt. 1740 descendant, has a proven pedigree). 

3) Derck’s assumed son Pieter b.ca.1700 m. Susanna Titsoort - three Brouwer sons, Petrus bpt.1732, Abraham bpt.1734 , Dirck bpt.1743 (two descendants of Abraham 1734 through his son Pieter have good pedigrees). 

4) Derck’s son Jacob Brouwer b.ca.1701 m. Marike – one Brouwer son, Dirck bpt 1737. 

For Brewer Project members to complete their pedigree back to Johannes Brouwer (Gen.1), uncertainty / aka. brick walls appear between Gen.7 and Gen.3 the grandson level Beginning in Gen.4 and Gen.5 several forenames and their variations (for example Jan/John, Derck/Derick/Richard, and Elias) appear in multiple lines of the family with many similarly named men with close birthdates. The grandsons and great grandson’s families began to migrate at the beginning of the 18th century making it difficult to follow, with certainty, the paper trails of Brewer/Brower with the common forenames Jan/John, Derck/Dirck/Richard, or Elias. The identification of SNP and STR markers that identify the lines of three grandsons of Johannes Brouwer, makes it possible to follow their lines, with less ambiguity, to their living descendants (the BigY participants). 

 Genetically proven descendants of Johannes Brouwer with a surname other than Brower or Brewer (Rose, or Embody) have the additional challenge of identifying the time of an event that connects their surname line with their biological Brouwer ancestors. 

The following summarizes the SNP and STR results of Gen3. to Gen.5 of the Brower/Brewer families of four of grandsons of Johannes Brouwer and his son Derck : 

1- I-FT135755+ paper trail -Descendants of Pieter Brouwer b.ca. 1700 includes Rose and Embody Families (8 Men). 

a. STR FTY466=12>11 – Descendants of Abraham Brouwer b. 1734 (3 Men) 

b. I-FT210419 + paper trail - Descendants of Pieter Brouwer son of Abraham (2 Men) 

 2- I-Y7214* and STR DYS523 =15>16 - Descendants of Elias Brouwer b.ca 1697 (7 Men) 

 a. DYS19=15>16 + paper trail – Descendants of Elias Brouwer b. 1740, proved by Richard Brewer (1 Man) 

b. STR DYS523=15>16 and DYS19=15 Descendants of brothers Dirk Brouwer bpt 1732 or David Brouwer b. 1738 (4 Men with YFull test + 2 Men no YFull Test) 

c. YFull STRs DYR125.2=25>26 and DYR170=36>35 – probable descendants of Dirk Brouwer bpt. 1732 (3 Men) 

d. YFull STR DYR164=25>26 Descendants of John Brewer d. bef. May 1808, Scioto Co., Ohio (2 Men) 

3- I-FT175879 - Descendants of Jacob Brouwer b. between 1700-1703 and his only son Dirck b. 1737 (3 Men) 

4- I-Y87452 combined with I-Y7214* from FTDNA and Nebula Genomics on YFull - Descendants of Jan Brouwer b. 1695- d 1732 (4 Men) 

These SNP and STR markers will be helpful identifying the lines of participants and overcoming their brick walls in the 1700s. 

 Full report will be sent to the participants, and a special thanks to Richard Brewer, Chris Chester and Marg Bond and the BigY participants for their contributions to this effort.

____________________

 The branch of Jan Brouwer's descendants on YFull's Y-Tree can be found here (classic view) and here (live view). The above SNPs (in Bold) can be seen, with the exception of I-FT210419, can be seen on the Y-Trees.

Questions regarding the Brewer Y-DNA Project should be directed to the administrators of the Project. Contact links are available on the Project's home page. As I have done for many years now, I would encourage any direct male descendants of Jan Brouwer, or those who think they may be direct male descendants, to join the Project by taking a Y-DNA test. Current members of the Project's Jan Brouwer Group, who have not yet upgraded to the Big-Y700 test, are encouraged to do so. Over the years the Project has been valuable in helping members solve, or at least narrow down, their previously unknown lines of ancestry back to Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. Hank Graham's full report itself, available only to participating members of the Brewer DNA Project, would be valuable to those researching their ancestry back to Jan Brouwer. 

BGB 707

A Bit More On John Brower of Randolph County, North Carolina

 This past January we made a revision and update to the earlier generations of descendants of Hubert Brower, the 18th century immigrant to Pennsylvania and progenitor of arguably the second largest group of present day individuals bearing the Brower surname. [See the posts of January 10, 2021, and January 11, 2021]. David Schuler was the source of these revisions, and now in a recent email, David has added a bit more information regarding John Brower of Randolph County, North Carolina. There is nothing here to alter any family or genealogical relationships, however, there are some sources here which would help researchers focused on John Brower's life and possible relationships with families who lived near by. So that we are clear, the John Brower here was a son of Christian Brower, and a grandson of the progenitor, Hubert Brower. John Brower was married to Hannah Echlebaur, and was likely born about 1730. We know he was living in 1771. From what follows it appears that he may have been living as late as 1795.

We start with a couple of tax lists from Randolph County, North Carolina, images of which can be found at the FamilySearch.org website. This image is from a tax list that David estimates to be from the year 1785. Here you will find John Brower on the right hand page of the ledger, sixth down from the top. No other Browers are on this list, however, the other names found on this list should be explored as possible families for the wives of some of John and Hannah (Echelbaur) Brower's sons. This list is from FHL DGS no.005819562, "North Carolina, Randolph County, Tax Record." In a tax record from 1790, John Brower is found in the column on the left (there are three columns here). He is the 20th name down from the top. Jacob Brower is found in the middle column, the thirteenth name down from the top. No other Browers are found. From a quick glance, it appears that the surnames Eliot and Lamb are most numerous. The surname Cable is also found. We know that John Brower's son, Nicholas, was married to Mary Cable (sometimes spelled Coble). Again, perhaps the other family names found here are families where unidentified wives of some of John Brower's other sons can be found. This record is also found in FHL DGS no.005819562.

In a deed from 1795, Henry Eustace McCulloh conveys to John Brower, 305 acres on Sandy Creek next to John Brower's field. The area of land (305 acres) matches the acreage recorded on the above tax lists. The deed is found in Randolph County, North Carolina, Deeds, vol. 6, page 246 (as per the image here). [FHL DGS no.007517674 on this page]. This deed led David to look into Henry Eustace McCulloh and he found a record dated 19 March 1773 in which Henry Eustace McCulloh obligates himself to provide a deed to John Brower for 304 (sic) acres on Sandy Creek (then in Guilford County) upon payment of a bond for £165 plus interest bearing the same date. An image of this agreement is found in Henry McCulloh and Son Henry Eustace McCulloh, by Stewart Dunaway, published in 2016 (Lulu.com) found here on Amazon.com (perhaps available elsewhere as well, neither of us receives compensation on purchases of this book). This image from page 388.

Previously, on 1 March 1773, a bond had been issued to John Brower in the amount of £167 9s 6d for land in what was then Guilford County. Henry Eustace McCulloh was a Loyalist and lived in England. He had a grant for 1.2 million acres in North Carolina broken into twelve tracts of 100,000 acres each. The above referenced book includes a map of the southern tip of tract no. 11, in the northeast corner of Randolph County, which David believes would be the location of the 305 (or 304) acres belonging to John Brower. The delay in the delivery of the deed was likely due to the occurrence of the American Revolution which of course disrupted a great deal. Henry E. McCulloh's son, George McCulloh, evidently spent many years in North Carolina, after American independence, trying to collect on debts owed his father.

It should be noted that John Brower and Hannah Echelbauer had a son named John Brower who died in 1814 in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was perhaps born about 1770. While the 1773 indentures and the 1785 tax record certainly pertains to the elder John Brower, the 1790 tax record and the deed of 1795 could belong to either one of the two (the elder or younger). Neither a record of death, nor a record of probate has been discovered for the elder John Brower.

Thanks again to David Schuler for passing this on. It certainly should be of interest to those researching the branch of Hubert Brower descendants who removed from Chester County, Pennsylvania to Randolph County, North Carolina just prior to the time of the American Revolution. I would emphasize again the suggestion that those researching the sons of John Brower and Hannah Echelbauer, look to the names found on the 1785 and 1790 tax lists for leads as to the identities of wives of John and Hannah's known sons (there were seven of them, six of whom went to North Carolina) as well as any possible daughters who have yet to be identified (as of this writing, we know of none).

BGB 706

Abstracts of Land Records in Hunterdon County, New Jersey - BREWER

Abstracts of Land Records found in Hunterdon County, New Jersey involving persons named BREWER. Links provided to digital images of filmed records at FamilySearch.org, "Deeds, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, 1785-1911."

As a reminder, the Grantee Index for those whose surname begins with the letter B begins here with image 130 of FHL film #008210909. The index is arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the grantees' given name. For the Grantors Index, the B's begin with image 228 of FHL film #007901977. Also see BGB post 680, "More Hunterdon County, New Jersey Land Records at Family Search," published April 19, 2020. The deeds found in these books are all post-colonial period deeds, in other words, those recorded after the formation of the United States and the State of New Jersey. However, many will involve individuals who were born and lived during the later colonial period. There may be some genealogical clues within the deed records.

Vol. 174, p. 388. Dated 12 March 1878. Aaron H. Brewer and Margaret his wife of the Township of Franklin, to the Trustees of the M. E. Church at Quakertown in the Township of Franklin, for $114 and contingent that it be used under terms of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a partial of land in Franklin Twp. The parcel bounds that of Aaron Brewer and that of Theodore Holcombe. Contains thirty-eight hundreths (38/100) of an acre.

Vol. 180, p. 203. Dated 28 October 1878. Indenture between Wesley Billis, Sheriff of the County of Hunterdon (of the first part) and Charles W. Hauson, Executor of Joseph S. Hardenbrook, deceased, of the County of Hunterdon (of the second part). Upon a certain decree obtained in the Court of Chancery of New Jersey issued to the said Wesley Billis...whereas on 11 April 1878 a certain decree made in the Court of Chancery before our chancellor at Trenton in a certain cause therein depending wherein Elener Smith is Complainant and William S. Harden and Ella W. Harden hsi wife Nathan Stout Aaron H. Brewer Willis L. Brewer Wesley R. Brewer and James J. Fisher and John Fisher Executors of the last will and testament of (blank) Fisher deceased are defendants it was ordered adjudged and decreed thats certain mortgaged premises with appurtenances  in the bill of complaint...lying and being in the Township of West Amwell...bounded and described as follows (see original at p. 204). [There are four pieces of property described. Later in the indenture (bottom of p. 206) it is recorded that James J. Fisher and John Fisher are executors of the will of William J. Fisher, deceased.]

Vol. 180, p. 211. Dated 28 October 1878. [This indenture is in conjunction with the above which began at page 203. Again, among the defendants listed here (p. 212) are Aaron H. Brewer, Willis L. Brewer, and Wesley R. Brewer. The will mentioned is that of Joseph S. Hardenbrook, and the other defendants are William S. Harden and Ella M. Harden his wife.

The above two indentures prompts us to look for the will of Joseph S. Hardenbrook. It is found in Hunterdon County Wills Book 13, p. 84. Joseph S. Hardenbrook is of the Township of West Amwell. He does not mention a wife, children, or any direct descendants. He leaves legacies to his sisters Margaret Race, Rachel Harden and Sarah Ann Van Dyke. He leaves his bed, bedding and "bed room," among other items, to Joseph S. Hauson, the grandson of my sister Margaret Race. He leaves to Samuel Hoagland, "a certain book account I have against him." To John S. Harden, twenty-five dollars, and to John Hartpace(?), a note held against him of fifty dollars." Property left to sister Rachel Harden, should, upon her decease, be left to John Harden and Mary Hoagland, her children. He appoints as executor, Charles W. Hauson, the husband of Jane Hauson, my niece. Witnesses are Charles Hauson, Willis L. Brewer and Caleb F. Fisher. The will is not dated, but Caleb Fisher's testimony as witness (dated 12 October 1877), states that it was made "on or about the first(?) day of April 1877."

Vol. 54, p. 390. Dated 1 May 1833. William Brewer and Eliza his wife of the Township of Amwell, for consideration of $550, convey to William Durham, a parcel of land, bounded by lands of Christopher Row, John Carkhuff, "said Voorhees land," containing six acres more or less. Signed by William Brewer and Elizabeth Brewer. Witnessed by Jacob J. Young.

Note: The above post has been sitting in the draft file for some months now. In fact, going on a year. From a geographical perspective, Hunterdon County, New Jersey is a location where many of our Brouwer/Brower/Brewer "brick walls" are found. In undertaking this exercise of combing through and abstracting the land records (deeds) of Hunterdon County my hope was to find undiscovered clues that would help prove genealogical relationships. The initial intention was to abstract all the deeds in which persons named Brouwer, Brower or Brewer were found. As you can see, in the months since I began, I haven't gotten very far. And right now, I do not anticipate perusing this activity any further. I'm frankly just tired of sitting in front of a computer anymore. The ten minutes or so it's taking me to write this last paragraph is about my current limit of endurance for sitting and typing in front of a screen. So, for what it's worth, I'll simply publish this little bit of work and leave it at that. Perhaps it will help someone. Perhaps it will at least point anyone interested to a (probably) untapped source of previously undiscovered genealogical leads or evidence regarding their Brouwer/Brower/Brewer "brick walls."

Good luck, and should anyone find anything, please share it with the rest of us through us of the comments section for this post.

BGB 705

Mary Brower (d.1845), Probable Daughter of Nazareth Brouwer and Bridget Pells

 Nazareth Brouwer/Brewer of Westchester, New York, whose will dated 10 September 1787, named one child, a son, John Brewer, was married to Bridget Pells and is found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD) here. 

An abstract of Nazareth Brouwer's will can be found in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, volume 55, no. 2, at page 150. The article is titled, "Abstracts of Wills Recorded at White Plains, Westchester County, N. Y., Subsequent to May 1, 1787," by Theresa Hall Bristol (bold type mine). The will is found in Liber A, although no page number is provided. I have not sought out the original copy of the will myself, but anyone interested in this family should do so. The abstract is short, and so I assume the will is as well. "Nazareth Brewer of Westchester," leaves his entire estate, both real and personal, to his son John Brewer, who is also named as an executor along with Nazareth's "friend John Ferris." There is no mention of a wife, or a daughter Mary, or any other children. But that does not mean that Nazareth did not have other children.

In a deed dated 5 April 1806, recorded in New York County, Conveyances, vol. 97, pp. 163-64, John Brewer of Throgs Neck, Westchester County, weaver, conveyed to Abraham Vermilya (sic) of the City and County of New York, for $150, "all my equal undivided half of a piece or parcel of land given by a deed of gift by Benjamin Benson deceased to Mary Vermilya wife of Abraham Vermilya and me the said John Brewer," the parcel being in Harlem Heights in the Out Ward of the City of New York. I am not familiar with this Benjamin Benson, however, on 3 August 1809, the marriage of a Benjamin Benson (note that the Benjamin Benson in the deed is mentioned as deceased) to Maria Vanalst, was witnessed by John Brewer and Catharine Benson (Farrell, Charles. "Marriages Recorded in the Register of the English Lutheran Church, New York City, 1794-1810," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol. 140 (2009):154).

The relationships between the above mentioned individuals need to be worked out (something I do not plan on doing myself), however, the deed certainly is a clue that John Brewer, and Mary, the wife of Abraham Vermilya, are likely related, perhaps brother and sister.

A recent email from a compiler of a Tree found at FamilySearch, who goes by the name of Wayne J. Domes, alerted me to the fact that Abraham Vermilyea's wife was Mary Brouwer (his spelling) a daughter of Nazareth Brouwer and Bridget Pells. The email cites an "elusive Bible record," that he refers to as the "Vermilyea/Kendall Bible." The family of Mary Brouwer and Abraham Vermilyea is found on FamilySearch. Here is the link to Abraham Vermilyea (id no. MP23-KLJ) and the link to Mary Brouwer (id no. LRGH-6MP). Wayne J. Domes is open to being contacted through FamilySearch by anyone interested in this family, and has offered to provide a copy of the "Vermilyea/Kendall Bible," to anyone who asks through the contact link provided on the above page by FamilySearch. I just note here that the couple had eleven children, including a son named Nazareth Brouwer Vermilyea (1787-1845), which is good circumstantial evidence that Mary was a daughter of Nazareth Brouwer. I'll also note that Toler's New Harlem Register, p. 67, lists Mary Brower as the wife of Abraham Vermilye, Abraham being a son of "Abraham Vermilye and Mehitabel ?" The FamilySearch Tree names Mehitable as Mehitable Betts. 

I have not, and have no plans to research this family myself, so any interested party should contact the compiler directly through FamilySearch as mentioned above. Should anyone wish to contribute any additional info please do so using the Comments feature linked to this post below.

BGB 704

Jan Brouwer Group Y-Tree Update

 Members of the Jan Brouwer group of the Brewer DNA Project (FTDNA) who have taken either the original Big-Y test or the currently available Big-Y 700 test, and then joined and submitted their results to YFull (a company independent of FTDNA) are found on this branch of YFull's public YTree. 

The link I just provided takes you to version 9.01.00 of the YTree which was last updated February 18, 2021. The current "Live" version of the tree, which is accessible via the little button, "live" found on the top bar, includes a new additional sub-branch for the descendants of Jan Brouwer, of Flatlands, Long Island. The newest branch is identified by the SNP, I-FT135755.

To quickly review that what was previously known: The SNP I-Y7214 is common to all descendants of Jan Brouwer. This includes both, those tested individuals who can trace their paternal ancestry completely back to Jan Brouwer using traditional genealogical research, and those who can only trace their direct paternal ancestry back to some ancestor who lived between Jan Brouwer's time and the present. Most of our "brick wall" ancestors for this group lived during either the colonial period, or during the first few decades after the formation of the United States as an independent nation.

The two previously known sub-branches of I-Y7214, were I-Y87452 and I-FT175879. 

The two members who test for the SNP I-Y87452 to Elias Brower/Brewer, who was likely born during the decade of 1725-1735, and whose wife was Elizabeth Palmer. The two were married by a New Jersey license dated 27 January 1753, both being of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Elias Brower's ancestry back to Jan Brouwer remains undetermined. However, based upon his estimated time of birth, he was most likely a great-grandson of Jan Brouwer, and based upon the fact that his name is Elias, a grandson of Jan Brouwer's son, Derck Brouwer whose wife, Hannah Daws, was a daughter of Elias Daws. 

The three members who test for SNP I-FT175879 are descendants of three different men who lived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The three ancestors are Wright Brewer, who appears to have been born during the decade of 1755-1765; Phineas Brewer, who was born in New Jersey, about 1769 (age 81 on the 1850 U. S. census at Roaring Creek, Montour County, Pennsylvania), and Richard Brewer, who was born 1810-1813 (his age varies on the different U. S. census records consulted). He was married to Miriam Lundy (ca.1820-1884) daughter of Jesse Lundy and Phebe Bunn. Richard Brewer lived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, although the census records consistently give his state of birth as Pennsylvania. He died 10 December 1889 at Alexandria, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, age 76 years. Richard may be a son of William Brewer and Anna King. William was aged 60-70 on the 1830 U. S. census at Alexandria, Hunterdon County, so born 1760-1770. It is apparent from the BigY-700 test results that the three ancestors above are closely related. Their presence in Hunterdon County, New Jersey adds some support here. It may be that Wright and Phineas Brewer are brothers, and that Richard is a nephew or perhaps a son of one or the other. If the identification of William Brewer as Richard's father is correct, then William may well be a brother of Wright and Phineas as well. All, are certainly descendants of Jan Brouwer and based upon the range of dates when they were born, are probably 2-great grandsons, or 3-great grandsons of Jan Brouwer. [Please note that the links to the individuals in this sub-group lead to pages at Ancestry.com and a subscription may be needed to view them. They are not found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD).

The newly identified sub-branch, as stated, is I-FT135755. The Brewer DNA Project at FTDNA has three members here, although the current Live YTree only shows two of them. The three members trace their respective paternal ancestries to three different men. Of the two seen on the YTree, one ancestor is Richard Brower, who was born about 1804 in New York (age 46 on the 1850 U. S. census at Lee, Oneida County, New York). It is believed that this Richard Brower is a son of a David Brower (ca.1771-1845) who lived at Lee in Oneida County, New York and whose wife is said to have been named, Roxie Williams. Please note that we do not have much conclusive evidence here and more documented evidence is sought.  The second member who appears on the YTree is a descendant of John Rose, apparently born in the later half of the 1760s, who died in December 1830 at Madison Twp., Pickaway County, Ohio. Despite his surname, John Rose is a clear genetic descendant of Jan Brouwer (see the post of November 12, 2012). A third member, who has taken the Big-Y 700 test with FTDNA, but who is not represented on YFull's YTree is a descendant of Lewis Brewer, born about 1790 in New York (age 60 on the 1850 U. S. census at Schenectady, New York), whose wife was named Mary (b. ca. 1793, family name not known) and who is also found in Schenectady, New York in 1820 and 1830. This new genetic evidence tells us that the descendant of John Rose is most closely related to the descendants of Richard Brower and Lewis Brewer, both of whom lived their lives in the Mohawk Valley region of New York State. Whether Richard Brower and Lewis Brewer are brothers or first cousins is not clear. The only clue as to John Rose's place of birth is found on the 1880 U. S. census record of his son Solomon Rose (Pleasant Hill, Saline County, Nebraska) which records his father's place of birth as Virginia. None of John Rose's other children lived long enough to be included on the 1880 census, so this record is all we presently have to go on regarding John Rose's place of birth. It should also be remembered that "Virginia," in particular the western part of the state, was in the period just prior to, during, and just after the American Revolutionary War, sparsely populated and in terms of boundary lines, a rather nebulous place. Western Pennsylvania and Virginia both laid claims to lands in the west during that period. The modern state boundaries really were not determined until 1863 with the formation of the state of West Virginia. The Mason-Dixon line of 1767 didn't clarify the situation in the region west of Maryland (here's an interesting webpage regarding this issue). And it should also be kept in mind that 1880 is more than 110 years after John Rose's birth. Solomon (assuming he was the source of the info found on the 1880 census, although even that cannot be certain) may simply have made a best guess. We do, however, know that Jan Brouwer's great-grandson Elias Brouwer (1740-1812) was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, removed to Albany County, New York by 1774, and then to Delaware County, New York by 1800. The link to Jan Brouwer for those of this sub-branch, may lie either with the sons of Elias (1740-1812) or with the descendants of his two brothers, Dirck Brouwer (b. 1732) and David Brouwer (b. 1738) both of whom have unfortunately left us little that has been discovered regarding their descendants. In fact we have nothing more than a baptism record for David. [Please not that the two sons assigned to Dirck Brouwer on the BGD are tentative and may not be correct].

I will add one other piece of information that I think should be of interest to researchers. The 1792 Hunterdon County Militia Roll,  at page 12, which is for Amwell Township, includes Phineas Brewer, William Brewer and Wright Brewer (I-FT175879). Move forward to page 16 and you will also find a John Rose in Amwell in 1792. Now, this may or may not be the John Rose that interests us, his name is common, but if it is, and he would have been of age to be listed on a militia roll in 1792, it would imply that his origins are in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, most likely with one of the brothers of Elias Brouwer (1740-1812), in other words, Dirck or David, rather than with Elias himself. Additionally, we do have a descendant of Elias Brouwer (1740-1812) who has taken the Big-Y 700 test, and is on YFull, and he does not test positive for the SNP I-FT135755.

[An earlier edition of this post incorrectly stated that the YFull YTree sub-branch I-FT135755 included a descendant of Lewis Brewer of Schenectady and that it did not include a descendant of John Rose. That is incorrect. The current "Live" version does include the descendant of John Rose, and does not include the descendant of Lewis Brewer. March 27, 2021.]

BGB 703

Revised Chart of Hubert Brower's Descendants

 The previous post of January 10, 2021, revised the placement of two pairs of grandsons of Hubert Brower. Mentioned in that post is a descendant chart of Hubert Brower's descendants for a few generations that was generated based on what was known in 2017. This new chart available here, revises and now supersedes the 2017 chart. Please refer to the January 10, 2021 post, researched and contributed by David Schuler, for details. 

Some Descendants of Hubert Brower (Revised Chart)

BGB 702

A Revised Placement Within the Descendants of Hubert Brower for John Brower of Randolph County and Henry Brewer of Bedford County

 The following is contributed by David Schuler. It was originally posted in the Comments section of the post of  May 21, 2017, "Y-DNA Testing Identifies Another Branch of Descendants of Hubert Brower."

David has also provided an Xcel Spreadsheet mentioned below. It is accessible here. David can be contacted through Ancestry.com's internal messaging service. A link to his "tree" at Ancestry.com is provided below. David's work, which now follows, would revise the "Revised Chart of Descendants Expanded to Five Generations," found beginning on page 2 of this document from 2017.

______________

Being cooped up during the pandemic has permitted me to devote a ridiculous amount of time to Brower family mystery.  This time I’ve waded into Coventry Township and made a few discoveries using mostly tax lists and deeds. 

 This most significant discovery is that John Brower of Randolph County and Henry Brower of Bedford County could not have been the sons of John Brower (son of Hubert).  However, Christian Brower (son of Hubert) did have sons John and Henry that were of the right age and much more likely to be the John and Henry that went to Randolph County and Bedford counties.  Here is information that support that claim and a few other interesting findings.

 

·         Christian Brower appears in Vincent Township Tax lists in 1734, 1735/6, 1737, 1740.  Henry Brower is in the Vincent Township Tax lists in 1740.  There is a gap in tax records between 1740 and 1747.  All three (Christian, Henry and John) appear in the Coventry township tax list in 1747 and years after.

·         A John Brower Jr appears in the Coventry 1756 Tax List as an inmate (i.e. an adult male married or widowed, landless).  In 1757 “Christian Brower and John Brower his son” are taxed in Coventry.  John Brower Jr appears again in the 1758 Tax List before disappearing.  Assuming he is most likely above the age of 21 in 1756. His birth year is project to be 1735 or earlier.

·         Manual Brower appears in the Coventry 1763 tax list as an inmate. That puts his birth year at about 1742. 

·         The Brower Family Circle has this significant clue.  I was not able to find this record, but with this much detail, I assume it to be valid. 

16 Jan 1773 - The following Legacies paid agreeable to directions of the Will:  To

The Widow -30

Mary Bowman, stepdaughter - 15

John Bowman, stepson -20

John Brower, oldest son -169lbs

Abraham Wenger's wife, eldest dau -169lbs

Henry Brower, second son -169lbs

Emart (Emanual) third son -169lbs

Barbara Miller, second dau -169lbs

Christian Brower, 4th son -169lbs

Peter Brower -169lbs

Enoch Brower -169lbs

Susannah Urmy (Urney) 3rd dau -169lbs

David Brower, youngest son -169lbs

·         According to findagrave, Abraham Wenger’s wife, Anna, was born Mar 1734.  Based on the above, Christian’s second son Henry would have been born between 1735 and 1741.  That fits with the notion that Henry Brower of Bedford County had children beginning about 1760. 

·         Henry Brower is found in the Bedford County tax records (then Cumberland County) in Air Township in 1768-1773 and then in Bethel Township (Bedford County) after that.  

·         We know John Brower (son of Hubert Brower) owned 161 acres from the 21 Apr 1743 Indenture (Chester County Deed Bk V pg 11).  We also know that John and Susannah Brower sell a portion of that land (114a) on 30 May 1770 to son Daniel Brower (Chester County Deed Bk V pg 9).  This is reflected in the tax records as John Brower goes from paying taxes on 153a in 1765 to just 40a (average) between 1766 and 1776.  Daniel Brower (son of John) begins paying taxes in Coventry in 1766 on 100a (some years 120a). 

·         30 May 1777 the inventory of the estate of John Brower indicates the plantation in his possession is worth 300lbs.  While looking for a deed for this “plantation” I came across a 7 Oct 1785 Indenture between Daniel and Catherine Grubb of Coventry and John Bach of Coventry (Chester County Deed Bk F2 Pg 100) that referenced the 21 Apr 1743 indenture between Sebastian and Isabella Wagoner and John Brower for 161a.  It also indicates John Brower died intestate “leaving issue Daniel Brower, John Brower, Henry Brower and Elizabeth the wife of Christian Holderman to whom the above mention tract of land descended”.  It also mentions the following two indentures (neither of which I could find, but no doubt existed). 

o   7 Feb 1781 Indenture where Daniel and Mary Brower, Henry and Elizabeth Brower, and Christian and Elizabeth Holderman release their share of the 46a (part of the 161a) to their brother John Brower. 

o   3 Sep 1783 Indenture where John and Mary Brower sell the 46a to Daniel and Catherine Grubb 

·         Henry (son of John Brower) buys 62a next to John and Henry Brauer in a 27 Oct 1773 Deed.  He appears in the Coventry tax lists beginning in 1774.  

·         John (son of John Brower) appears in tax list for Coventry beginning in 1779.  He is a Freeman (single) in 1779-1780, but is married to Mary by 3 Sep 1783.  Far too late to be the John Brower that had children baptized in York County that eventually went to Randolph County, NC.

·         Henry and John (sons of John Brower) are found in Bedford/Franklin County, Virginia tax lists beginning in 1785. 

·         The children of Christian Brower (son of Hubert) that also went to Franklin County, Virginia include Christian Brower, Barbara (Brower) Miller (wife of Tobias Miller), Enoch Brower, David Brower and stepson John Bowman. 

·         It’s not clear when Christian Brower married the widow Eve Bowman or which children belong to her.  However, her son John Bowman pays tax in 1775 (probably for Eve’s 42a left to her by Christian) which would indicate he was probably born by 1754 and the marriage would have occurred after that.

·         The 23 May 1806 deed selling the 44a (Chester County Deed Bk A3 pg 199) that Christian Brower left to his wife, Eve, only mentioned the surviving children of Christian.  I find it strange that shares did not go to the heirs of John and Henry. 

 Hope this helps others.  Viewing the sources and family relationships from my tree on Ancestry might help make sense of it all.  Attached is a Tax List spreadsheet with 3 tabs (Randolph, Coventry, and Franklin) that I created to help figuring out the families. I was not able to access court records…so there may be some more details waiting to be found for someone with access to those records.

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In effect, what David's work does is switch the two sons (John and Henry) of John Brower (d.1777) and Susannah, of Coventry, Pennsylvania, with the two sons (John and Henry) of Christian Brower (d.1771) who was also of Coventry.

BGB 701