The Grandsons of Adam Brouwer: (4) Willem Brouwer, Son of (1) Adam Brouwer

 Willem, likely the third son of (1) Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon, was baptized 5 March 1651 at the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church. The baptism record only records his father, "Adam Brouwer," as was customary at the time Willem was baptized. The sponsors were Willem Beeckman, Johannes Marcus, Maria int houte paert ("the wooden horse," the name of a tavern) and Lysbeth Cregiers. There is no known family relationship with any of the sponsors with either of Willem's parents families. Lysbeth Cregiers was the wife of Martin Cregier/Kregier. "Maria in the wooden horse," may have been Maria du Trieux who also was a sponsor for Willem's brother (2) Pieter Brouwer.

Willem was married at least twice, and quite likely three times. His first wife, Elizabeth Simpson, was most probably a daughter of Peter Simpson who was one of the first settlers at Gravesend, Long Island, being among the first associates who were granted a patent there in 1645. He died sometime in 1696. Peter Simpson's wife (presumably Elizabeth's mother) survived him. Her name was Grietje, or Greetie, and she was living in 1698 at Gravesend. Her family name has not been learned. T. G. Bergen, in his Early Settlers of Kings County, does not include a daughter (of any name) for Peter Simpson (p. 263) but does list a son, Robert, of whom I have not been able to locate an existing record. There is no surviving record of marriage for Willem and Elizabeth. They were married by 1679, as their first child, daughter Magdalena, was baptized at Brooklyn on 14 September 1679. The record as found in the Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Breuckelen records calls the mother "Betje Brouwer," while the Flatbush church records names her as "Elsje Brouwer." Willem and Elizabeth had five children baptized between 1679 and 1690, the first (1679), third (1684) and fourth (1687) at Brooklyn, the second (1681) and fifth (1690) and the New York Reformed Dutch Church. In no baptism record is either of Elizabeth's presumed parents, Peter or Grietje Simpson, recorded as a sponsor, although both were living during this period. The mother in each record is named as (1) Betje/Elsje Brouwer, (2) Lysbeth, (3) Elisabeth Brouwer, (4) Elisabeth Brouwer, (5) Elisabeth Simpsons. She is called "Lijsbet Pietersen, wife of Willem Brouwer," on 11 June 1677 when she is recorded as a member of the Brooklyn Church. 

There is then a gap of twelve years between 1690 and 1702 before we find the next record of baptism for a child of Willem. This is Jannetje, parents: Willem Brouwer and Marta (no surname), 18 January 1702 at Brooklyn. She was Marthe Boulton, whose parents are not known. There is no surviving marriage record for Willem and Marthe. She is simply recorded as Marte or Marthe in the records of her first three children (1702, 1706, 1709 at Brooklyn), but in the record of her fourth child, Susanne, baptized at the French Protestant Church of New York, she is recorded as Marthe Boulten. Susanne Bourdet was a sponsor for two of Marthe's children, but any relationship between the two is not readily apparent. The Bourdet surname is one to be explored though. 

In the years between 1690 and 1702, Willem is found on the 1698 census for the Town of Brookland, with a household of 1 man, 1 woman, 2 children and 2 apprentices. On 15 January 1699, "Willem Brouwer, Angenietie his wife," are sponsors for Hendrick, son of Adam Brouwer and Marretje (Hendrickse). William Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings" (TAG 23:204 footnote) notes that this is the only mention of Angenietie and "is probably a mistake," but then mentions the gap in baptisms and states, "so that he could have married Angenietje between these years." Considering the fact that records from Brooklyn during this period are incomplete, something Hoffman certainly would have been aware of, I'm not sure why he would write off the baptism record in which they are recorded as "Willem Brouwer, Angenietie, his wife" as a mistake. Although there is no other record to support it, there also is not one that contradicts it. It seems reasonable to me that Willem Brouwer's second wife was Angenietie (___), and that the couple simply did not have any children. By 1702, Willem (age now about 51) married a much younger woman, this being Marthe Boulten, who did have children between the years 1702 and 1712. If about age 40 in 1712, Marthe would have been born around 1672. 

The last record found for Marthe Boulten is the 1712 baptism record of her daughter, Susanne. On 29 May 1705, "Marta Brouwers" was the sole sponsor for the baptism of Sara, daughter of Jan Challwer and Sara Luwis (Brooklyn Church). In 1708, Sara Knight (Willem's sister, then wife of Thomas Knight) and Martha Brouwer were indicted by a grand jury for false swearing with regard to a riot that occurred at a tavern kept by Thomas Knight. When nobody appeared against them at the hearing during the next court session, the charges were dropped. On 7 May 1708, Willem Brower and Martha his wife of Brooklyn conveyed to Cornelius Sleght of Newtown (Queens County), a house and garden spot in Brooklyn (six rods in the front, seven rods in the rear) bounded easterly by "the highway," westerly by George Hanson's land, northerly by Thomas Knight (Sara Brouwer's husband) and southerly by he lot of said Willem Brower bought of Cornelius Vandewater. Willem and Martha both signed with their marks. 

As with his wife, Martha, the last record that we have for Willem is the 1712 baptism of their daughter Susanne in New York City's French Protestant Church. Willem's eldest married daughter, Lysbeth, was the wife of Harmen Gerretz Van Sant and was a member of the Reformed Dutch Church at Bensalem and Sammany in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on 22 June 1710. This couple had a son, William, baptized at the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1708. Willem's daughter, Catharina (baptized in 1690) married Joshua Cresson, 24 September 1710, at the North and Southampton Dutch Reformed Church at Churchville, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania. On 20 Jan 1701, Willem's son Adolphus, recorded as "Adalfas Bruer," witnessed a deed recorded in Bucks County, for a tract of land in Bensalem conveyed by Thomas Revel of Burlington Co., West New Jersey as administrator of the estate of Elizabeth Tathaem of Burlington, dec'd, relict of John Grey alias Tathaem of Burlington, to Thomas Stevenson (this deed was acknowledged 14 Dec 1704).

All told, Willem Brouwer had nine children, by two wives, who are documented by records of baptisms, six daughters and three sons. The three sons, (17) Adolphus, (18) Johannes and (19) Samuel will be covered in future posts. Three of Willem's children are the first among the descendants of (1) Adam Brouwer to be documented in the area of Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which bounds the city of Philadelphia. They were there during the first decade of the 1700s.

We really do not have any contemporary men to (4) Willem Brouwer who might be confused with him. Willem Brouwer of Beverwijck was deceased in August 1668, and was likely born three or four decades prior to (4) Willem Brouwer. Willem Brouwer of Beverwijck's supposed son, Willem Brower who wrote his will in 1757, was clearly a bit younger and is well documented in Schenectady and the Mohawk Valley region of New York. Records regarding these two cannot reasonably be confused with records that might belong to (4) Willem Brouwer. We also have no record of any sons of Willem, named Willem/William.

Genetic genealogy: The Brewer DNA Project has yet to encounter a member or participant who has claimed to be a direct male descendant of (4) Willem Brouwer. We will see when we look into Willem's sons, that he may well in fact have no direct male descendants living today. At least none that have yet been recognized or documented.

William Brouwer is covered by William Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnigs" at TAG 23:204-6. 

For more, including source citations see the post of September 2, 2012, "The Family of Willem Brouwer (son of Adam Bouwer), and his profile on the BGD website.

BGB 731

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