The Brower Family Circle, Volume 10

Volume 10 of The Brower Family Circle, four issues bearing the dates April, July and October 1985 and January 1986. Links to PDFs of each issue are found on The Brower Family Circle page.

No. 1, April 1985 (15 pages): The entire issue is photocopied pages of "Anneke Jans Bogardus and Her Farm," which was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine in May 1885. See the post of September 7, 2012.

No. 2, July 1985 (6 pages): The Solomon Miller Family (pages 1-4). Photocopy of a poem by David Brower (pages 4-5).

No. 3, October 1985 (21 pages):"Holdings on BROWER at Salt Lake. Sent to me by Bill Bogardus" (pages 1-20, the entire issue is photocopies of, what appears to be, cards from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah found under the surname BROWER. Nowadays we can go to the FHL's online catalog at FamilySearch.org, select the surname field, type in Brower, and get back these results).

No. 4, January 1986 (16 pages): A lineage with a Brower connection from Mrs. Donald L. Polglasse (page 1. The earliest ancestor shown is a Nancy Brower, born ca. 1804-1806 who married Cornelius Bennet). Pages 2-15 are a pedigree charts submitted by Carol Hopping (Some of the surnames here belong to Mennonite and/or German Baptist families from the Chester Co., Pennsylvania area. The first Brower I find is on page 9, Hannah Brower, b. 1789, married Jacob Flora. Hannah's line continues on page 13).

All and all a pretty skimpy four issues with respect to information on Brower families, but again, use what is found here carefully.

The Bogardus Farm, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, via W.H. Merklee, 2002

PDF version of this post

BGB 545

The Brower Family Circle, Volume 9

The Brower Family Circle, Volume 9 was published by Jay H. Brower in four issues bearing the dates April, July and October 1984, and January 1985. Links to PDFs of the individual issues can be found on the Brower Family Circle page of this website.

No. 1, April 1984 (10 pages): Question regarding Mary Brower, born 15 May 1830, Lebanon Co., Pennsylvania, married George B. Mellinger in Elkhart Co., Indiana, died at Syracuse, Indiana, 1 July 1861 (page 1). Seeking info on Catherine Brower Mott, wife of Edward Mott. She was born ca. 1810 in New York and died 24 Jan 1893 in Kearny, Buffalo Co., Nebraska (page 1). Lineage of Mrs. W. S. Ray from William Bogardus, 1638-1711 and his daughter Annatje Bogardus who married Jacob Brouwer (pages 1-9. Do not use any information in this account. Of all of the off-the-wall accounts of the descendants of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus this is one of the most bizarre I've seen. Not only does the contributor combine individuals from different families within Adam Brouwer's descendants, she also adds in families descended from Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I., and possibly some other unrelated Brewer families as well). Volume 9, no. 1 is a strong competitor to Volume 7, no. 4, as the one issue that could sow the most confusion among those researching the descendants of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus. The only value in this issue is pointing out the degree to which incorrect ancestries can be taken. The two queries at the beginning of the issue, however, provide a couple of puzzles for those who like to take the time to figure such things out.

No. 2, July 1984 (12 pages): Frederick Hanford Brewer, born 9 November 1812, Niagara Co., New York, son of Abraham Brewer of New York and Sarah Ripley of Connecticut, taken from the "1874 Historical Atlas of Lee County, Iowa." Who are the parents of Abraham Brewer and Sarah Ripley? (page 1. I am not familiar with this family and I assume that the work that is referenced is this one found on the Iowa Digital Library website). The children of Frederick Hanford Brewer and his wife Rebecca, followed by a biography of his son William Brewer (pages 2-4). Research notes from Verne D. Littlefield on his search for the identity of Abraham Brewer, the father of Frederick H. Brewer (pages 4-11. This includes five pages of a early published account of some descendants of Adam Brouwer which contains errors [the source is not named, but it could be T. G. Bergen] and a letter from the Holland Society to Mrs. J. H. McCulloch, dated 1934, answering a question regarding the Brouwers. The letter refers to articles written by John R. Totten, which in themselves have errors that were later corrected by William J. Hoffman).

No. 3, October 1984 (14 pages): The "recollection from an elderly gentlemen about 1928," regarding "three sons, Christian, Henry and Daniel," who landed in America in 1721 (pages 1-2, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania Browers). "The Brower Family" (pages 2-4. More on the Chester  and Montgomery Cos., Pennsylvania Browers). Henry Brower, 1780-1874 by Ivan Groh (pages 4-7. This Henry Brower left Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania and settled in Waterloo Co., Ontario, Canada). Melchior Hoch (page 8). Jacob Hoch/High (pages 9-10). Langenecker (Longacre) Family (page 11). Will of Jacob Hoch (page 12). Bechtel Family (page 13). The Hoch/High, Langenecker/Longacre and Bechtel families were all early Mennonite families of the Chester Co., Pennsylvania area who were in one way or another associated with the Brower families of Chester County.

No. 4, January 1985 (8 pages): A request for information regarding Enoch Brower and his wife Faronica Eickenberry, also Rinehart (page 1). Looking for parents of Jacob and Hannah (Stall) Brewer who were in Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., New York in 1810 (pages 1-2). A lineage from Adam Brouwer (his given place of birth being incorrect) through his son Abraham Brouwer (pages 2-5). Some pages on Anneke Jans from Trinity, Break Ye My Commandments, by Willis Timothy Gridley, 1930 (pages 5-6. Use for it's entertainment value only). A query into Hetty Brower who married a John Bray on 18 October 1822 in Randolph Co., North Carolina (page 7).

Please use all info, data and claims found in these issues of The Brower Family Circle with care. This is especially applicable to Volume 9, no. 1.

PDF version of this post

BGB 544

The Brower Family Circle, Volume 6

Volume 6 of The Brower Family Circle, written and published by Jay H. Brower, has four issues bearing the dates April, July and October 1981 and January 1982. Below is a summary of what is found in the four issues. Links to the originals as PDFs can be accessed on the Brower Family Circle page.

No. 1, April 1981 (10 pages): Information on the Jacob Brower family of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin (page 1. Jacob Brower, 1799-1846 is a descendant of Adam Brouwer. His wife was Martha Mackie. More on the family and descendants can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website). The family and lineage of Peter Brower of Parke County, Indiana (page 2. He is a descendant of Christian Brower, d. 1771, Chester Co., Pennsylvania). Notes contributed by Mrs. Lawrence G. King including Abraham Brower of Union Twp., Pennsylvania, "Diderick Brouwer of Early Palatine 1709," a Van Horn-Banta marriage, seeking more info on the Demarest family (page 3). Lineage of Hollis H. Brower, a descendant of Christian Brower, b. 1754, d. 1819 Randolph Co., North Carolina (page 4). Lineage of Merritt Ralph Ermey back to Hubert Brower (page 5). Research by Mrs. Edna E. R. Brewer on Isaac I. Brower, 1781-1857, married Schicha (sic) Van Brunt (pages 6-9. She incorrectly states that Isaac is a descendant of Adam Brouwer. He is not, as Y-DNA testing of a descendant demonstrates that Isaac is a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. She sites a "Brewer Bible" in her possession, descendants are listed and this should be of interest to those researching this family, but use this source with caution and seek to independently verify all claims).

No. 2, July 1981 (15 pages): Lineage of Kenneth P. Brower back to Hubert Brower (page 1). Lineage of David W. Brower back to Hubert Brower (page 2). "An Historical Sketch of the Ancestors and Descendants of David Brower, Born 1779" by Narcissa Brower Herron (pages 3-14. Unfortunately it starts off with that too familiar tale of "three brothers coming from Holland," however, the descendants presented here would be of interest to those researching this line of Hubert Brower descendants. Narcissa Brower Herron, born in 1847, lived to over 100 years and died in 1948).

No. 3, October 1981 (13 pages): Abram Brower of Hamilton Co., Ohio, born 3 April 1838 (pages 1-2. He is a descendant of Adam Brouwer. This account is from some unspecified "County History"). From History of Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana, 1885, Dr. Jeremiah H. Brower, born in New York City in 1798 (page 3. A descendant of Adam Brouwer and uncle of the just mentioned Abram Brower). A "Genealogical abstract of the Anneke Jans Bogardus family," by Thomas B. Wikoff (pages 4-5, with an error in the lineage on page 5. Once again a reminder to use information regarding Anneke Jans with caution. It's value mostly lies in it's use as an example of how false and incorrect information is passed on). A biography of Jacob Brower from "A History of the Church of the Brethren in Southern Iowa," 1924, with a lineage (pages 6-9). Mentions of other persons named Brower in "A History of the Church of the Brethren in Southern Iowa" (pages 9-10). A lineage from a John Brower, b. 28 May 1834, d. 17 June 1920, wife not known, who had four children, two of whom were born in Amsterdam, Holland (page 10). Queries: John Henry Brower, son of Jacob Mott Brower of Mt. Kisco, New York; Mary Brower, b. 1 Oct 1728, married Jan Willemse, 10 Jan 1745; Annie G. Hastings, b. 21 March 1855, Ohio, married Jacob J. Brower, 2 April 1874; a request for the "Eichenberg Genealogy"; Christian Brower, b. 5 September 1792, d. 28 February 1851, married 1st Susan/Susannah Wine, 2nd Sallie Miller (all on page 11). Queries on page 12: Parents of Abraham V. Brewer, b. 19 April 1791, Mercer Co., Kentucky, married 1st Anna Cozine, 2nd Delilah Rice; Parents of Susannah Brewer/Brower, b. 22 March 1808, Ohio, d. 9 January 1880, Henry Co., Indiana, married George Moyer/Myers.

No. 4, January 1982 (29 pages): Lineage of John Martin Brower (page 1, a descendant of Adam Brouwer. The lineage published here is incomplete, it has since been completed in part by the aid of Y-DNA testing, see the line for #252546 here). A lineage for a Brower family from Friesland who immigrated in the late 1800s (pages 1-2). Lineage of Benjamin Brower, 1881-1942, a descendant of Adam Brower and Charity Foust of Randolph Co., North Carolina (page 2). Lineage of Merle Seth Brower (page 3). Lineage of Orval Sheridan Brower, b. 14 March 1895 (page 3). Anneke Jans in Fact and Fiction (pages 4-22, with note that some page numbers are duplicated. This appears to be a verbatim copy of George Olin Zabriskie's article of this title which was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol. 104 [1973]: 65-72, 157-164, including footnotes. See the post of September 19, 2012). Query on page 23: Albert Brower, son Carl Brower married Elsie Bierly, had Stanley Blaine Brower, all of West Alexander, Ohio. A note that 41 Browers can be found in "History and Genealogy of the Peter Eikenbery Family" (page 23). Lineage of Rick Watson, a descendant of Hubert Brower (pages 23-24). A note from William B. Bogardus regarding his research on the descendants of Anneke Jans (pages 24-28).

As with previous volumes of The Brower Family Circle, please use caution with the information found in these issues. Follow up on leads with additional research and make an effort to verify all claims with actual documentation.

PDF version of this post

BGB 541 

More Anneke Jans

Here are four more resources for those interested in learning more about the actual facts surrounding the legend of Anneke Jans, followed by some useful advise.

"The Heirs of Anneke Jans vs. Trinity Church," by William J. Parry was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record in 1994 (Volume 125, nos. 2 & 3). It is the most thoroughly researched and comprehensive account of the actual events, claims and lawsuits that created the "legend" of Anneke Jans, ever published. It covers events from the early 1700s and into the 20th century.

A follow up article by the same author, "A Family Feud: The Anneke Jans Claimants in 1831," found in NYGBR vol. 126, no. 2 (April 1995), describes a lawsuit between heirs (or presumed heirs) over, basically, the lack of results from an attempted lawsuit. The article includes a list of claimants, that the author states "maybe useful in solving genealogical problems." The operative word here is "Maybe." Inheritance lawsuits often include the claimant's pedigrees. After all, they have to prove their descent from the individual who's fortune they are trying to claim. But simply because a claimant introduces a pedigree into evidence, or testifies to an ancestry, does not make it correct.

In light of what I just mentioned, here is a "List of Claimed Heirs" of "Sarah and Wolfert Webber and of Sybrant Bower (sic), son of Jacobus Brower." This group of fortune seekers organized themselves in 1873 for the purpose of making a claim on the estates of Sarah and Wolfert Webber, who they believed left an inheritance back in Amsterdam that was never claimed.

And finally there is "Ancient Estates" Heirship Documentation Available, by William B. Bogardus. It describes the availability of pedigree information submitted by claimants with regards to one of the Anneke Jans lawsuits of the 1900s, and how an interested researcher might go about accessing it. I've made this available primarily because of the cautionary note included in the fourth and fifth paragraphs. I would venture to say that no one on earth has spent as much time, energy and resources in researching the descendants of Anneke Jans as has William B. Bogardus. As these words of caution come from Bill, I believe that they carry a great deal of weight. Do not ignore them. They apply not just to the Anneke Jans lawsuits, but also to all lawsuits and trial testimony that involves the relating of a pedigree. I would add that the cautionary words also apply to pedigrees that are submitted to any one of the numerous genealogical based societies (D.A.R., Mayflower Descendants, etc.) that exist. In every case, especially for generations beyond the claimant's or applicant's grandparents, the pedigree must be verified with additional research. If the pedigree is accurate, then a researcher working today should be able to duplicate the pedigree using available vital records, church records, probate and land records.

The above documents are all a part of the William B. Bogardus Collection.

BGB 169

"Anneke Jans in Fact and Fiction"

The first truly sober account of Anneke Jans, devoid of fantastic claims, backed by scholarly research and realistic in it's description of Anneke Jans and her supposed inheritances, was written by George Olin Zabriskie, F.A.S.G. Titled, "Anneke Jans in Fact and Fiction," it was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record in 1973 (volume 104, pages 65-72 and 157-164).

The article briefly describes the property in lower Manhattan that so many "descendants" believed they had claim to. It carefully considers the actual records regarding Anneke Jans' first husband, Roeloff Jansen, to determine the family's correct origins, and provides the first published account of the actual baptisms of the couple's first three children, Lijntje, Sara and Trijntje. The identification of the parents of Anneke Jans' second husband, Dom. Everardus Bogardus, which simply follows a 1971-1972 article in de Halve Maen, however, is incorrect (see Willem Frijhoff, Fulfilling God's Mission; The Two Worlds of Domine Everardus Bogardus, 1607-1647 [2007] for a more plausible account of the Domine's old world family). The article then gives the first accurate, complete and modern genealogical summary of the family of Anneke Jans ever to be published. Following this there is a brief discussion of Anneke's mother, Tryntje Jonas, which includes a list of a few incorrect claims and assumptions regarding her descendants.

The article picks up in the next issue (volume 104, page 157) with an account of the family of Anneke Jans' sister, Marritje Jans, who was married three times, first to Thymes Jansen, second to Dirck Corneliszen and third to Govert Loockermans (one child by each husband). The focus is then turned to the Webber family and very clearly debunks the fantastic (even idiotic) notion that Anneke Jans was somehow a illegitimate daughter or granddaughter of William I, "the Silent," Prince of Orange, Stradtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Friesland (1544-1584), who was born in 1533. The article also clearly demonstrates that Anneke Jans was not a member of the Webber family in any way, and uses the church records of Amsterdam to reconstruct the inter-related Webber, Cocks, Wallis and Selyns families. (The Selyns/Selijns family is further expanded upon by Frans C. M. Gouverneur in "Dutch Origins of  Some Early Settlers and Allied Familes, part 7, Selijns, Specht," New Netherland Connections, volume 9 [2004], starting at page 89, with corrections in volume 14 [2009], page 67. "Part 6, Webber, Cock," of the same series by the same author is found in NNC vol. 9 [2004]. pp. 72-87. "The Family of Hendrick Cock of Amsterdam," by John Blythe Dobson, is found in NYGBR 142 [2011], pp. 107-116, 195-202). George O. Zabriskie concludes his article with the statement (regarding the disproved notion of a royal ancestry for Anneke Jans), "Predictably, those of extreme bias and ineptitude, while basking vicariously in 'fame and fortune' will refuse to accept this and all other evidence contrary to the legendary fairytale." Despite the fact that this article was first published thirty-nine years ago, you can still find "family trees" and other accounts online that claim Anneke Jans as a descendant of William "the Silent."

Anneke Jans in Fact and Fiction

BGB 166

"Two Anneke Jans Law-Suits"

As a continuation from the last post regarding published works on Anneke Jans, here is another, this one from The American Genealogist, vol. 24 (1948), pages 65-69.

In "Two Anneke Jans Law-Suits," by H. Minot Pitman, the author presents some genealogical data that was taken from the court records of two cases involving claims to the "Trinity Church Property," alleged to have been owned by Anneke Jans. The cases examined were filed in 1830 and 1834.

The first case, initially filed in 1830 by John Bogardus (1760-1832) and dismissed in 1847, includes a lineage of John Bogardus' descent from Anneke Jans. Testimony and depositions given by individuals regarding their family ancestry, and/or the composition of families, is sometimes used as a source by later genealogists. Many researchers make the mistake of assuming that testimony given before a court is always correct. This isn't so, and testimony and statements are particularly inaccurate when human memory is involved. In this case, filed by John Bogardus in 1830, is an example of an incorrect (in this case an incomplete) claim. The lineage from Anneke Jans to John Bogardus, as filed in the court records, is missing a generation. Here is the correct lineage from Anneke Jans for John Bogardus. Recreate the lineage as stated in the record (as presented on pages 65-66) and you will find the missing generation.

The second case presented is from 1834, Jonas Humbert et al, vs. Trinity Church. In this case, which involves a line of descent through the Bayard family of New York City, the lineage is correct. It's a bit confusing as multiple Samuel and Peter Bayards are mentioned, but once put together and checked against other records (baptism, marriage and probate records) it can be summarized as follows: Samuel Bayard (1706-1784) Descent from Anneke Jans. 

I approached both of these cases by first writing out the lineages as claimed in the cases, and then looked to confirm each generation using available church, probate and other (in the case of John Bogardus, a Bible record published in the NYGBR in 1953). This is the approach I would recommend to anyone who encounters in their research, a lineage that may appear at quick glance to have some air of authority since it was presented in a court case, or used to secure a membership in an esteemed genealogical society (D.A.R. for example). And simply because a lineage is accepted, that acceptance does not mean that the stated lineage is absolutely accurate. Take the time to check the the claims against other records. If the lineage is correct, you should have no trouble recreating it from scratch.

(All of those mentioned above, and in the lineage charts, with source citations, will be available online with the next update of the Brouwer Genealogy Database. The copy of the article was scanned from a photocopy in the William B. Bogardus Collection. If you scroll down past Minot's article and past a segment on Austin's Rhode Island Genealogies, you will come to a follow-up article titled, "Anneke Jans Descendants," by Lewis Neff).

BGB 164

"Anneke Jans Bogardus and Her Farm"

An article titled, "Anneke Jans Bogardus and Her Farm," appeared in Harper's Weekly in May 1885 (Vol. 70, issue 420). The author is not stated. The copy being made available here is from the William B. Bogardus Collection. It is simply being offered as an example of Gilded Age writing regarding the subject of Anneke Jans and the claims of her descendants. As you will no doubt notice, some literary license is taken with the embellishment of her status and with some specific events and descriptions of her life. For a more accurate and realistic interpretation of just who Anneke Jans was, I would recommend the account found in Prof. Willem Frijhoff's, Fulfilling God's Mission; The Two Worlds of Domine Everardus Bogardus, 1607-1647 (Leiden & Boston: Brill, 2007). See the section titled, "Anneke Jans Story."

Anneke Jans Bogardus of course is a very familiar figure to many people researching their Brouwer, Brower and Brewer ancestry. Unfortunately, because of the false legends surrounding her life, regarding both her ancestry and estate, she has become a pivot point of sorts for numerous false lines of descent, many of which pass through her granddaughter Annetje Bogardus and her husband, Jacob Brouwer (a son of Adam Brouwer & Magdalena Verdon). There will be more on specific incorrect, and correct lines in future posts.

Anneke Jans Bogardus and Her Farm

The article is also available on line at Cornell University's Making of America website.

Fulfilling God's Mission; The Two Worlds of Domine Everardus Bogardus, 1607-1647, at Google Books.

BGB 163