Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Rensselaer Brewer

Rensselaer Brewer was born 5 November 1820, certainly at Highgate, Vermont, and died 16 November 1897 at Boas, Richland Co., Wisconsin. The dates are from his certificate of death which names his parents as Peter Brewer and Hannah Sandborn.* It is Rensselaer's death record that is our source for the surname of his mother Hannah. Unfortunately the name of the informant is not included on the record. Therefore, we do not know how to gauge the accuracy of the statement regarding Hannah's maiden name.

Rensselaer Brewer was married to Phebe Honsinger on 1 September 1845 at Swanton, Franklin Co., Vermont. Phebe, born 20 December 1823, was a daughter of Michael Honsinger and Anna Dowel. She died on 30 April 1914 at Richland Center, Wisconsin. Rensselaer and Phebe had five known children.

In 1850, Rensselaer is found on the U. S. Federal census at Swanton, Vermont, age 30. In the household are Phebe Brewer (who would be his wife) and Richard Brewer (who would be a son, although we must remember that relationships were not specifically stated on the 1850 census). Rensselaer is enumerated as "Ranscher" Brewer, an example of only one of the numerous ways the spelling of his given name was mangled by those recording various records. Previous to 1850, Rensselaer and Phebe had two daughters, Samantha who died at age 16 months in 1848 and Josephine who died at about three weeks in 1849.

Soon after 1850 Rensselaer moved his family west to Wisconsin where so many others from northern Vermont had moved to. "Rensellen" Brewer is found on the 1860 U. S. census at Marshall, Richland Co., Wisconsin. His age is given as 40 years. On the census Phebe is recorded as age 38, Richard Brewer is age 10, and Lillie Brewer is age 8. All were born in Vermont.

In April 1843, Rensselaer Brewer bought two parcels of land in Highgate, Vermont from Peter Brewer. In March of 1844 he sold the same two parcels to Schuyler Brewer. In December 1844 Schuyler sold the same land back to Rensselaer, and in October 1847, Rensselaer Brewer of Swanton bought a parcel in Highgate from Jacob Brewer of Highgate.

During the Civil War, Rensselaer apparently served as a private with the 12th Wisconsin Infantry, Company I.

Three children of Rensselaer and Phebe Brewer lived into adulthood. Richard and Lillie are mentioned above. The third child, Michael, is first seen on the 1870 U. S. census at Dayton, Richland Co.,Wisconsin, where Rensselaer and his family is enumerated. Michael E. Brewer was born 24 March 1866 and was no doubt named for his maternal grandfather, Michael Honsinger. He was married to Catharine Templemire in Richland County on 17 November 1888. The couple is found in Richland County through the 1910 U. S. census. They had one known child, Hazel Phebe Brewer, who was born 4 June 1894. Catharine died in 1917, and in 1920, Michael is found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, his age understated as 49, employed as a meat packer. In his household is his daughter Hazel P. Chase, and her husband, Fred Chase. Michael died in August of 1936 in Oklahoma City. To date, Hazel P. (Brewer) Chase is the only known grandchild of Rensselaer Brewer and Phebe Honsinger. Hazel had a daughter, Waunetta J. Chase, born in 1920.

Rensselaer's daughter, Lillie Brewer, was born 19 January 1852 in Franklin County, Vermont. She came to Wisconsin with her family and on 20 March 1870 was married to Benjamin Baxter at Sylvan, Richland County. They were apparently divorced soon afterwards. The 1910 census describes Lillie's marital status as divorced, and she is enumerated on that census as Lillie S. Brewer at Richland Center, Wisconsin. In 1880 she was enumerated as Lilly Baxter, a niece in the household of  P. C. (sic) and Lucy Brewer (Peter Earl Brewer and Lucy Edson). In 1900, as Lilly Brewer, "widow," she is enumerated with her mother, "Febe" Brewer in Dayton, Richland Co., Wisconsin. In 1920 she is found in Oklahoma City, and in 1930 at Hemet, Riverside Co., California. Lillie Brewer died on 21 Dec 1931 in Hemet, Riverside Co., California. Evidence of children or descendants has not been found.

Rensselaer and Phebe Brewer's eldest son, Richard "Dick" Brewer, has one of the more unexpected stories of any descendant of Adam Brouwer I have yet to come across. Richard was born 19 February 1850 at St. Albans (or possibly Swanton), Vermont. He went to Wisconsin as a child with his parents and sister Lillie. As the story has been told (both in published accounts and in correspondence with descendants of related lines) as a young man in Richland County, Richard Brewer fell in love with a woman who instead chose to marry one of his Brewer cousins. Heart broken, he immediately left Wisconsin, and in 1870, age 19, Richard Brewer is found in Marion, Jasper Co., Missouri, working on the farm of John Schooler (age 31, with a family). Soon after, he went to the New Mexico Territory and found work as a ranch hand in Lincoln County. From this point on, the life story of "Dick" Brewer has been told and written about, most notably by the well regarded Lincoln County historian, Frederick Nolan. In time Dick Brewer became a ranch owner himself, and in 1878 found himself in the middle of what is known as the Lincoln County War, which essentially was a feud between larger rival ranch owners that was settled with violence. In February 1878, John Tunstall, an Englishman, one of the larger ranch owners and a friend of Dick Brewer, was murdered by members of the Jesse Evans Gang who were under the sphere of another ranch owner, John Dolan. Dick Brewer was chosen to organize a posse, who called themselves the Regulators, to hunt down and capture the alleged murders. Among those in the posse was a young man, perhaps only 16 years old, who would become famous as "Billy the Kid," but at the time was known by the name of Henry Antrim**. The Regulators were in essence, Billy the Kid's first "gang," and Dick Brewer was his first, "gang leader." Things went wrong from the start for the Regulators, and the posse turned from being a group whose intent was to capture known murders to a gang of murders themselves. In April 1878, there was an encounter at Blazer's Mill in which the Regulators surrounded Andrew "Buckshot" Roberts who holed himself up in one of the buildings. During the ensuing gunfight, Dick Brewer was shot in the eye and killed by Roberts, who was in turn shot dead by Brewer's posse. A first hand account of John Patten (interviewed many years later) states that the two (Brewer and Roberts) were buried together in one coffin at Blazer's Mill. This was only the beginning of the Lincoln County War, and later events would supply the stories that would make legends out of Billy the Kid and some of the other participants. The period would be written about extensively and movies would be made. In the 1988 movie, The Young Guns, the part of Dick Brewer was played by the actor Charlie Sheen. Dick Brewer had just recently turned 28 at the the time he was killed. He was never married and left no known descendants.

Richard "Dick" Brewer

*The record of Rensselaer's death can be obtained through the Wisconsin Historical Society website. You will need to use their Genealogy search tools, specifically the Wisconsin Genealogy Index. Here they have Rensselaer indexed as "Reneilaer Brewer" and list his death date as November 16, 1892 (which is in conflict with the year 1897 as recorded on the actual record). The photocopy of the record that will be sent to you (should you choose to buy it) will be stamped, "Uncertified copy. Not valid for certification purposes. It is illegal to make this document available to the public in electronic format."

**The current belief is that Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty, or William Henry McCarty, and went by the name of Henry Antrim, the surname being that of his stepfather, when he first came to Lincoln County. He was also known as William H. Bonney, which apparently was an alias he used during the peek of his notoriety. The name, Bonney, has been suggested as his mother's maiden name. His mother's name was Catharine, and she is usually referred to as Catharine McCarty. The identity of Billy the Kid's natural father is not certain.

See the Brouwer Genealogy Database website for source citations to vital data. Rensselaer Brewer and his family is also online at Ancestry.com.

A photo of the building in which "Buckshot" Roberts was cornered can be found online, placed there on the R.E.H. Two-Gun Raconteur website.

A list of Frederick Nolan's work can be found on his Wikipedia page. As you can see he is a rather prolific author who has written in a number of genres, on various subjects and under pen names. Recommended are The West of Billy the Kid (1999) and The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History (2009).

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: George G. Brewer

George G. Brewer was born about 1809, most certainly at Highgate, Vermont. His middle name was Gardner and he can be found in records as "Gardner G. Brewer." A descendant of George G. Brewer has participated in the Brewer DNA Project and the results of his Y-DNA test match those of other descendants of Adam Brouwer and more closely, those of Nicholas Brouwer (son of Adam) and Jeremiah Brower of Highgate, Vermont (presumed grandson of Nicholas Brouwer). As he was born "too late" to be a child of Jeremiah Brower, George G. Brewer is placed in the family of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn. It is conceivable that George G. Brewer could be a son of one of Peter Brewer's brothers, however, since these families all appear to have removed themselves from the Highgate, Vermont area during the earlier part of the 1800s, it seems prudent to consider George as more likely a son of Peter.

On 25 May 1843, G. G. Brewer was one of the witnesses to a deed by which Peter Brewer of Highgate, Vermont conveyed land in Highgate to Schuyler Brewer of Highgate, Vermont. The other witness was Jacob Brewer, who was called "J. P." (Justice of the Peace).

On the 1850 U. S. Federal census, George Brewer, age 41, born in Vermont, is enumerated at Berkshire, Franklin Co., Vermont with Charlotte Brewer (age 41), Mary Brewer (17), Conrad Brewer (12), Hannah Brewer (12), Peter Brewer (8), Allen Brewer (4), Albert Brewer (4) and Charlotte E. Brewer (1). John G. Brewer is enumerated on the same census sheet, but it is not likely that he was George G. Brewer's father. John G. Brewer was a brother of Peter Brewer, and was born in 1792. His own son named George was born in 1818. Berkshire, Vermont is the second town east of Highgate (the town of Franklin is between them) and also boarders Canada.

George G. Brewer was married to Charlotte Barr who was born about 1809 in Vermont, and probably at Highgate. No record of their marriage has been found but it appears that they were married around, or just before 1830. A son, Sebastian Brewer, who appears to be the eldest child, was born about 1830. Charlotte was most likely the daughter of Conrad Barr and his wife Elizabeth Weaver. I have not researched the Barr family thoroughly enough to state this with certainty, but the fact that George and Charlotte named a son Conrad, is highly suggestive that Charlotte had a father (or brother) named Conrad. We know that George did not, and the given name Conrad is extremely rare among the descendants of Adam Brouwer. As of this writing, I know of no other descendants of Adam Brouwer, named, Conrad. The Barr family came to the Highgate, Vermont area from New York's Hudson Valley just after the American Revolution. The family was apparently among the German immigrants from the Palatinate who came to the Hudson Valley during the mid 1700s. Charlotte died in 1860 and is buried in Richland Center Cemetery, Richland County, Vermont.

Sometime between 1850 and 1860 George G. Brewer moved his family from northern Vermont to Richland County, Wisconsin. He was one of many heads of households to abandon the crowding and less fertile conditions of northern New England for the wider spaces and better farming lands available in the Midwest. George remained at Richland for the rest of his life and died there on 13 July 1886. He is buried in the Richland Center Cemetery.

It is believed that George and Charlotte had eleven children. Although I have not been able to find evidence for a claimed son named Jeremiah, born about 1831, or for a son named John, born about 1835. My initial information on George G. Brewer and his descendants comes from Karen Brewer Sims who did the initial research. Some of her sources, however, were second hand accounts prepared by others. Most of Karen's work is certainly correct and reliable, but the two sons, Jeremiah and John, do need to be vetted further. George and Charlotte's descendants did remain in Richland, Wisconsin well into the 20th century. As mentioned above, a descendant, through George's son Albert, has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. As my own work on researching George's descendants is limited, and rather than go through them individually here, I will simply provide a Family Group sheet with source citations, and a link to what research I have located for his descendants on Ancestry.com. Details can also be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Daughters Samantha, Martha and Rozilla

Among the ten presumed children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn of Highgate, Vermont are three daughters, Samantha, Martha and Rozilla. Little is known of the three and two did not marry. As a consequence it was decided to cover them in one brief post.

The eldest of the three, Samantha, was born about 1807, certainly in Highgate, Vermont. She is found on the 1850 census as "Samontha Bruer," age 43, born in Vermont, enumerated at Swanton, Franklin Co., Vermont in the household of Richard Moore, aged 57, a farmer. Also in the household is one Clarenda Stevens, age 19, possibly a sister (or relation) of Cynthia Perlina Stevens, the wife of Schuyler Brewer, and sister-in-law of Samantha. Relationships between members of a household and the head were not recorded in 1850, and no occupation is recorded for Samantha. She died 25 June 1861 and is buried besides Peter and Hannah Brewer on the family property in Highgate, thus the presumption that she was a daughter of Peter and Hannah. No evidence has been found for a marriage or children.

Martha Brewer is stated to have been born 7 January 1815 at Highgate, and died 20 October 1875 at St. Armand, Brome County, Quebec, Canada (just north of the boarder from Highgate, Vermont). The vital dates given here are from the research of others and I have not been able to confirm them with independent records. By 1838, Martha was married to John J. Reynolds who was born about 1813 in Canada (probably just north of the boarder with Vermont). The couple is found on the 1850 census at Highgate, Vermont, with Martha aged 35, John Reynolds, age 37, a farmer, and (presumed) children Martha M. Reynolds, age 12; Mary R. Reynolds, age 8; John W. Reynolds, age 6; and Phebe S. Reynolds, age 5. All four are stated as born in Vermont. The household is enumerated next to Jacob Brewer (recorded as Jacob Bruer). In 1861 the family is found at Missisquoi, Canada East (1861 Census of Canada). John is recorded as "P. Reynolds," but the other members of the household, wife Martha, and three children, Mary, John and Phebe, confirm that this is the correct family. The oldest daughter, Martha, had married Otis C. Freeman about 1857 and were also enumerated at Missisquoi. In 1871, Martha, but not her husband, is found on the census of Canada at St. Armand East, Missisquoi, Quebec, Canada, in the household of her son-in-law and daughter, Otis and Martha Freeman. Two sons have been found for Martha M. Reynolds and her husband, Otis Freeman. Hubert Freeman was born about 1862 and Warren Freeman about 1871. In 1901, Martha (Reynolds) Freeman, as a widow, is found at St. Armand. The family has not been traced any further, and marriages for the remaining three children of Martha (Brewer) Reynolds, Mary, John and Phebe Reynolds, have not yet been found. Sources for this additional data, which supersedes the current edition of the Brouwer Genealogy Database, can be found on Ancestry.com at Martha Brewer.

The youngest daughter of Peter and Hannah Brewer was Rozilla V. Brewer, born about 1818, most certainly at Highgate. She is known only from an account of her burial. Rozilla died 21 August 1841, age 23 years, and his buried at Highgate. An early transcription of her gravestone records, "Rozilla V. Brewer, daughter of Peter & Hannah Brewer." There is no evidence that she married or left children.

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Thomas Brewer

Thomas Brewer, born about 1817 in Vermont (age 33 in 1850), is probably a son of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn. Thomas is recorded as Thomas G. Bruer on the 1850 U. S. Federal census at Highgate, Franklin County, Vermont. He is a farmer and is enumerated as the head of household no. 460, immediately following Schuyler Brewer who is the head of family no. 459.

Other then U. S. census records no other records have been found concerning Thomas Brewer. His wife was named Jane, and the research of others has stated that her name was Jane E. Hardy. I have been unable to confirm this with an independent record. No record of marriage has been located. Jane is aged 33, born in Vermont on the 1850 census; age 43, born in New York on the 1860 census; age 55, born in New York on the 1870 census; and age 65, born in New York on the 1880 census. The household of Thomas Brewer is found in 1860 at St. Albans, Franklin Co., Vermont. In 1870 they are back in Highgate, and in 1880 the family is in Newport, Orleans Co., Vermont. Orleans County is the county immediately east of Franklin County and borders Canada as well. The 1880 census is the last record thus far located for Thomas Brewer.

Two children have been identified. A son, George M. Brewer, was born in November 1849 (1900 U. S. census) and his found on the census records with his parents in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. On the last his relationship to Thomas Brewer (the head of household) is stated to be son. George M. Brewer was married to Elmira H. (or A.) Cane on 25 March 1885 at Newport, Vermont. They are found on the 1900 census at Hooksett, Merrimack Co., New Hampshire with son Orlando Brewer, age 14. In 1910 they are at Manchester, Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire. The household includes son, Charles O. Brewer, age 24. George and Elmira appear to have had just one child. The 1900 census records George's wife as Harriet E. Brewer, and records that she has had one child. She was age 39, born in April 1861 in Vermont. The birth record of her son records her as Elmira H. Dwire. The son, Charles Orlando Brewer, was born 26 March 1886 at Charleston, Orleans Co., Vermont. The record of his birth is recorded in the Vermont vital records. He was married to Mabel A. Partridge on 31 March 1915 at Newport, Vermont (Vermont Vital Records). Charles O. Brewer died 22 July 1956 in Placer Co., California. It is not known if they had children. Neither George M. Brewer nor his wife, Elmira, have yet been located after 1910.

The second child of Thomas Brewer and his wife Jane, was a daughter, Sarah R. Brewer, born about 1853 in Vermont (age 7 in 1860). The 1900 census states that she was born in September 1852. Sarah was married twice. On 26 December 1877, at Derby, Orleans Co., Vermont, she was married to Orlando Griffin. They had one child, Laura Griffin, born in 1883. The 1900 census records that she had one child (that being Laura, age 17). Orlando Griffin died 22 September 1912 at Derby, Vermont, and on 9 April 1913, Sarah married Levi O. Corliss at St. Albans, Vermont. Sarah died on 28 December 1914 at Derby, Vermont. Her daughter, Laura Griffin, has not been researched any further.

Source citations for Thomas Brewer and his descendants can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, and at Ancestry.com (see Thomas Brewer).

Additional, verifiable information on Thomas Brewer is welcomed.

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Peter Earl Brewer

Peter Earl Brewer is a presumed son of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn of Highgate, Vermont. As with his siblings, no record of birth has been found for Peter. He was born about 1810. The U. S. census records for the years 1850 and onward consistently record his age as 40 in 1850, 50 in 1860, 59 in 1870 and 70 in 1880. All of the records state his place of birth as Vermont.  Peter E. Brewer died on 17 February 1894 in Richland Co., Wisconsin. His death is registered with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and can be found in the Wisconsin Death Index.

Peter Earl Brewer married prior to 1843, Lucy Edson. She was born about 1815 in Vermont. I have not made an attempt to trace her ancestry. In 1850 Peter and Lucy are found on the census at Highgate, Vermont, with their surname recorded as Bruer, and in the household are sons (although not specified as such on the census) Henry, age 6, Peter, age 4, and Lowren (Loren) age 1. Also in the household is Eliza Edson, age 17.

By 1855, Peter had moved his family to Richland County, Wisconsin, where he is found on the state census of that year. He remained at Richland Center, Richland County, Wisconsin for the remainder of his life and as mentioned above, can be located on the U. S. census there in each of the years 1860, 1870, and 1880. Peter is buried in the Richland Center Cemetery. Lucy Edson, who died 6 April 1884, is buried there as well.

Peter and Lucy had seven known children, all of who appear with them on various census records. They were born between 1843 and 1861, and all but the youngest two were born in Vermont. All seven married and children and descendants have been found for five of Peter and Lucy's children.

The eldest child, Henry Brewer, was born about 1843, presumably at Highgate, Vermont, and was married to Matilda Davis on 9 March 1874 at Sylvan Twp., Richland Co., Wisconsin. Henry and Matilda had two children, William Seth Brewer (married Lillie B. Conkle and had four children), and Nina Jane Brewer (married Ransom L. Johnston and had five children). Henry Brewer died at a relatively young age in 1885. His wife, Matilda, outlived him by fifty years (died in 1935) but never remarried and remained in Richland County.

The second child, Peter Sylvester Brewer, was born in Vermont on 28 January 1847 and died at Freeport, Stephenson Co., Illinois on 9 March 1929. He was married to Anna Rebecca Rodefer (1847-1928) on 12 August 1869 in Richland County, Wisconsin. The couple is found in Richland County through 1905, and in 1910 are at Monroe, Green Co., Wisconsin and in 1920 are living in Dubuque, Iowa. The couple had five sons born between 1870 and 1884. A descendant has recently joined the Brewer DNA Project and we are awaiting the results of his Y-DNA test.

Loren Edson Brewer was born 16 April 1849 in Vermont. He was married to Hannah Dorgan on 2 June 1874 in Richland County, Wisconsin. Loren E. Brewer died 20 November 1932 in Richland County. Hannah Dorgan, who was born in 1857, died on 1 August 1941 in Richland County. The couple is believed to have had three children, two of who are known by name. Daughter Katherine, born about 1877, was married to John Eugene Wallace. Son Francis Leo, born 7 April 1888, was married to Mary Margaret Kelly. On the 1900 U. S. census, Hannah is stated to have had three children with two of them currently living. Both Katherine and Francis Leo had children.

Heber Brewer, also recorded as Heber R. Brewer and as Michael H. Brewer, was born 8 August 1851 in Vermont and died 17 March 1934. He is buried at Richland Center, Wisconsin. Heber was married to Maria Dorgan (1851-1938) on 30 October 1875. Maria was a sister of Hannah Dorgan, the wife of Heber's brother Loren. Heber and Maria had four children, two daughters (Josephine and Lucy) and two sons (Jeremiah Gregory and William Jennings Bryan) and lived most of their life in Richland Center, Wisconsin. The 1910 census, however, finds them at Black Earth, Dane Co., Wisconsin, and although they are back at Richland in 1920, in 1930 they are in Madison, Wisconsin. All four children were married and descendants have been found for all except son William J. B. Brewer.

Eliza Lillie Brewer was born about 1854 in Vermont. She was married to Lewis Richardson on 5 April 1874 in Richland County, Wisconsin. The couple had three known children and are found on the 1880 census in Richland County. The family has not yet been found on the 1900 U. S. census, and dates or places of death have not been discovered for either Eliza or her husband.

Lydia H. Brewer was born in November 1858 in Wisconsin (1900 census). She was married to David H. Blakeman on 11 January 1880 at Richland Center, Wisconsin. The couple had two daughters, Ida M. Blakeman (b. Dec 1880, m. Thomas Peterson) and Idonia Blakeman (b. 6 June 1884, m. William J. Stewart/Steward). Lydia can be found in Richland Center through 1920, and in 1930 is in Lyle, Mower Co., Minnesota in the household of her daughter, Ida Peterson. Both are widows. David Blakeman had died in 1926 in Mower County, Minnesota. A date of death has not been found for Lydia.

Ellen S. Brewer was born 5 February 1861 at Richland Center, Wisconsin. She died 15 October 1923 at Richland Center and is believed to have been married twice. Her first husband was David Davis who was deceased by 1891. No marriage record has been located. Ellen was married in September 1901 to Hans H. Lien who was born in Norway in 1864, and lived until 1945. No children have been found by either husband.

Some details and source citations for Peter Earl Brewer and Lucy Edson, and their descendants can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. I have, however, recently researched the descendants further using Ancestry.com, and much more info on descendants can be found below Peter E. Brewer at the tree created at Ancestry.com (See Peter E. Brewer).

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Sylvester Brewer

Sylvester Brewer, born 12 August 1804 at Highgate, Vermont, is believed to be a son of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn. The date and place is from the History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, page 639, which does not state the names of his parents. Sylvester Brewer's death certificate in Wisconsin gives his date of death as 18 or 19 December 1879, age 75, but then records his date of birth as 12 August 1819, the year clearly being incorrect and inconsistent with his age at death. The place of his birth and names of parents is not stated. He died in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. It is possible that Sylvester is a son of one of Peter Brewer's brothers, such as Jacob Brewer. But since few records can be found to substantiate Jacob Brewer's family, and since Sylvester did name a son, Peter, we place Sylvester as a probable son of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn pending the appearance of any evidence to the contrary.

Sylvester Brewer was married twice and may have had as many as thirteen children between his two wives. He lived at Highgate, Vermont, in Pennsylvania, in Trumbull Co., Ohio, and finally at Jefferson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jefferson, Wisconsin.

Sylvester Brewer is found on the 1830 census at Highgate, Vermont, with a household of 1 male under age 5, 1 male age 10-15, 1 male 20-30 (himself), 1 female 10-15, 1 female 20-30, and 1 female 60-70. The two children aged 10-15 illustrate the difficultly in working with the earlier census records in which only the head of household is named. The ages given tell us that these two children were born between 1815 and 1820. Sylvester himself, born in 1804, was only sixteen in 1820, and therefore these two children cannot be his.

Sylvester's first wife was Elizabeth Armstrong, and according to the above mentioned History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, which was published in 1879, the year of Sylvester's death, they had four children: Alphonso, Franklin, Horatio and Elizabeth, with Alphonso and Horatio deceased prior to 1879. Sylvester probably provided this information to the publisher himself, although some of it has been difficult to confirm through other records. Missing from this biography is Sylvester and Elizabeth's first child, a son named Sidney Howard Brewer who is buried in Highgate, Vermont with the inscription: "This Lonley Babe so Young & Fair / Cut Off By Early Doom / Just Come to Shew, How Sweet a Flower / In Paradise Would Bloom" son of Sylvester and Elizabeth Brewer, "who departed this life August 10th 1831 aged 17 months and 4 days." (McLellan Cemetery Records  for Franklin Co.. Vermont Historical Society, Barre, Vermont).

Of the four children mentioned, Franklin and Horatio Brewer can be traced. Neither Alphonso or Elizabeth are recorded with Sylvester's family on the 1850 census (at Jefferson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin), nor has any other record, that can be attributed to either one, been identified. We accept their existence based upon the account found in the History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin (1879) and have to assume that they were born some time between 1832 and 1842, and either died at a young age, or left home as teenagers.

The son Franklin, is found almost exclusively in later records as Frank B. Brewer, with one source stating his name as Frank Bradley Brewer. As mentioned in the biography of Sylvester Brewer, he was a physician, apparently the first of many among the descendants of Sylvester Brewer. Frank B. Brewer was born on 6 August 1831, most probably at Highgate, Vermont. In 1850 he is found as a single man in Fountain Prairie, Columbia Co., Wisconsin, enumerated in the household of Marvin Sturges, a farmer. No occupation is recorded for Frank. Probably in 1860, he married Josephine Miner, who was only sixteen at the time. She was born in New York, probably in Cayuga County (central New York, Finger Lakes region), a daughter of James and Arminda Miner. Frank and Josephine lived at Hebron, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Fairbury, Livingston Co., Illinois; and Evanston, Illinois. They had two sons, Frank Miner Brewer (1864-1911) and Clyde S. Brewer (1874-1925), both of who were physicians, were married and have descendants. Numerous members of the these families are buried at Hebron Cemetery in Hebron, Wisconsin. Frank B. Brewer died 12 May 1908, and Josephine died 25 January 1925.

Horatio Brewer, according to census records, was born about 1836 in Pennsylvania. He served during the Civil War as a private in Company E, Wisconsin 28th Infantry, from 15 August 1862 to 8 June 1865. He was married to Submit Lockwood, lived in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, had two children, and died 8 April 1869. His children were Irene M. Brewer, born Nov 1859, married John H. Wait and relocated to Portland, Oregon, and Robert C. Brewer, born about 1862, married Carrie Quick and lived at Fort Atkinson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin. Horatio's wife, Submit Lockwood, later married Charles J. Collier in Wisconsin and was living in 1900 in Portland, Oregon.

Sylvester Brewer has not yet been located on the 1840 U. S. census. However, he did marry his second wife, Sarah Hake, on 7 May 1840 in Trumbull County, Ohio. There are a number of Hake heads of households found in Trumbull Co. in 1840, and perhaps Sylvester and his new wife are included within one of those families. Sylvester and Sarah (Hake) Brewer had eight children, and the dates of their birth are given in the History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin (1879), page 639. From at least 1850 onward, Sylvester and Sarah lived at Jefferson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin.

Of the eight children of Sylvester and Sarah, only daughter Leah did not marry. She was born in 1841 and died in 1868.

Of the remaining seven children, son Daniel (1843-1933) married first Rosetta C. Smith, from whom he was divorced. He married second, Lottie Jean Rogers, and they had one daughter, Bethel R. Brewer who married Andrew Bertrum Claudon. Daniel was a physician and lived at Fairbury, Livingston Co., Illinois.

Margetta Brewer, who's name also is recorded as Maryette and Marietta, was born in 1843, according to her Wisconsin death certificate, or in 1845, according to the biography in History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin. She died in 1907. Margetta was first married to Fredrick Gustave Weber (or Webber) and they had four or five children. In 1870, the couple is enumerated in the household of her father, Sylvester Brewer, at Jefferson, Wisconsin. With them are two sons, William, age 2, and Arthur, age 1. Their surname is spelled WEBBER, and her husband is recorded as Gustavus Webber. In 1880, Fredrick G. Weber and Margett Weber are found in Chicago, Illinois with daughters Edith and Mary Weber, ages 8 and 4 respectively. In the same year, the sons William and Arthur are recorded as William BREWER and Orlow BREWER, and are enumerated in the household of the widow Sarah (Hake) Brewer in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Fredrick G. Weber may have died during the decade of the 1880s, and in 1891 she married, as Mariett Weber, Thomas Spry, who was a widower and about 20 years her senior. In 1900 they are found at Koshkonong, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin and in the household are her daughters, Edith Barton, called a widow, and Mary Webber, single, age given as 17. In 1905, as Maryetta Spry, divorced, she is the head of household at Fort Atkinson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin, with daughters Edith BREWER, age 34, and Mary W. BREWER, age 22. The sisters, Edith and Mary, apparently lived together for the remainder of their lives and are found together on the census records of 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 in either Fort Atkinson or Koshonong, Wisconsin. Curriously, Edith is always called Edith BREWER, while Mary is Mary WEBBER. Mary died in 1940 and Edith in 1946. As mentioned, the sonWilliam Webber, died in 1923 at San Antonio, Texas. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Whether or not he married has not yet been discovered. The son Arthur, or Orlow, Webber, was married to Mary Alice McLean, usually referred to as simply, Alice, on the census. They were at Chicago, Illinois in 1900, at Goldfield, Esmeralda Co., Nevada in 1910, and back in Chicago in 1920. One daughter, Hester Lilly Webber, was born on 18 March 1902 in Cook Co., Illinois. There is a badly worn gravemarker in Evergreen Cemetery, for which a submitter to Find-A-Grave posted the deceased as "Orion O. Brewer, 1869-1903." This may be Arthur/Orlow's grave, though he was clearly alive in 1920. A bit more research, and a look at the records of the cemetery, is needed here. I suspect that Margetta had two daughters named Mary. One appears on the 1880 census age 4, and she probably died young, as all records pertaining found later pertaining to Mary Webber, point to her being born in 1883.

Peter Brewer (1846-1938) was born in Ohio, lived at Jefferson, Wisconsin, and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. He married Louise Pfiefer (1855-1934) in 1883. They had one daughter, Hazel Lulu Brewer, born 12 June 1889 at Jefferson, Wisconsin. She was married to John Paul Shultis (Schultis, Shultes, etc.) about 1912, and they had five daughters born between 1913 and 1924 (Viola, Mabel, Bernice, Ruth and June). Hazel Lulu and John Paul were divorced by 1930. She lived at Jefferson, Wisconsin and died there in 1976. John Paul Shultis registered for the draft in 1942, while living at Josephine, Oregon.

Sylvester H. Brewer (1852-1937) also lived his entire life at Jefferson, Wisconsin. He married Margarith Pfiefer (1858-1937) in 1879. Their one child, a daughter, Mary Brewer, was born 26 July 1886 at Jefferson. She married Raymond Jung (also spelled YOUNG) in 1905. He was born in 1884 and died in 1960. Mary died in 1983 and they lived at Jefferson, and had four children, Malvin/Melvin, Floyd, Wesley and Josephine.

Sarah Brewer, born 10 January 1853, was married to Elias J. Hayner on 13 October 1885 in Jefferson County. He died on 1 May 1896 in Rock Co., Wisconsin. I have been unable to locate Sarah after her marriage, and I have not found any children.

Cynthia Brewer (1855-1944) was married in 1879 to James W. Roe. They lived at Koshkonong, Wisconsin and had eight children, Arminda, Roy, Elias, Leonard, Jessie, Charles, Sidney, and James B. Marriages have been found for Arminda (to Bert Cunitz) and Leonard (to Christine Lemke), and there appear to be marriages for a few of the others.

Jay B. Brewer, born 13 January 1859, was married twice. First to Mary E. Koss in 1881, and they had two children. She died in 1906, and about 1908, Jay Brewer married Cora Ludemann. Jay B. Brewer was a physician and surgeon, and lived at Jefferson, Wisconsin. Further info on his daughter, Maude E. Brewer, born in 1884, has not been found after the 1900 census. His son Jay Claude Brewer (1889-1966) was also a physician and was married to Beulah Clark about 1924 (no children found). Jay B. Brewer died on 13 April 1932 from injuries sustained in a automobile crash in 1931. His second wife died in 1955. Jay Claude Brewer and his wife Beulah, were both killed in a car crash on 11 September 1966.

A good deal of the records and information gathered on the descendants of Sylvester Brewer and his two wives was gathered through the use of Ancestry.com. You are welcome to toggle through his descendants there (Sylvester Brewer). Additional info has been added to the Brouwer Genealogy Database which was updated yesterday.

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Schuyler Brewer

Schuyler Brewer was the sixth child and fifth son of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn. He was born on 9 February 1813 at Highgate, Vermont. The date is from his gravestone. There is no civil or church record of Schuyler's birth. In January of 1844 he was married to Cynthia Perlina Stevens, daughter of Nathan Stevens and Wealthy Basford. She was born 25 April 1821 in Lower Canada, most certainly in the Eastern Townships just north of Highgate. Schuyler Brewer and Cynthia Stevens are the great-grandparents of Ruth Catherine Brewer.

This photo of Schuyler Brewer and Cynthia Perlina Stevens is courtesy of Patrick Brewer, a descendant of Schuyler.

Schuyler and Cynthia (Stevens) Brewer of Highgate, VT

Schuyler Brewer lived his entire life in Highgate, Vermont, and is the only son of Peter Brewer to do so. He occupied the property previously owned by his father. Schuyler and Cynthia had ten children, all born at Highgate.
- Elwin Schuyler Brewer, born in 1844, married Martha P. Richardson and lived at Shefford, Quebec, Canada. They had four children.
- Cynthia Jane Brewer, born in 1846, lived her entire life at Highgate and died in 1924, unmarried. She is buried with her parents in the Highgate Cemetery on Rt. 78 in Highgate.
- Wealthy M. Brewer, born about 1850, was married to Arnold K. Stinehour, and appears to have had one son, Ralph Stinehour. She was deceased by 1897 when her husband remarried.
- Ethan Allen Brewer, born in 1852, left Highgate as a young man and went south. His wife's name was Laurine (Lorine), who's surname I believe is Reid (or Reed). She was born in Alabama and they lived in Arkansas and Texas and had eight children. In 1925, an E. A. Brewer, aged 73, born in Vermont, widower, is found in Burrton, Harvey Co., Kansas. It appears that Ethan Allen Brewer died in 1926 in Arkansas, but is buried in Bowie Co., Texas.
- Joseph Schuyler Brewer was born in 1855 and died prior to 1930. His wife was Letitia Singleton who was born in Ireland. They lived at Wakefield, Massachusetts and had three daughters.
- Josiah Brigham Brewer was born in 1858 and married Elizabeth Cook alias Mudiman. They first lived at Highgate but soon moved to Rochester, New York. They are the grandparents of Ruth Catherine Brewer.
- Lillie Summers Brewer was born in March 1861 and died less then a year later in February 1862. She is buried by her parents in the Highgate cemetery.
- Mary Brewer was born about 1864 and is found with the family on the 1870 and 1880 census at Highgate but not afterwards. She may well have married during the sixteen years between the 1880 and 1900 census takings, but to whom has not yet been discovered.
- Emery J. Brewer was born in 1864. He never married an lived for most of his life at Highgate, although in 1900 he is enumerated in the household of his brother Joseph Brewer at Wakefield, Massachusetts. Emery died in 1932 and is buried in the Highgate cemetery.
-  Leon S. Brewer was born about 1871 and was living as late as 1940 when he is found on the census at Barre, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. He was married to Mary E. Courser in 1901 at Highgate, and they had seven children.

This photo of five (of the six) sons of Schuyler Brewer and Cynthia P. Stevens is courtesy of Tom Todisco. Standing, left to right, are Josiah, Elwin and Emory. Sitting, left to right, are Joseph and Ethan Allen. Leon is missing from the photo.

Sons of Schuyler Brewer (courtesy Tom Todisco)

A rough genealogical summery for the Family of Schuyler Brewer and Cynthia Stevens is now online. The family, along with some additional details found at Ancestry.com can also be seen at the Family Tree that I maintain at Ancestry.com.

Placing this family online at Ancestry.com was worthwhile in that it not only helped me locate knew facts regarding the children of Schuyler and Cynthia, but it also led to a breakthrough in identifying Cynthia's maternal ancestry (through the discovery of her mother, Wealthy Basford, who's family name was previously unknown to me) and has provided some leads (that need to be researched further) for the possible ancestry of her father, Nathan Stevens. Hopefully, more regarding Cynthia's ancestry will be able to be discovered and published here in the future.

Update, April 20, 2013: Correction to Wealthy M. Brewer. She did not die prior to 1897 as stated above. Apparently Wealthy and her first husband, Arnold Stinehour, separated. Wealthy was married to Allan Macfarlane prior to 1901 when they appear on the Canadian census at Potten, Quebec. In 1919 the couple entered the U. S. through northern Vermont and settled at Lowell, Orleans County, Vermont, where in 1920 they are enumerated in the household of her sister Mary (Minnie) and brother-in-law Charles Stewart. Wealthy died on 23 February 1929 at Lowell and her death is registed in Vermont (parents stated as Schuyler Brewer and Cynthia Stevens). Allan Macfarlane is living as a widower in 1930 at Lowell. He was born 8 August 1865 at Knowlton, Quebec. His parents were from Scotland. On the 1901 Canadian census, the couple has a daughter, Jenie Macfarlane, born 19 August 1891 in England. Assuming that the place is not in error, she may have been adopted by Allan and Wealthy. (See Wealthy M. Brewer for source citations).

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Children of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn: Jacob Brewer

Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn of Highgate, Vermont are believed to have had ten children. From the beginning it should be made clear that there are no records of birth or baptism found for any of them. To date, no "family record" or "Bible record" contemporary to Peter Brewer's time, has been located.

Jacob Brewer appears to have been the oldest child of Peter Brewer and Hannah Sanborn. He appears on the 1850 U. S. census at Highgate, Vermont, age given as 49, and born in Vermont. In 1860, at Milford, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin, Jacob's age is given as 59. It is likely that he was born in 1801 at Highgate, Vermont. A deed of 1827 in which Peter Brewer conveys land to Jacob Brewer, with the provision that the land be returned to Peter Brewer should Jacob die without heirs, seems to be proof enough that Jacob was a son of Peter Brewer.

Jacob Brewer was married to Jerusha Westover on 3 November 1823, and the marriage is recorded in the Highgate Town Records. According to the 1850 U. S. census at Highgate, Jerusha was aged 45, and born in Canada. Like her mother-in-law, Hannah Sanborn, Jerusha possesses a family name that is well known in New England, has been well researched over the past 150 years or so, yet Jerusha's place within the family has not been discovered.

The Westover family in New England traces its origins to Jonas Westover who died at Simsbury, Connecticut in 1709. His wife was Ann Griswold, daughter of Edward Griswold and Margaret. Jonas and Ann (Griswold) Westover appear to have had ten children. Moses Westover (1744-1826), a great-grandson of Jonas and Ann (Griswold) Westover, was born in Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, and made his way to Lower Canada not long after the Revolutionary War. He settled at Sutton, in the Eastern Townships, in 1796. His wife was Elizabeth Holmes and the couple had eleven children born at Sheffield, Massachusetts between the years of 1768 and 1792, prior to the move to Sutton. Jerusha's place would likely be among the grandchildren of Moses Westover, but exactly where, as thus far been elusive.

Just who Jerusha Westover is, is complicated by the strong belief, passed down from the generation of the children of Jacob and Jerusha, that the Brewer family of Highgate had a Native American ancestor. The possibility that Hannah Thomas (Jacob Brewer's grandmother) was that Native American was mentioned in Jeremiah Brower, Part IV (February 13, 2013). Jerusha has also been suspected to be the Native American, and that is certainly possible. The area in which the first settlers of European origin, Jeremiah Brower among them, came to in northern Vermont, was prior to their arrival, a center of Abenaki settlement. There is no doubt that native Abenakis and the new settlers from New York and New England interrelated and intermarried. Perhaps DNA testing of living descendant, especially one who is only four or five generations removed from Jerusha, through the GENO 2.0 project can provide supporting genetic evidence to the belief that descendants of Jacob Brewer and Jerusha Westover have Native American ancestry.

Jacob Brewer and Jerusha Westover's children were all born in Highgate, Vermont. In about 1854 the family left Vermont and headed west, as many Vermonters did, settling first in Wisconsin. Jacob and his family can be found on the 1860 U. S. census at Milford in Jefferson Co., Wisconsin. In 1868 the family relocated to Riverton in Floyd Co., Iowa, and are found there on the 1870 U. S. census. Neither Jacob nor Jersuha can be located on the 1880 census, and it is suspected that both died prior to 1880. Both would have been in their seventies. No record of death, or location of burial has been discovered for either Jacob or Jerusha.

There were ten children in family of Jacob and Jerusha Brewer. The first two died at young ages. Alphonso Brewer died 20 May 1826, age 17 months, while George Brewer died 18 April 1841, age 12 years. Both were buried in the Brewer Cemetery off Rollo Road in Highgate. Mention of them can be found in the "McLellan Cemetery Records for Franklin County," at the Vermont Historical Society in Barre, Vermont.

Norman Brewer was born 12 June 1831 at Highgate, moved with the family to Wisconsin and then Iowa, and finally settled at Highmore, Hyde Co., South Dakota, where he died in 1888. His wife was Elizabeth Nelson and the couple had seven children, four of who are known to have married.

Laura Brewer was born about 1834 at Highgate, and is found with the family there on the 1850 census. She married William Mueller on 23 September 1858 at Milford, Wisconsin. It is probable that her husband is the William Mueller who served during the Civil War with the 20th Wisconsin Infantry. That William Mueller was from Watertown, Wisconsin, was mustered in on 8 Feb 1864, and drowned 28 July 1864 at San Martin Ranche, Texas. Neither Laura or William have been located on the 1860 census and nothing else is known of them at this time.

John, or Joseph, Wesley Brewer died in 1839, age 2, while Stephen B. Brewer, died 13 June 1841, age 4 1/2 years. Both are buried in the Brewer Cemetery in Highgate. (McLellan Cemetery Records).

Jackson M. Brewer was born about 1840 as per the 1850 (age 11), 1860 (age 20) and 1870 (age 30) U. S. census records. He was married twice and had nine children. His first wife, Isabelle McKnight, is identified by the death record of their son, William J. Brewer, who died 22 January 1936 in Rockford, Illinois. Jackson and Isabelle had seven children and are found on the 1870 census at Riverton, Floyd Co., Iowa. Jackson is a widower on the 1880 census at Riverton, and the census mortality schedule for that year places Isabelle's death as occuring in April 1880. Jackson married his second wife on 23 August 1881 in Floyd Co., Iowa. She was called, Mollie Sherman, on the marriage record, but Sherman was apparently the name of her first husband, with whom she had two children, Hattie and Sophia, born ca. 1875 and 1878 in De Moines, Iowa. The birth records of Jackson and Mollie's children, James Jacob Brewer (1884) and Edna Brewer (1886) call her Mattie Ann Gray and Mallie Ann Gray. The 1885 Iowa census at Emmetsburg, Palo Alto Co., Iowa (where the two families are combined) calls her Martha. Of Jackson's children, Albert and Mary Luella (in Beltrami Co., Minnesota), and Andrew O. and William J. (in Rockford, Illinois) can be traced. I have been unable to locate Jackson, his second wife, or their children, after the 1885 census at Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Jacob B. Brewer was born in May 1842 at Highgate, Vermont (1900 census, age 58 and single). He served during the Civil War, enlisting while living at Milford, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin, but has not been located post the 1900 U. S. census, when living at Vermillion, Clay Co., South Dakota.

Leland Brewer, age 2, is found in the household of Jacob and Jerusha on the 1850 U. S. census at Highgate, Vermont. No further records have yet been found. He is not mentioned in the McLellan Cemetery records, so perhaps he died at a young age after the family's move to Iowa.

The youngest child of Jacob and Jerusha Brewer, Seth Wales Brewer, was born 21 January 1851 at Highgate, Vermont. He died 6 July 1934 at Elliott, Sanborn Co., South Dakota. His descendants have probably been the most researched and are the most thoroughly documented of all of Jacob and Jerusha's descendants. A number of descendants have been very active researchers of the family and one descendant has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. Seth is found in his parent's household on the 1860 and 1870 census records at Milford, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin and Riverton, Floyd Co., Iowa respectively. On 1 January 1874 he married Louvica Adeline Shannon at Nashua, Iowa. She was born on 14 February 1856 at Riverton, Iowa, the daughter of William Shannon and Cordelia Bohne. Louvica died on 3 May 1925 at Woonsocket, South Dakota. Seth and Louvica are found on the 1880 census at Riverton, Iowa and moved to Sanborn Co., South Dakota by 1892. They had four children, Casper, Leo, Rudolph and Millie Blanche, the last two marrying Hutton siblings. Descendants are still found in Sanborn Co., South Dakota today. Thanks especially to Karen B. Sims for providing much research and photographs regarding the Seth Wales Brewer family.

Source details and and additional info can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, but the better source for additional info on descendants can be found at Jacob Brewer at Ancestry.com.

See also: The Brewer Ancestry of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge 

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