Daniel, Son of Adam Brouwer ???

The baptism record of Daniel, son of "Adam Brouwer and Aeltje Van der Beeck," dated May 7, 1678, was recorded at the Reformed Dutch Church of New York. For sponsors the records states, geen getúÿgen, or "no witnesses." This record can be found at New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, volume 8 (1877), p. 171, and in Baptisms from 1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York, Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Volume 2 (1901) at page 132. Since its publication the meaning, or interpretation, of this record has not been clear. It may be that the original record was in error, or it may be that 20th century researchers have simply misunderstood the record.

The first mention of this record, outside of the context of the original, was by T. G. Bergen, in his Early Settlers of Kings County, as published in NYGBR vol. 9 (1878), p. 129. Bergen writes, "Another Adam Brouwer, who married Aeltje Van der Beeck, and had a son, Daniel, bap. in N. Y. May 7, 1678." Bergen is clearly of the belief that the persons recorded as Daniel's parents are a married couple, and that the father, Adam Brouwer, is someone other than Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I. Bergen is incorrect in his belief. The Adam Brouwer recorded here as father is the same Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I. (who was married to Magdalena Verdon), and the Aeltje Van der Beeck, was the daughter of Maria Badie and Paulus Van der Beeck, was a half-sister of Magdalena Verdon, and was at the time of the baptism, married to Dirck Jans Ammerman. The couple recorded as parents in the baptism record of Daniel, were in fact, not married to each other.

The problem is next taken up by John Reynolds Totten in "Brouwer (Brower-Brewer) Family Notes," at NYGBR vol. 67 (1936), pp. 225-228. Totten devotes three pages to this question. To summarize, Totten notes that Bergen is in error in his assumption that Adam Brouwer and Aeltje Van der Beeck were husband and wife. He notes that if Adam Brouwer was the father of Daniel, then that fact is "not made clear by records elsewhere." (For example, Adam does not mention any son named Daniel in his will of 1692). Totten confirms that the "original" record was checked by two genealogists and that they confirmed that the transcribed version, as published by the NYGBS, was not in error. The possibility of a transcription error has been eliminated. Totten next entertains and dismisses the possibility that Daniel could be an illegitimate son of Adam Brouwer and his sister-in-law, Aeltje Van der Beeck. Finally he accepts the conclusion of his associate, Howard S. F. Randolph, who concludes that the original record must have been in error in that while Adam Brouwer is correctly recorded as the father, Aeltje Van der Beeck is incorrectly recorded as the mother and should have been recorded as a sponsor (or witness). This seems to be the interpretation of the baptism record that has prevailed and been repeated to date.

William J. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings," TAG 24 (1948): 170, simply states that the baptism record is in error, and refers the reader to Totten's article mentioned above. Hoffman apparently accepts the conclusion of Totten and Reynolds.

The three 20th century genealogists, Totten, Reynolds and Hoffman, may well be making two errors in reaching their collective conclusion. First, they assume that the recording of Adam Brouwer as a parent (the father) of Daniel is correct, and that the recording of Aeltje Van der Beeck as the mother, is incorrect. Frankly, they have no way of knowing whether this assumption is correct or not. It may well be that Aeltje Van der Beeck was correctly recorded as a parent, and that Adam Brouwer is in error. Reynolds notes, in his explanation, that Aeltje had a daughter (Catherine) baptized on 2 April 1677, and another (Annatje) baptized on 30 October 1681. Daniel was baptized on 7 May 1678, which is thirteen months after the earlier date and over twenty-nine months before the later date. Although the thirteen months between Catherine (2 April 1677) and Daniel (7 May 1678) is short, it is not biologically impossible. It also has to be remembered that these are baptism dates, and not birth dates. Although, it is true that in 17th century New Netherland/New York, children were regularly baptized within a few days of their birth, delayed baptisms were not unheard of. If Catherine was born even just two months prior to her baptism, it increases the possibility that Aeltje may have had another child. We can also consider the biological fact that some children are born prematurely. Reynolds' conclusion that Adam Brouwer was correctly recorded as the father and that Aeltje was incorrectly recorded as the mother, should not be accepted as final. But the reason for not accepting Reynolds' conclusion may lie with the second error.

The three genealogists concluded that the original record was in error. What they did not consider was the fact that perhaps the original record was correct, and they were simply misinterpreting it. This issue, of Daniel, was recently brought up in a thread on the Dutch-Colonies List at Rootsweb. I believe that Renee L. Dauven, in her post of November 28, 2012, hit on the problem exactly. In citing another, known example, Renee raised the possibility that the original was not in error, but instead, Adam Brouwer and Aeltje Van der Beeck, were standing in as parents, for the actual parents, who for some reason were unable to be present themselves. In the example she cites involving the Romeyn family and a baptism in the Hackensack RDC in 1700. In the Romeyn example the persons standing in for the parents were family members (grandparents), but they were recorded in the official record as "parents," with no notation that they were in fact not the child's natural parents. It appears to me that in the case of Daniel, it is more likely that he was not a child of either Adam Brouwer or Aeltje Van der Beeck, but instead the two were standing in for Daniel's actual parents, who were unable to attend. So then, who might Daniel's parents be?

In earlier attempts to explain this problem I suggested that Daniel's parent's might be Adam Brouwer's eldest son Pieter Brouwer and his wife Petronella Kleyn. I noted that the given name of Daniel, is completely absent from all lines of descendants of Adam Brouwer with the exception of the lines descended from his son Pieter. The first known Daniel Brouwer to appear among the descendants of Adam Brouwer was Daniel, the son of Abraham Brouwer and Lea Demarest, baptized on 5 July 1719 at Hackensack. Abraham is a son of Pieter Brouwer, and it is possible that he named a later son (Daniel was his sixth son) for a deceased brother. The given name Daniel is not found in Lea Demarest's family, therefore there is no reason to suspect that her family is the source of the name. The first recorded baptism of a child for Pieter Brouwer and Petronella Kleyn is in 1682. However, it is known that they had at least three older children born between 1673 and 1680. It is possible for Daniel to be a fourth. But what is still needed is a reason for neither Pieter nor Petronella to be present at Daniel's baptism. For that, I can think of no explanation. Perhaps there is a better family for Daniel.

Aeltje Van der Beeck's sister, Catherine, was baptized on 10 September 1645. She would have been aged 32 on 7 May 1678. Catherine married Daniel Richaud on 26 August 1661 at the New York Reformed Church. The couple is known to have had four children (Catherine, Johannes, Anna Maria and Paulus) none of who have records of baptism, but who can be attributed to the couple through other means. Daniel Richaud was deceased by 5 October 1679 when marriage banns for Catherine, as his widow, were posted at Flatbush. Catherine was remarried to Pieter Corson on 19 November 1679 at Amersfoort (Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Records, page 221, "Pieter Corsz, young man, with Catharina vander Beek, widow of Daniel Richauw; both born in New York and both residing under Brooklyn; with certificate from the bridegroom's father and married the 19th November at Amersfort."). There is a seventeen month gap between the baptism of Daniel on 7 May 1678 and the posting of Catharine's marriage banns on 5 Oct 1679. We do not know the exact date of Daniel Richaud's death. But, if he did die prior to 7 May 1678, then (1) Catharine would have a reason to name a son Daniel (to honor her deceased husband) and (2) there would be an explanation for the natural father being unable to attend his son's baptism. As children were traditionally baptized within a few days of their birth, a reason for Catherine's non-appearance at Daniel's baptism, may be that she had a difficult delivery and was for health reasons, physically unable to attend herself. It is noted that despite the fact that although Catherine was aged 34 when she married Pieter Corson, she is not known to have had any additional children. If it was apparent that the child (Daniel) himself was likely not to survive long, an urgency to have him baptized may have been the reason for recruiting Catherine's sister, Aeltje Van der Beeck, along with Adam Brouwer, to stand in as substitute parents at the baptism.

Granted, the scenario described above cannot be proved. In fact it suffers from the same problem that Bergen and Totten/Reynolds had with their conclusions, that is, there are no later records that might confirm the idea that Daniel is a son of Catherine Van der Beeck and her first husband, Daniel Richaud. However, I do very much doubt that Daniel is an actual son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. Magdalena, who was married in March 1645, was likely born in 1627, 1628 or 1629, making her age 18, 17 or 16 at her marriage. If correct she then would have been aged 51, 50 or 49 in 1678 when Daniel was baptized. I doubt this was likely. Magdalena's previous child (Nicholas) was baptized six years earlier in 1672. (I say this despite the belief of Harry Macy, Jr. in his 2011 article, "Some New Light on Aeltje Braconie and Maria Badie," NYGBR vol. 142, pp. 21-36, which argues that Magdalena may have been aged 13 or 14 when married in 1645, which I note would still make her aged 47 in 1678, relatively old for giving birth). The possibility that Daniel is actually a son of Catherine Van der Beeck, and posthumous son of Daniel Richaud, is in my opinion, more plausible.

Additional info and citations can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website which, with the next update, will reflect the belief that Daniel is only a claimed son of Adam Brouwer and is a possible son of Catherine Van der Beeck.

For more on Catherine (Van der Beeck) Richaud, see George E. McCracken, "Catherine (Van der Beek) Richaud and Her Children," NYGBR vol. 94 (1963), pp. 235-241.

For the Romeyn baptism mentioned by Renee L. Dauven see, First Reformed Church (Hackensack N. J.). Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, New Jersey. New York: Collections of the Holland Society, 1891, at Hackensack Church Baptisms, page 83; child: Rachel; parents: Klaes Jansen Romeyn, Styntie Terhuyne; witnesses: Jan Berdan, Eva his wife.

BGB 208

Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje Caljer

Nicholas, the son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Jacobs, was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on April 16, 1672. The sole sponsor was Ariaentie Scherps (who I have not yet identified). Nicholas is the youngest son, and youngest child of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon's fourteen children who reached adulthood.

William J. Hoffman devotes more coverage to Nicholas Brouwer and some of his descendants than he does with any other child of Adam Brouwer. This is largely due to the good deal of misinformation and incorrect statements that had been published in earlier years, a number of which place descendants of Nicholas Brouwer among the families descended from his brother Jacob Brouwer and his wife Annetje Bogardus. In The American Genealogist, Nicholas Brouwer is covered in volume 24 (1948), pages 161-169. Also relating to Nicholas Brouwer is Hoffman's "Brouwer Corrections," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, volume 69 (1938), pages 172-179, which was followed up by, "Brouwer Notes No. II," NYGBR volume 72, pages 332-337.

An initial source of published misinformation regarding some descendants of Nicholas Brouwer can be credited to Anton Temple Gesner, Gesner Family of New York and Nova Scotia (Middletown, Conn.: Pelton & King, 1912). Problems in Anton T. Gesner's account were addressed by John Reynolds Totten in "Anneke Jans and her Two Husbands," NYGBR volume 56 (1925), pages 202-243, specifically at pages 235-237. Also of interest would be a reaction to Totten, by Gesner (and Totten's subsequent reply to Gesner) found in the Letters and Comments section of NYGBR volume 57 (1926), pages 81-84. Totten's account in "Anneke Jans and Her Two Husbands," while correcting Gesner's error, did create new errors, later corrected by Hoffman. While the Gesner Family of New York and Nova Scotia is useful for it's account of the later Gesner descendants, it should not be relied upon for their descent from Adam Brouwer.

Nicholas was probably the youngest child of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. A child named Daniel, who was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on 7 May 1678, with his parents recorded as "Adam Brouwer and Aeltje Van der Beeck," may not have been a son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon (there will be more on Daniel in a future post). In documents pertaining to members of the Adam Brouwer family, all Brouwer family members, with the exception of Nicholas, sign with a mark. Nicholas, however, signs his name. He may well have been the only literate member of Adam Brouwer's large family.

The marriage banns for "Niclaes Berckhoven, j.m., op Breukelen met Jannetie Callier, j.d., op Boswijke," were published at the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church on 15 September 1692. This is the only record in which Nicholas is found with the surname, "Berckhoven." His wife, Jannetje Caljer was a daughter of Jurian Caljer and Lysbeth Cornelis (van der Hoeven), and was probably born at Kinderhook, on the Hudson River in New York, about 1674. Her sister, Cornelia, was the wife of Nicholas' brother, Abraham Brouwer. At the time of their marriage she was living at Bushwick, Long Island, and the couple are found on the census there in 1698 with a household of 1 man, 1 woman, 1 child and 1 apprentice.

After the death of his father, Nicholas and his brother Abraham purchased the entire interest in the Gowanus Mill property from their siblings and from their mother. During the first decade of the 1700s, Nicholas built a second mill on the property which would be known as the "New Mill" or the "Yellow Mill." In 1710, Nicholas and his wife, Jannetje, and Abraham and his wife, Cornelia, signed indentures that described each parties holdings at Gowanus. In 1712, Nicholas and Jannetje sold their lands to Abraham and Cornelia. Nicholas had also been pursuing other real estate interests. Apparently, as early as 1702, he purchased property at Wappingers Creek in Dutchess County, from the van Courtlandt family and from a Peter Lawson. In 1714 he is recorded as dividing land with Samuel Vail in Westchester County. In 1718 and 1719, when described as "of Westchester County, miller," Nicholas purchased a number of parcels in the City of New York from Elizabeth Bruce, from Margaret LaRoux, and from Gertie Luertze, all widows. The lots were on, or adjacent to, Orange Street, and William Street. On 26 May 1719, Nicolaas Brouwer and Jannetje Coljer, his wife, of the Manor of Fordham, were members of the Reformed Dutch Church of New York City. On 1 April 1726, Mary Sinclair, bought from Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje, his wife, a lot in the East Ward of New York City. Nicholas was involved in other deeds regarding New York City property, including property on Pine Street bought of William Nazareth (his brother-in-law) and Jan Vigne, later owned by William Vesey, the Rector of Trinity Church. What is apparent from the conveyances mentioned above, is that Nicholas and Jannetje relocated to Fordham Manor in Westchester County during the decade of 1710 to 1720, and probably remained there for the remainder of their lives.

It appears that Nicholas and Jannetje had seven known children. There are records of baptism for five of the children.
- The eldest, Adolphus, named for his paternal grandfather, Adam Brouwer, was baptized on 15 October 1693 at Brooklyn. Sponsors were Adam Brouwer (Nicholas' brother) and Maddalentje Brouwer (Magdalena Verdon, Nicholas' mother).  Adolphus was married to Jannetje Verdon, daughter of Jacob Verdon and Femmetje Westervelt, granddaughter of Thomas Verdon and Barbara Imbroeck, and great-granddaughter of Maria Badie and her first husband, Jacob Verdon. Adolphus was also a great-grandchild of Maria Badie, and the couple, Adolphus Brouwer and Jannetje Verdon, were second cousins. It is this Adolphus that was initially, incorrectly, stated to be a son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus, by Anton T. Gesner. Adolphus and Jannetje had ten children and lived the majority of their life in Bergen Co., New Jersey.
- Lijsbet (Elizabeth) daughter of Niclaas Brouwer and Jannetje, was baptized on 18 June 1699 at Brooklyn. Sponsors were Cornelis Caljer and Geertruit Caljer, brother and sister of the child's mother. She was certainly named for her maternal grandmother, Lysbeth Cornelis van der Hoeven. Lysbet Brouwer married John Parsell on 16 May 1715 at the New York Reformed Church. There are four known children, baptized at New York between 1719 and 1726. There may have been others. This family should be researched further.
- Jurje (Jurge), son of Niclaas Brouwer and Jannetje, was baptized on 30 March 1701 at Brooklyn. Sponsors were Jurie "Case" and Lena Nazaret. Jurje was named for his maternal grandfather, Jurian Caljer, who was no doubt the sponsor mis-recorded as Jurie "Case." The second sponsor was Helena Brouwer, wife of William Nazareth and sister of Nicholas the child's father. Jurge, also called Jeremiah, married Elizabeth Holmes on 25 September 1720 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. Elizabeth was very likely a daughter of George Holmes and Anneken Caljer, who was a sister of her husband's mother, Jannetje Caljer. Jurje/Jeremiah Brouwer and Elizabeth Holmes, were first cousins. Jurge lived for sometime in Somerset Co., New Jersey. There are two confirmed children for Jurge and Elizabeth, and very probably, at least two others that can be identified, for a total of four likely children.
- Son, Cornelis, was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on 18 April 1705. Sponsors were Jan Hendricks and Marytje Coljer. The later is most likely a sister of Jannetje Caljer. The former, Jan Hendricks, has yet to be identified. Cornelis Brouwer was married twice. His first wife was Hannah Hilton, daughter of Anna Brouwer and William Hilton. Cornelis and Hannah were first cousins. They were married on 18 December 1725 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. It appears that they had one son, Nicholas, who married Maria Boom in 1757 and lived at Albany, New York. Hannah did not live long, and Cornelis was married to his second wife, Mary De Roselle, in about 1730. They had one daughter, Hannah, who married Edmund Turner of Westchester County, and later New Marlborough and Plattekill in Ulster County, New York. Cornelis apparently did not live long himself after his second marriage, and it has been stated that Mary De Roselle was married to David Demarest (son of John Demarest and Deborah Heyet) in about April 1732. This entire family is somewhat unsettled and will be explored more fully in a future post.
- Nicolaas, son of Nicolaas Brouwer and Jannetje, was baptized at Brooklyn on 16 March 1707. Sponsors were Joris Homs (a.k.a. George Holmes) and Lena Douscon (Dawson). Joris Homs, the Dutch version of George Holmes, was a brother-in-law of Jannetje Caljer. Lena Douscon's relationship to the family has not been determined. No marriage for this Nicholas has been found, and he has not yet been identified with certainty in any other record. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnigs," simply states, "no further record" (TAG 24:165). A descendant of the father, Nicholas Brouwer, claimed (in the later half of the 1800s) that Nicholas, the son, went to North Carolina. This has not otherwise been proved, and while there was a known man named Nicholas Brower in North Carolina, in the 1700s, he was more likely a descendant of Hubert Brower, an immigrant from the Palatine to Pennsylvania in 1727.
There are two additional children for Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje Caljer, for whom baptism records are not found.
- Magdalena Brouwer was married to Joost Vredenburg on 26 June 1725 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. She was likely the second daughter born to Nicholas and Jannetje, and was named for her paternal grandmother, Magdalena Verdon. Magdalena and Joost had two children baptized at New York, their names being Nicholas and Jannetje. A third child, Isaac, named for Joost's father, Isaac Vredenburgh, was baptized at Hackensack. Magdalena was a sponsor at baptisms for children of her brother Adolphus (wife Jannetje Verdon) and sister Lysbeth (husband John Parsell) in 1725 and 1726. The son Isaac was baptized in 1730, and this family needs further research beyond that date.
- The last child of Nicholas and Jannetje is somewhat controversial in that there is no known direct record for him. In other words, there is no first hand account of him. His identity comes from the word of descendants. Nazareth Brouwer is stated to have been a son of Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje Caljer, and he was married to a woman named Anne Rozell. If so, he was likely born between 1702 and 1710, probably at Gowanus, Long Island. There are five children claimed for the couple, Nazareth Brouwer and Anne Rozell, for whom there are records, albeit few. The appearance of the given name, Nazareth, in later generations, gives credence to the existence of this initial man named Nazareth Brouwer. He was no doubt named to honor Nicholas Brouwer's brother-in-law, William Nazareth. I know of no other 17th or 18th century family in New York, New Jersey, or all of New England, in which this given name appears. The lack of a first hand account can be explained by the likelihood that Nazareth probably live as short life (possibly dying in his thirties) and that he likely lived in Westchester and/or Dutchess County during the first half of the 1700s when few people living there owned land (most were tenants on manor farms) and few records survive. The stated children of Nazareth Brouwer are: Cornelis Brouwer who married Mary Archer and lived at Poughkeepsie (had ten children, including a son Nazareth); Jane, or Jannetje Brouwer, married Thomas Benjamin Hill, and had four children including Nazareth Brouwer Hill; Lana Brouwer, for whom a marriage and further record has not been discovered; Charles Brouwer, married Jane Ryder, and had a daughter Ginny Brouwer who was the first wife of her first cousin Nazareth Brouwer (son of Cornelis Brouwer and Mary Archer); and Nazareth Brouwer, who married Bridget Pells and left a will dated 10 September 1787 which names a son John Brouwer. Despite the lack of direct proof of the first Nazareth Brouwer's existence, it is difficult to reconcile and place the families just mentioned without him. I would certainly welcome hearing from anyone with hard proof of Nazareth Brouwer's existence.

Where and when Nicholas and Jannetje died is not known with certainty. The last record identified for both is the deed of 1 April 1726 in which they sell a New York City lot to Mary Sinclair. A descendant, testifying in a court case in the early 1850s, stated that Nicholas died in 1749, and that he had outlived all of his children. The despondent, however, also stated that he left only one heir, a granddaughter named Hannah who married Edmund Turner. This second statement is, of course, not true, and since the lawsuit was seeking to claim a supposed inheritance, the witnesses testimony has to be considered suspect. The distance in time, 100 years, also casts doubt over the testimony. No settlement for an estate of Nicholas, or Jannetje Brouwer is found in Westchester Co., New York Co., or Albany Co. probate records. It is likely that Nicholas lived out his later years in either Westchester County or New York City, or both. A search for additional records, between the years 1726 and 1749, should be conducted, especially in Westchester County.

The Family of Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje Caljer

Additional info and source citations can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

BGB 207

Abraham Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island

Abraham Brouwer, a son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon, was born sometime prior to 1667, probably at Gowanus, Long Island. No record of baptism has been found for Abraham. He is mentioned in his father's will of January 22, 1691/92, and he appears on the September 1687 Oath of Allegiance at Brooklyn as "Abram brouwer, native." It is his appearance on this list, as independent from his father, that leads to the likelihood that Abraham was born prior to 1667.

William J. Hoffman covers Abraham Brouwer in "Brouwer Beginnings" at TAG 24 (1948): 96-101. Hoffman's profile of the family includes children and many grandchildren. There are, however, some errors.

As of this posting, one descendant of Abraham Brouwer has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. The Y-DNA test results confirm the participant's descent from Adam Brouwer. The participant's lineage is a bit unique in that it the only line of Adam Brouwer descendants found (so far) that re-located to eastern Massachusetts during the mid-1800s, a time when most migration from New York was westward. We are always looking for new Brouwer descendants interested in joining the Brewer DNA Project.

Abraham Brouwer was married to Cornelia Caljer, with banns dated 6 February 1692, recorded at the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church. Cornelia was a daughter of Jurian Caljer and Lysbeth Cornelise van der Hoeven. There is no record of her baptism and she was probably born about 1676 when her family lived in the vicinity of Kinderhook which is in present day Columbia County, New York, along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. The Caljer family later lived at Bushwick in Kings County. Cornelia's sister, Jannetje, married Abraham's brother, Nicholas Brouwer, and the two families operated the Gowanus Mill, established by Adam Brouwer, until about 1712 when it appears that Nicholas sold his share to his brother Abraham. The marriage of Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer took place at about the time that Adam Brouwer died, and the Flatbush record records Abraham as "Abraham Adams Berks," a recognition of the "Berckhoven" surname his father seemed to adopt in the later years of his life. In later records Abraham is recorded with the surname, Brouwer. The marriage banns record Cornelia as "Cornelia Halsijen." It is not clear how "Halsijen" is derived from "Caljer" other then human error in the original recording. Abraham and Cornelia are found as sponsors/witnesses at a number baptisms for children of both Brouwer and Caljer siblings. Cornelia is sometimes recorded with her husband's surname, BROUWER.

Abraham Brouwer is found in a number of deeds recorded at Kings County. In many of them his wife, Cornelia, is named as well. From the deeds we can get the general picture that, from the time of Adam Brouwer's death, Abraham and his brother Nicholas, began jointly acquiring property owned by their siblings, and others, in the immediate vicinity of the mill. There are also a handful of recorded agreements, or contracts, between the Brouwers and immediate neighbors regarding water rights. In 1710 the two Brouwer-Caljer couples create two indentures by which all of the accumulated property is legally divided between the two families. Then in 1712, Nicholas and Jannetje sell their Gowanus property to Abraham and Cornelia. Twenty years after the death of Adam Brouwer, his son Abraham was the sole Brouwer in possession of the Gowanus Mill property. In 1737 Abraham, in two separate deeds, conveyed the mill property to his two sons, Jeury and Abraham.

The last mention of Cornelia is on 23 August 1728, when she is recorded as a witness for the baptism of her granddaughter, Cornelia, the daughter of Jannetje Brouwer and Johannes Burger. Cornelia (Caljer) Brouwer was deceased by 1 September 1732, when her widowed husbanded made a pre-marital agreement with his soon to be second wife, Elizabeth (Gerritsen) Britton, widow of Nathaniel Britton, late of Staten Island. Elizabeth was a daughter of Jan Gerritsen and Elisabeth Gysberts. She had six children with her first husband, Nathaniel Britton. Abraham and Elizabeth had no children.

Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer had six known children. There are baptism records for four, and they were born between the years 1695 and 1706.
1- Lysbeth (Elizabeth) daughter of Abraham Berckhoven and Cornelia Caljers was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on 19 June 1695. Sponsors were Joris Horn (Joris/George Homs/Holmes) and his wife Annetje Caljers, a sister of Cornelia's. Elizabeth married Jacobus Bennet, a son of Jan Willemsz Bennet and Aeltje Wynants. Elizabeth and Jacobus were 2nd cousins, their common ancestor being Maria Badie. The couple had seven children. Wilson V. Ledley in his long account of the Bennet family (NYGBR 93-95 [1962-1964] at 95:24) mistakenly identifies Elizabeth as a daughter of Nicholas Brouwer and Jannetje Caljer. William J. Hoffman's "Brouwer Beginnings" account, which pre-dated Ledley by sixteen years, had Elizabeth's identification correct.
2- Machdalena (Magdalena), daughter of Abram Brouwer and Cornelia Brouwer, was baptized at Brooklyn on 21 March 1695. Sponsors were Nicklaes Brouwer and Jannetje Brouwer. Here, the sisters Cornelia and Jannetje, are both recorded with their husband's surnames. Magdalena was married twice. The first marriage was to Jan Frederic Reyn (Rein) on 20 April 1717 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. The couple had three known children, Cornelia, Jan and Helena. Magdalena's second marriage was to John Turner (Tourner), who was deceased by 1749. Magdalena is also recorded as "Lena" and "Helena," and there is certainly more waiting to be discovered regarding both of her husbands and descendants.
3- Marytie, daughter of Abram Brouwer and Cornelia, was baptized at Brooklyn on 12 March 1699. Sponsors were Cornelis Caljer and Margrietie Pieters. Cornelis Caljer was a brother of Cornelia, but Margrietie Pieters is not found among the known spouses of immediate family members, and remains unidentified. Marytje married first, Hendrick Van Leeuwen on 4 August 1718 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. He is called, "Henry Lyon," in the marriage record. They had four children. Her second marriage was to William Tucker, and a son William, was baptized on 27 August 1731 at New York. Marytje's third marriage was to Jacob van Giesen on 6 January 1734. She is recorded as "Maria Tukker" in the record of the New York Reformed Dutch Church. A likely daughter of the third marriage was Russchen van Giesen, who married Moses Mettes. Baptism sponsorships help to tie this family together.
4- Abraham, son of Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia was baptized on 15 December 1706 at Brooklyn. Sponsors were Isaac Hendrickse and Magdaleentje Blauw. Isaac Hendrickse identification or relationship to the Brouwer or Caljer families is not apparent. Magdaleentje Blauw, is possibly Lena, the wife of Frederick Blauw, and possibly the Magdalena Caljer who was a sister of Cornelia Caljer (this is not certain, but this identification does seem to be very likely). Abraham married Sara Kimber and the couple had eight children. Two children are identified by baptism records and Abraham's will dated 29 September 1755, identifies the others. William J. Hoffman covers Abraham at TAG 24 (1948): 98, but is in error when he states that Abraham's son Abraham, married Maria Losier, and when he states that Abraham's son Jury, "probably married Maria Tideman." These two brothers, Abraham and Jury, were the two who were in ownership of the Gowanus mill property when it was destroyed during the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776. They did not marry Maria Losier and Maria Tideman, respectively, but instead were married to sisters, Mary Elsworth and Anna Elsworth, daughters of William Elsworth and Rebecca Stillwell.

The remaining two children of Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer do not have baptism records that have been located. They are Jannetje and Jury, and were both likely born between 1700 and 1705, between the 1699 baptism of Marytje and the 1706 baptism of Abraham.
5- Jannetje Brouwer was married to Johannes Burger by 1725. They had ten children baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, the first (Johannes) on 29 September 1725, and the last (Elizabeth) on 2 March 1746. The couple's eldest daughter was named Cornelia, while the second son was given the name Abraham. Johannes Burger, baptized on 5 December 1701 at New York, was a son of Johannes Burger and Helena Pauluse Turck. Johannes (Jr.) and Jannetje's first son was named Johannes and the second daughter was named Helena, in the classic Dutch naming custom of the time. Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer were sponsors for three of the Burger children, while Jannetje and her siblings had multiple occasions when they stood as sponsor at the baptisms of their sibling's children. The placement of Jannetje Brouwer, wife of Johannes Burger, in this family is certain.
6- The final child of Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer is Jeury Brouwer. His placement in the family is confirmed by recorded deeds beginning with the 1737 deed by which his father conveys Jeury half of the mill property. He was probably older then his brother Abraham, and was named for Cornelia's father, Jurian Caljer. Is name Jeury, which is also seen as Jury, Jurian, and Jurge was anglicized to Jeremiah (or Jeremias) in the Brouwer families. The name is found only among the descendants of Adam Brouwer's sons Abraham and Nicholas, and the name owes its origins to Jurian Caljer, the father-in-law of both Abraham and Nicholas Brouwer. Jeury Brouwer (probably born between 1700 and 1705) was married twice. His first marriage, to his first cousin Elizabeth Hilton (daughter of Anna Brouwer and William Hilton) occurred on 15 January 1726 at the New York Dutch Church. They had eleven children, but baptism records have not been found for any of them (the records of the Brooklyn Dutch Church, post 1719, are lost). The children are identified by Jeury's will of 18 September 1754, which was not proved until 4 February 1784. On 24 October 1747, recorded in the Flatbush Reformed Church records, Jeremias Brouwer, widower, married Charitie Stillwell, young woman. There is no record of any children for Jeury and Charity. Charity (Geertje, when written by a Dutch hand) has not been identified in the Stillwell family of the greater New York City area. However, on 2 November 1757, a Thomas Stillwell of New York City, sold land in Flatbush to Jurry Brouwer of Brooklyn, miller. This may be a first clue to Charity's identification.
Charity's own will was written on 9 May 1787 and was proved 8 March 1790. At the time she lived at Goshen in Orange County, New York, and styled herself as "Charity Brouwer, widow of Jeremiah Brouwer, late of Kings County on Nassau Island." She leaves a number of legacies to numerous persons, one of whom is Theophilus Brouwer, grandson of "my said late husband." Among her other beneficiaries are "my sister Mary Sickles" (possibly another clue to the identity of Charity's Stillwell family); to "Charity Tedemun" (Tideman); to Elizabeth Whitney, wife of Abijah Whitney (Elizabeth was a daughter of Charity's step-daughter Sara Brouwer and her husband Christopher Elsworth) and William Elsworth and Jeremiah Elsworth. Hoffman (at TAG 24:100) identifies the "Charity Tedemun" in the will as the Charity Brouwer who married Abraham Tiederman at the Lutheran Church at Loonenburg (Athens), New York, and believes her to be a daughter of Jeremiah Brouwer and Charity Stillwell. On the first point he is correct, but on the second point he is in error. Charity Brouwer was a daughter of Juey Brouwer and Anna Elsworth, and a granddaughter of Abraham Brouwer and Sara Kimber. Charity Tidemon is mentioned as an heir in the 1818 petition to Congress initiated by Mary (Elsworth) Brouwer. Apparently Hoffman was unaware of this document. It is very valuable for understanding this complicated family more correctly.
The multiple Brouwer - Elsworth marriages also cause some confusion. It might be best to list them here.
-Abraham Brouwer (b.1739) son of Abraham Brouwer & Sara Kimber, married (lic. 18 Oct 1758) Mary Elsworth, daughter of William Elsworth & Rebecca Stillwell.
-Jury Brouwer (b. 1738-1748) son of Abraham Brouwer & Sara Kimber, married (lic. 28 Dec 1763) Anna Elsworth, daughter of William Elsworth & Rebecca Stillwell. (Jury did not marry Annatie Bennet as suggested by Ledley at NYGBR 95:159).
-Cornelia Brouwer, daughter of Jeury Brouwer & Elizabeth Hilton, married (lic. 29 Oct 1761) Thomas Elsworth, son of William Elsworth & Rebecca Stillwell.
-Jeury Brouwer (b. 1728) son of Jeury Brouwer & Elizabeth Hilton, married on 15 Feb 1750, Jane Elsworth, daughter of Theophilus Elsworth & Johanna Hardenbroek.
-Sara Brouwer, daughter of Jeury Brouwer & Elizabeth Hilton, married (lic. 16 Feb 1759), Christopher Elsworth, son of Willem Elsworth & Rebecca Stillwell. (Their daughter Elizabeth Elsworth married Abijah Whitney, and is named in Charity (Stillwell) Brouwer's will).
The above mentioned Rebecca Stillwell is a daughter of Thomas Stillwell and Catrina Duryea. It may be that Charity Stillwell was her sister, and a daughter of this couple as well. However, this has not yet been proved.

Of the eleven children of Jeury Brouwer and Elizabeth Hilton, we know of marriages for nine of them. Cornelia, Jeury and Sara are mentioned above. The eldest son Abraham was the Abraham Brouwer who married Mary Losee at Rombout, Dutchess Co., New York in 1757. Hoffman had mistakenly identified this Abraham as the son of Abraham Brouwer & Sara Kimber (see above). At TAG 24:100, Hoffman states that Jeury Brouwer's son, Abraham, married Mary Elsworth. This is incorrect as well, and in essence, Hoffman had the two contemporary Abrahma Brouwers switched with regards to their marriages. Abraham Brouwer (son of Jeury Brouwer & Elizabeth Hilton) was first married to Barbara Stellingwerf, a daughter of Pieter Stellingwerf and Femmetje Bennet. Abraham left a will dated 13 February 1797 and had three children by Barbara Stellingwerf and four by Mary Losee.
Jeury and Elizabeth's son William Brouwer (named for his maternal grandfather William Hilton) married Meclitta van Duyn, a daughter of Gerrit van Duyn and Altie van Nostrand. They had five children. Hoffman has this marriage correct.
Son, Adolph Brouwer (d. 19 July 1827) married Aeltje Hulst, daughter of Anthony Hulst and Altie van Duyn. Hoffman also has this correct. Adolph purchased the ruined mill property from the other heirs in 1785, rebuilt the mill, and sold the property to John Freeke in 1798.
Of Jeury Brouwer and Elizabeth Hilton's daughters, Annatje married Henry Taylor and had two known children, Charity Taylor and Jeremiah Brower Taylor. Daughter Maria Brouwer married Cornelius Bennet and had three known children, Abraham, Cornelius and Jacob. There is a nine year gap between Maria and Cornelius' marriage in 1757 and the baptism of the first known child in 1766, so undoubtedly there were others. This may be a home for some unplaced Bennets of the late 1700s. Marriages have not yet been found for daughters Elizabeth and Lena, both of who were mentioned as unmarried in Jeury Brouwer's will of 1754 (proved in 1784).

Abraham Brouwer, the original subject of this post, was last recorded on 18 February 1739, when he and Elizabeth, his wife, were sponsors for the baptism of his grandson, Abraham, son of Abraham Brouwer and Sara Kimber, at New Utrecht. No record of probate or settlement of estate has been found for Abraham, and one was not necessary as he had previously conveyed his property to his sons Jeury and Abraham by deeds in 1737, and had provided for his second wife, Elizabeth (Gerritsen) Britton, in their agreement of 1732. By 1739, Abraham Brouwer would have been approaching his mid-seventies.

It is believed that Adam Brouwer first began building the mill property at Gowanus sometime in the late 1640s or 1650s. He died in early 1692 and had been overseer of what has been claimed as  Long Island's first grist mill for roughly 45 years. Abraham oversaw the operation from 1692 until 1737, also a period of 45 years.  The mill remained with Brouwer descendants until 1798, another 61 years.

The Children and Grandchildren of Abraham Brouwer and Cornelia Caljer 

Details and source citations can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. Some corrections and changes found during the course of writing this post will be online with the next BGD website update.

BGB 204

The Family of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse

Adam, son of Adam Brouwer and Magdaleentie Jacobs, was baptized on May 18, 1662 at the Old First Dutch Reformed Church at Breuckelen (Brooklyn). The sole sponsor/witness was Neeltje Jans, a daughter of Jan Pieterszen and the wife of Gerrit Dircksz Kroesen, a close neighbor of the Adam Brouwer family (Neeltje later married Volkert Hendricksz Bries, another immediate neighbor of the Brouwers).

Adam Brouwer is covered by William J. Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings," where is is no. 9, found at TAG 24 (1948): 29-30. Hoffman's account is rather brief.

Adam was married to Marretje Hendrickse. The banns, found in the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church records, read, "Adam Adamse (B)erkoven, j.m., met Marretie Hendricks, j.d., beijde woonachtigh tot Bruekelen." The banns tells us that both Adam and Marretje had not been previously married and that both were living at Brooklyn. Adam is recorded with his patronymic (Adamse) and the surname, "Berkvoven." This would the earliest recording of that surname with respect to the family of Adam Brouwer, who himself used it for the first (and only) time in his will of January, 1692. (For more on thoughts regarding the use and meaning of this surname, see "New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer," 2008).

Marretje Hendrickse's parents are not known with certainty. Hendrickse, of course, is a patronymic, and therefore we do know that her father was named Hendrick. It is most likely, and William J. Hoffman suggested this in his articles on the Bras(s), Brasser, Bresser, Bries, and Brazier Families, published in The American Genealogist volumes 20 (1943) and 21 (1944) at 21:148, that Marretje was a daughter of Hendrick Bries and Geertien Claes. This would make sense. Hendrick Bries was an immediate neighbor of Adam Brouwer at Gowanus, and therefore the two families would have known each other very well. Hendrick Bries had six known children, among them a daughter named Hillegont. This relatively uncommon name also was given to a daughter by Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse (baptized December 27, 1696 at Brooklyn) and the sponsors were Arien Claessen (brother to the above mentioned Geertien Claes) and Rachel Brouwer (Adam's sister). No further records have been found for Hillegond Hendrickse Bries, and it may be that she died just prior to December 27, 1696, and Marretje named her new born daughter to honor her deceased sister. Although this is a plausible scenario, it cannot be proved, and until additional evidence surfaces, all we can say now is that Marretje is possibly (maybe even probably) a daughter of Hendrick Bries.

Adam Brouwer makes six appearances as a sponsor at baptisms for children of his siblings between 1679 (Hendrick, son of Matthys Brouwer) and 1696 (Helena Nazareth, daughter of Helena Brouwer). Adam took the oath of allegiance at Brooklyn as "Adam Brouwer, Junior, native," in September 1687. He is found in the 1698 census at Brooklyn with a household of 1 male, 1 female and 4 children. He is named in his father's will of January 22, 1691/92. On March 18, 1694, Volkert Hendricksen Bries (son of Hendrick Bries mentioned above) sold to Adam Brouwer of Brooklyn, a lot situated in Brooklyn towards Gowanus and between the lands of Jacob Brouwer and Volkert Bries. The price was fifty pounds. On October 23, 1701, the same Volkert Bries, and his wife, Elizabeth, of Gowanus, sold to Col. Gerardus Beeckman of Kings County, land in Gowanus bounded by land formerly owned by Adam Brouwer, Jr. As the 1698 census record is the last recording of Adam Brouwer, Jr. found, it may have been that he was deceased by this date (October 23, 1701). It is most certian that Adam was deceased by December 20, 1706, when "Marya Brower," was assessed at Brooklyn with 26 acres of land. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings," states that Adam was deceased by June 12, 1712 (deed), which is certainly true, but too conservative of a guess. From the assessment list it is apparent that Adam was deceased six years earlier, and from Volkert Bries' 1701 deed, possibly eleven years or more earlier than Hoffman's estimate. He may be that Adam Brouwer, Jr. died between 1699 and 1701. No record of the settlement of his estate has been found.

Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse had four known children, with their baptisms all found in the records of the Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Breukelen (Brooklyn). Madaleentje (named for Adam's mother, Magdalena Verdon) was baptized in 1692, with sposnors Volckert Hendrickse (Bries) and Hillegont Hendrickse (Bries), which further supports the notion that Marretje Hendrickse was a Bries family member herself. Madaleentje, also called Helena (marriage record) and Lena (husband's second marriage) was married to Thomas Barber at the New York Reformed Dutch Church in 1714. Children have not yet been identified, but she was deceased by October 31, 1730, when her husband remarried.

Maritje, daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marritje, was baptized at Brooklyn in 1695, sponsors Willem Nasareth and Lena Nasareth (Adam's sister and her second husband). No further record of Marytje have been identified with certainty, but it should not be assumed that she died at a young age. As many Kings County families relocated to New Jersey, particularly along the Raritan River in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties, the family identities for many young women become lost as records there tend to ignore the surnames and/or patronymics of women. Marritje, or Mary (Maria), of course is about the most common female name known. There are many "Marritjes" found in New Jersey in the 1700s whose families have not been identified. Marritje, the daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse, may just be one of them.

Hillegont (mentioned above) the daughter of Adam Brouwer and Marritje Brouwer, was baptized in 1696, sponsors being Arien Claessen and Rachel Brouwer (possible maternal great-uncle, and paternal aunt). As with her sister Marritje, no further record of Hillegont has been identified, but as with Marritje, I am hesitant to declare the book closed with those famous last words, "no further record," which are found too often in published genealogies. There are just too many unidentified women from the colonial period whose families still need to be found.

Hendrick, the only known son of Adam Brouwer and Marretje Hendrickse was baptized on January 15, 1699 at Brooklyn with sponsors Willem Brouwer and Angenietje, his wife. Willem Brouwer was a brother of Adam Brouwer, Jr., and "his wife Angenietje," though unidentifed, has been discounted as an error by Hoffman. (Although previously having accepted Hoffman's word on this matter, in retrospect I do not see any reason to claim this as an error. Although there are no known children for Willem Brouwer and Angenietje, it is still possible that they could have been husband and wife. I have since included Angenietje as a second, of possibly four wives, for Willem Brouwer, on the BGD website). Hendrick, as the only son of Adam Brouwer, Jr., is given mention by Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings," at TAG 24:30. Hoffman states, "It would seem that this Hendrick Brouwer is the one who settled at the Raritan (in New Jersey), rather than Hendrick, son of Matthys (Brouwer) as Bergen and "Our Home" (probably following the former) suggest. Hendrick of Raritan named his eldest son Adam and his eldest daughter Marietje, undoubtedly for his parents, the usual Dutch custom. He apparently had no son named Matthys." I would agree, it is near certain that this Hendrick Brouwer, son of Adam Brouwer, Jr., settled at the Raritan. Perhaps his sisters, Marytje and Hillegont, settled there as well. All we know of Hendrick's wife is that her name was Elizabeth. Her family has not been identified (which is not unusual for families found in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties in the 1700s). The couple had six known children, including five boys, the names being Adam, Hendrick, Marietje, Willem, Peter, and Hendrick (again). They were baptized between 1721 and 1733 at the Reformed Church of Raritan (Somerville), Somerset County, and the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick (Three-Mile Run) in Middlesex County. Of the six baptisms sponsors are recorded for only the first two. Adam, baptized March 5, 1721 at Raritan, had sponsors Thomas and Neeltje Bouman (Bowman). The first son named Hendrick, baptized January 3, 1722 at Raritan, had sponsors Thomas Mellot and wife Neeltje. What relationship, if any, either of the two couples had to either Hendrick or Elizabeth is not (presently) apparent. Other then Adam, we see that Hendrick's sons were given the names Hendrick, Willem and Peter (in that order). Perhaps one of them is a clue to the name of Elizabeth's father.

We have a handful of participants in the Brewer DNA Project, who through Y-DNA testing, are known to be certain descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus (the elder). Four in particular can trace their Brewer ancestry back to Pennsylvania or Virginia. The Earliest Known Ancestors (EKAs) for the four are Henry Brewer/Henrich Bruer of Westmoreland Co., Pa. (kit #32813), Henry Brewer of Berkeley Co., Va. and Adams Co., Ohio (kit #182867), Peter Brewer of Westmoreland Co., Pa. and Hardin Co., Ky. (kit #28193) and William Brewer of Philadelphia, Pa. (kit #46637). I strongly suspect that Hendrick Brouwer, son of Adam Brouwer, Jr. is the ancestor for some, if not all four of these unplaced EKAs. The earliest migrations of European settlers into the central and western parts of what would later be Pennsylvania, and northern and western Virginia (much of which was later West Virginia) originated with people found in New Jersey. No trace of Hendrick Brouwer, or of his five sons, has yet been found in New Jersey after the 1733 baptism record of the younger Hendrick. We of course can see a continuity in given names here as well. Unplaced are Henry, Peter and William, while Hendrick has sons named Hendrick, Peter and Willem. Hendrick Brouwer (b. 1699) and his father, Adam Brouwer, Jr. (b. 1662) are presently the best candidates for connecting the unplaced EKAs back to Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. (The just mentioned four EKAs will each be given individual attention in future posts. For now links can be found on the Unplaced Page, and on the Adam Brouwer Group DNA page).

The Family of Adam Brouwer, Jr. and Marretje Hendrickse

BGB 198 

Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus

Jacob Brouwer, the son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon, has been estimated to have been born in 1655, probably at Gowanus, Long Island. The estimated date is based upon the fact that he does not appear on the 1675 assessment roll at Brooklyn, but does appear on the 1676 list (with 1 poll). Totten in "Anneke Jans and Her Two Husbands," NYGBR 56 (1925): 231, makes this observation, and makes the assumption that the age of 21 was the cutoff for being taxed. If this estimated birth year of 1655 is accurate, it would make Jacob the fourth son and fifth child of his parents. Jacob was certainly named for his maternal grandfather, Jacob Verdon. Traditionally, the second son was named for the maternal grandfather, and if Adam and Magdalena did follow this tradition then we would expect to find Jacob born sometime in the thirty month period between the baptism of eldest son, Pieter Brouwer (September 1646) and the next recorded son, Matthys Brouwer (May 1649). Perhaps Jacob was born in early 1648. Unfortunately, there is no surviving record that would answer this with certainty.

Jacob Brouwer's wife was Annetje Bogardus, baptized on October 3, 1663 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, a daughter of Willem Bogardus and Wynnetje Sybrants. Her paternal grandparents were Domine Everardus Bogardus and Anneke Jans. Jacob and Annetje's marriage occurred at Brooklyn on January 29, 1682 and was recorded in both the New York and Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church records. The descendants of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus are, of course, also descendants of the "famous" Anneke Jans, and as a result there have been numerous incorrect descendants claimed for Jacob and Annetje by 19th and 20th century pretenders seeking to claim a piece of Anneke Jans supposed fortune. In time I'll cover some of the more egregious claims.

William J. Hoffman devoted five pages to the family of Jacob Brouwer in "Brouwer Beginnings" (TAG vol. 24 [1948], pp. 23-28). It would be useful to review each child again here. Hoffman lists nine children, while William B. Bogardus in Dear "Cousin": A Charted Genealogy of the Descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus (1605-1663) to the 5th Generation, and of her sister, Marritje Jans (1996) gives ten. There are baptism records for seven of Jacob Brouwer's children. Jacob Brouwer did not leave a will and no recorded settlement of his estate exists. He was likely deceased by December 20, 1706, when his wife, recorded as "Annitie Brouwer," appears as a head of household on an assessment list at Brooklyn with 26 acres. Jacob was certainly deceased by April 30, 1707, When Sybrant Brouwer, "eldest son and heyre to Jacob Brouwer, late of Brooklyn, deceased," sold his interest in the Gowanus Mill property to his uncles (Jacob's brothers), Abram Brouwer and Nicholas Brouwer.

The eldest child of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus is the above mentioned Sybrandt Brouwer. He is covered by Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginnings" at TAG 24 (1948):24. No baptism record survives for Sybrandt. He is proved as a son of Jacob Brouwer by the above mentioned deed. Hoffman gives his date of birth as August 29, 1683, and cites Totten at NYGBR 56 (1925): 232. Totten in turn cites the notoriously unreliable "Hill Manuscript." Therefore, we do not know Sybrandt's actual date of birth. The date of August 29, 1683, has been generally accepted and it does fall within the period of his parent's marriage (29 January 1682) and the baptism of their son Jacob (November 30, 1684). It is of note that as Jacob's eldest son, Sybrandt should have been named for Jacob's father, Adam Brouwer. Instead he was named for Annetje Bogardus' maternal grandfather, Sybrandt Jansen. Sybrandt Brouwer married Sara Webber, daughter of Aernout Webber and Jannetje Cornelis, at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on May 12, 1706. They had nine children baptized at New York between 1707 and 1725. It is likely that Sybrandt died on December 3, 1727. Among the incorrect claims for Sybrandt is one in which his son Jacob (b. 1707) married a Lea Studhard in 1724, had a son John Brouwer who married Catharine Verwey, who in turn had a son named Elias Brouwer. This lineage is entirely incorrect (at each generation).

The second child, and second son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus was Jacob, baptized on November 30, 1684 at Brooklyn. The sponsors were Jesaya Drets and Aeltje Brouwer (Jacob's sister and her husband). The baptism was recorded in both the Brooklyn and Flatbush records. He is covered by Hoffman at TAG 24 (1948):24-26. Jacob married Petronella de la Montagne, daughter of Jan de la Montagne and Annetie Waldron, on October 28, 1709 at New York (recorded at both New York and Flatbush). They had eight children, all baptized at New York between 1710 and 1733. Among the incorrect claims here, is the attribution of a son named Cornelis Brouwer who married Mary Archer. This incorrect placement was first published by T. G. Bergen in his Bergen Genealogy, page 367-368 (footnote). This Cornelis Brouwer is not a descendant of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus.

The third child and third son is Willem, baptized May 8, 1687 at Brooklyn. Sponsors were Willem Bogardus (child's maternal grandfather) and Helena Verbrugge (Van Brugh, the child's mother's first cousin). Willem married Maritje van Oort, daughter of Goosen van Oort and Maria Peeck, and widow of Pieter Hennion, on May 19, 1709 at New York. The marriage record calls her "Maria Hennion." Her family name has been variously recorded as Van Noordt, Van Nort, Van Note, and other variations. It appears that Willem and Marritje had six known children, and they relocated from New York City to Middletown in Monmouth County, New Jersey by 1720. Willem was still living in June 1746 when he conveyed land to Jacob Brower (his son) of Shrewsbury. Willem is covered at TAG 24 (1948):26, although Hoffman's account is incomplete.

Everardus Brouwer is the fourth child and fourth son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus. He was baptized on December 8, 1689 at Brooklyn, sponsors Cornelis Hoijer and Cornelia Bogardes (the child's aunt and her husband). Everardus (named for his maternal great-grandfather, Dom. Everardus Bogardus) married Mary Petit on December 26, 1723 at the Presbyterian Church at Newtown, Long Island (Newtown is now Elmhurst in Queens County). They had ten children but baptism records are only found for two. Everardus is covered at TAG 24 (1948): 26).

Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus' fifth child, and eldest daughter, was Anna Elisabet, baptized on November 15, 1694 at Brooklyn (sponsors Lambert Sachariassen and Maritje Jansen, neither of who's relationship to the Brouwer or Bogardus families is known). She was married on September 7, 1716 at Flatbush, to Jacob Quakenbosch, son of Reynier Pietersz Quackenbosch and Claesje Jacobse Stille. They had twelve children, the first six baptized at New York between 1719 and 1729, the last six baptized at the Tappan Reformed Church bwtween 1730 and 1742. Anna Elizabeth, also called Anna, Johanna, and Hannetje, is covered by Hoffman at TAG 24 (1948): 26-27.

Adam, baptized March 29, 1696 at Brooklyn, was the sixth child and fifth son. Sponsors at the baptism were Cornelis Fiele (Viele) and Katrijna Bogardus (the child's aunt and her husband). Hoffman covers Adam Brouwer at TAG 24 (1948): 27-28, and states, "Most authorities consider him the founder of the Monmouth Co., N. J. branch, and I believe he is." Coming from William J. Hoffman, this statement is odd. Hoffman developed a terrific reputation as a critical reviewer of previously published genealogical claims and was adept at correcting them. One of his primary tools was considering naming patterns and known family relationships found among baptismal sponsors. Hoffman spent a good deal of time using these techniques to correct numerous errors in prior accounts of the descendants of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon (see my earlier post on William J. Hoffman). However, with Jacob Brouwer's son Adam, Hoffman uncharacteristically  takes a pass. His statement above implies that he made no effort to confirm the conclusions drawn by earlier "authorities" (in some of the work of these same "authorities," Hoffman had found other errors). If Hoffman had applied the same standards to Jacob's son Adam, as he did in many other cases, it is very possible that he would have come up with a different conclusion. The claim that Adam Brouwer, baptized March 29, 1696, son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus, is the Adam Brewer of Monmouth County, New Jersey, is not certain.

Pieter, stated to have been born March 29, 1699 at Gowanus, is the seventh child and sixth son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus. No record of baptism has been found. Hoffman covers Pieter Brouwer at TAG 24 (1948): 28. He attributes this birth date to "Ms. notes," without being specific. Totten, in "Anneke Jans and Her Two Husbands," NYGBR 56 (1925): 234, gives this same date and cites the "Hill Manuscript" as the source. Considering the original source cited by Totten, this date of birth has to be taken with a grain of salt. Placement of Pieter in the family of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus is based upon cross-sponsorships at the baptisms of grandchildren of Jacob and Annetje. Pieter stands as a sponsor at baptisms for children of Sybrandt Brouwer and Jacob Brouwer (wife Petronella de la Montagne) and for Anna Elisabeth Brouwer (husband Jacob Quackenbosch). In turn, Jacob Brouwer stands as a sponsor at the baptisms for a few of Pieter Brouwer's children. Pieter was married three times, first to Elizabeth Quackenbosch (daughter of Benjamin Quackenbos and Claasje Webber) on November 18, 1721 at New York. His second marriage was to Cathatina Thong on April 14, 1750 at New York. She died within a year of that date, and Pieter married, third, Sara Kip (daughter of Pieter Kip and Immetje van Dyck) on October 17, 1751 at New York. Pieter lived in New York City and died there on August 10, 1780, "in his 81st year," according to the New York Gazette, and Weekly Mercury. All of his children were by his first wife.

Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus' eighth child and second daughter was Wyntje, baptized on October 1, 1701 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. Sponsors were Johannes Kip and Rachel Kierstede, wife of Willem Teller (members of Annetje Bogardus' extended family). Wyntje was named for Annetje Bogardus' mother, Wynnetje Sybrants. She is erroneously recorded in a few later records as "Tryntje." Wyntje married Richard Petit on November 26, 1722 at the Newtown Presbyterian Church. They had nine children. She is covered by Hoffman at TAG 24 (1948): 28.

The ninth child, third daughter, and last verifiable child of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus was Magdalena, baptized on March 8, 1704 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, sponsors Dirck Adolf (no known relationship) and Arientje Kierstede (no known relationship). She was certainly named for her grandmother, Magdalena Verdon. Magdalena is covered by Hoffman briefly at TAG 24 (1948): 28, where he states his objection to prior claims that she was the wife of (either) Joost Vredenburg or John Drake. Both of these incorrect claims are elaborated on in the later pages of "Brouwer Beginnings." Hoffman does not suggest a husband for Magdalena. William B. Bogardus, Dear Cousin... (1996), chart 7E, states that she married Willem van Oort, son of Goosen van Oort and Maria Peeck, and brother of Maritje van Oort who was the wife of Magdalena's brother, Willem Brouwer. This marriage is based on circumstantial evidence, and if correct would imply that Magdalena was married at age 15 or 16 to a man who was 14 years her senior. The couple lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and no baptism records for any children are found. There are five, "probable" children for Willem van Oort and his wife, Magdalena (whoever she may be) and they will be elaborated on in a future post.

All of the above children will be the subjects of individual write-ups in future posts.

 A tenth child of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus is stated to be John Brouwer. No record of baptism is found for a John, son of Jacob Brouwer, and he is not found in Hoffman's "Brouwer Beginnings" account of the family. William B. Bogardus in Dear Cousin: A Charted Genealogy of the Descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus (1605-1663) to the 5th Generation, and of her sister, Marritje Jans (1996), chart 7A, places John in this family with the "possible" birth date of September 5, 1692 (at Brooklyn). On October 24, 1711, "John Broun" was married to Antje van Oort, daughter of Goosen van Oort and Maria Peeck (and sister to the above mentioned Marritje van Oort, wife of Willem Brouwer) at New York. John and Antje had one child, Maria, baptized at New York on August 24, 1712, at which a sponsor was (the above) Willem Brouwer (the other sponsor, Elsje Witten, was a sister of Antje and Marritje van Oort). This record also gives John's surname as "Brouwn." On August 31, 1712, "John Brouwn," witnessed the baptism of Lucreta Brouwer, daughter of Willem Brouwer. It is therefore assumed that John is a brother of Willem and that his name was consistently mis-recorded as "Brouwn". This, however, may not be a correct assumption. It is observed that the sponsor appearances could be the result of Antje van Oort and Marritje van Oort being sisters rather then Willem and John being brothers. It is also noted that John does not appear in any record with the name "Brouwer." In addition, his daughter, Maria, is recorded as "Maria Brouwn" at her own marriage (October 1, 1732 to William White), and as "Maria Broun" when she appears with her husband as a sponsor for her much younger half-brother, Johannes Cregier. My own opinion is that John's placement in this family is incorrect. He is not likely to have been a son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus, and his correct name may have in fact been, Brouwn (Brown, Braun). John Brouwn was deceased by July 30, 1715, when as "Hanna Browne," Anna Van Oort married Simon Cregier at the New York Reformed Dutch Church. Simon Cregier and his wife, recorded as Anna Van Oort, Anna Van Oost, or Antje Van Oort, had nine children baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church between 1716 and 1734.

The Family of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus

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Family of Willem Brouwer (son of Adam Brouwer)

Willem/William Brouwer was the third son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. He was baptized on March 5, 1651 at the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church. The baptism record does not record his mother's name (as was the common practice during that period in the records). He is named in his father's will of 1692. William is covered by William J. Hoffman in "Brouwer Beginings" (The American Genealogist vol. 23 [1947], pp. 204-206). There are some errors in Hoffman's account of William Brouwer's children.

Willem Brouwer was married at least twice and very possibly, three times. He lived at Gowanus, Long Island at least until 1708. He appears to have remained in the area of Kings County and New York City until at least 1713. Back in 1680 (when William would have been aged 29) a suit was brought against William Brewer, by Joseph Boules, in Richmond County (Staten Island), for assault. No other evidence has been found to confirm that William lived there.

Willem's first wife was Elizabeth Simpson. No marriage record has been found. They were married prior to June 1677. Willem and Elizabeth had five children. She is identified as Elizabeth Simpson in baptism records of her children and as "Lijsbet Pietersen, wife of Willem Brouwer," in 1677 when she is recorded as a member of the Brooklyn Reformed Dutch Church. She was a daughter of Pieter Simpson and his wife Grietje.

Willem Brouwer's second wife was Marthe Boulten (Boulton). Again, no record of marriage has been found, but they were married prior to January 1702 when there first child was baptized at Brooklyn. She is called simply, "Marta" in the baptism records of three children at Brooklyn, and as "Marthe Boulten" in the baptism record of her youngest daughter, Susanne, at the French Protestant Church in New York City in 1712. She may have died at about this time, as she is not found in later records and Willem may have remarried.

Willem, possibly, married as his third wife, Neeltje Thomas, a daughter of Urbanus Thomasen and Maria Schouten. Once again, there is no record of this marriage, however, William, child of William Brouwer and Neeltje Thomas was baptized at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on August 26, 1713 (sponsors were Jan Schouten and Maria Schouten, widow). This marriage is placed with Willem Brouwer based on the fact that no other man named William Brouwer, of marriageable age, and single in 1713, is known. The marriage is likely as it involved two Brooklyn families. One observation that does cause some hesitation is the fact that Willem was forty years older than Neeltje. However, assuming that Marthe Boulton did die in 1712, William would have been left with four children under age ten, and aged 61 himself. Finding a new, younger wife, was a necessity. If the William Brouwer who married Neeltje Thomas is someone other than the subject of this post, then he would be someone for whom no other known record has been identified, and someone completely new to Brouwer family research. [Update: It has since been shown that Neeltje Thomas was not a wife of Willem Brouwer. She married William Brown. See the post of March 15, 2013].

William J. Hoffman, in his account of Willem Brouwer's family in "Brouwer Beginnings", makes some errors. It is necessary to review each of the children.
1-The eldest daughter Magdalena, was baptized 14 September 1679, at Brooklyn, daughter of Willem Brouwer and "Betje" (as recorded in the Brooklyn records) or "Elsje" (as recorded in the Flatbush records). "Betje" is probably a version of "Betty" while "Elsje" may be a variation on "Eliza." Either way it is apparent that Elizabeth Simpson was the mother, as she was Willem's wife at this time. Hoffman mentions that it had previously been stated that she married Joost Vredenburgh. This is not the case (and Hoffman later proves this), as the Magdalena Brouwer who did marry Joost Vredenburgh was a daughter of Nicholas Brouwer (younger brother of William). This Magdalena likely died prior to 1692. In his will, Adam Brouwer, mentions each of his living granddaughters named Magdalena (as they would have been named for his wife (their grandmother), Magdalena Verdon). However, he does not mention one who was a daughter of Willem. If living, she certainly who have been given a mention.
2-The second daughter, Lysbeth/Elizabeth was baptized 12 October 1681 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, daughter of Willem Brouwer and Lysbeth (last name not given). Hoffman, oddly, missed this baptism record despite it having been published and widely available since 1878. Hoffman states, "the year of her birth has been given as 1681, but this cannot be verified." Hoffman correctly discounts previous claims that Lysbeth married Jan Parcell, and correctly states that she instead married Harmen Gerretszen (van Sant). The couple relocated to Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
3-The third child and eldest son was Adolphus Brouwer, baptized 10 August 1684 at Brooklyn. He is recorded as a son of Willem Brouwer and Elisabeth Brouwer, in both the Brooklyn and Flatbush records (the Flatbush records add the word, "Bergen" in parenthesis, but the significance of this is not clear). Hoffman mentions previous claims that Adolphus was married to Jannetje Verdon. As Hoffman makes clear, he was not. Hoffman does not supply any additional info on Adolphus. He was probably unaware of a deed dated 1 August 1704, recorded in Bucks Co., Pennsylvania, between Thomas Stevenson and Thomas Revel that was witnessed by "Adalfas Bruer, A. Wibardlis Vansandt, and Jones Vansandt." I am certain that the witness was this Adolphus Brouwer. I am also of the opinion that it is possible that this Adolphus Brouwer is actually the Adam Brewer who lived at Shrewsbury, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Conventional accounts have claimed that Adam Brewer of Shrewsbury was a son of Jacob Brouwer (brother to Willem) and Annatje Bogardus. However, there is no solid proof to support that belief. Circumstantial evidence may favor this Adolphus (the names Adolphus and Adam were used interchangeably in the early Brouwer generations) as the Adam Brewer of Shrewsbury. But as this idea bucks more then 100 years of claims and "tradition," more proof may be needed. The issue is not settled as of now.
4- Fourth child and second son was Johannes, baptized 18 September 1687 at Brooklyn, son of Willem Brouwer and Elizabeth Brouwer. Hoffman incorrectly states that he is the Johannes Brouwer who "probably" married Aegje Sprong. He is not. The Johannes Brouwer who married Aegje Sprong is a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, a completely unrelated, but contemporary, Brouwer family. Further record of Willem's son Johannes have not been identified. To date I have not found records of any Johannes or Jan Brouwers, born prior to 1700, that have not been placed. It may well be that Willem's son Johannes died at an early age.
5-The fifth child and third daughter was Catharina. Here again, Hoffman misses her record of baptism and simply states, "mentioned by several authorities, but no proof has been found." The baptism record of Catharyn, daughter of Willem Brouwer and Elizabeth Simpsons is in the records of the New York Reformed Dutch Church, dated 5 October 1690. Sponsors were Barent Janszen and Marritje Brouwer (Willem's sister and her second husband). Catharina married Joshua Cresson and the couple's first child (Joshua) was baptized at Bensalem, Bucks Co., Pa. Record of their second child is at Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey, while a third child was baptized at Readington, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. A possible fourth child (Abraham) is later found living at Augusta Co., Virginia, and still later at Surry Co., North Carolina. Catharina was the last child of Willem's first wife, Elizabeth Simpson.
6-The sixth child and fourth daughter, and first child of Willem's second wife, Marthe Boulten, was Jannetje, baptized 8 January 1702 at Brooklyn, daughter of Willem Brouwer and Marta. This event occured 12 years after the baptism of Willem's fifth child and so there was clearly a long period of time between Willem's first two marriages. Hoffman does not follow Jannetje any further and makes no mention of a spouse. It was likely that Jannetje was the wife of Jan Losee (baptized 6 October 1700 at Brooklyn, son of Jacob Losee and Lysbeth ___). The couple first lived in or near Jamaica, Long Island, had children baptized at Raritan and Readington, New Jersey in 1730 and 1732, and children baptized at Morristown, New Jersey in 1745, 1747 and 1750.
7-The seventh child and third son was Samuel, baptized 25 August 1706 at Brooklyn, son of Willem Brouwer and Marta. Hoffman states that according to Our Home, Samuel moved to New Jersey and married Maregrita (___). That is certainly possible. Samuel Brower was on the 1753 list of Freeholders in the Western Precinct, Somerset Co., New Jersey. However, a Samuel Bruer witnessed the will of John Bruer of Somerset County on 29 October 1732. This Jan Bruer (Brower) was clearly a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, and perhaps the Samuel who "moved to New Jersey" was a member of that unrelated family. Or perhaps there were two, unrelated Samuel Browers who moved to New Jersey, one a descendant of Adam Brouwer, the other of Jan Brouwer. Presently there is just too little surviving records to make a clear call. Samuel and Maregrita did have two daughters, both named Annate, baptized at Raritan in 1732 and 1735. No other children have been identified, but as it appears that Maregrita was living in 1747 and Samuel as late as 1760 (witnesses to wills) it may be that other children existed for whom no identifying baptism or other record survives.
8-The eighth child and fifth daughter was Maria, baptized 1 May 1709 at Brooklyn, daughter of Willem Brouwer and Martha (van der Linde's 1983, Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn Records). T. G. Bergen in his early translation of the Brooklyn Dutch Church records records her, apparently in error, as "William" (FHL film #0017529, item 4). The 1983 edition of the Brooklyn Dutch Church records (which is preferred over Bergen's early translation) records her as Maria. Hoffman incorrectly gives the date as 1 May 1708. The correct date is 1 May 1709. Earlier editions of the Brouwer Genealogy Database included T. G. Bergen's, William, along with van der Linde's, Maria. That is now corrected. Willem Brouwer and Marte Boulten did not have a son named William. No further records for Maria have yet been identified, either by Hoffman or by myself.
9-The ninth child, sixth daughter, and final child of Willem's wife, Marthe Boulten was Susanne, baptized on 30 April 1712 at the French Protestant Church in New York City. In this record Martha's surname is given as "Boulten." This is the first and only mention of her surname. However, sposnors at the baptisms of three of her children (Jannetje, Samuel and Susanne) had the surname Bedeuw or Bourdet. Could "Boulten" be an error for either of those names? The marriage banns of Jan Bernie and Antie Koel, dated 25 January 1730, at the First Reformed Church of Tarrytown, Westchester Co., New York, state that Jan Bernie was a widower of Susana Brouwer. No other person named Susana Brouwer, born early enough to have been married and have died prior to 1730 is known (Susanne being a very rare name among the Brouwers). Assuming that it was Willem's daughter Susanne who appears in this record, it is apparent that she married and then died before reaching the age of twenty. Hoffman offers no further info or insight on Susanne.

[Update: The section that follows no longer pertains to Willem Brouwer. See above and the post of March 15, 2013].
The above nine children are all mentioned by Hoffman in his "Brouwer Beginnings." Not mentioned is the possibility that Willem was married a third time to Neeltje Thomas. If the William of this marriage is correctly identified as Willem Brouwer then one, and probably two, additional children are to be added.
10-The likely tenth child of Willem Brouwer was William, baptized 26 August 1713 at New York, son of William Brouwer and Neeltje Thomas. The sponsors, Jan Schoute, and Maria Schoute, widow, were Neeltje's brother and mother. It is likely that William was the William Brouwer who married Lea Maas at the New York Reformed Dutch Church on 17 September 1740 (the record calls them "William Brown and Leah Mosch"). Their son, William, was baptized on 3 November 1742 at New York. The record incorrectly records their surname as "Brown" (not the only time this occurs among various Brouwer families). The mother is, however, recorded as Lea Maas, and the sponsors as Thomas Thomassen and Maria Schouten, widow of Urbanus Thomassen (Neeltje's brother and mother, and great-uncle and great-grandmother to the child). William and Lea had a daughter Geertje ("Brouwn") baptized at New York in 1747, and a son Thomas ("Brouwer") baptized there in 1754. Sponsors for Geertje were Thomas "Brouwn" and Johanna Connour, "j.d." (single woman). Sponsors for Thomas Brouwer in 1754 were"Abner" Brouwer (Abner possibly an error for Abram, relationship not determined as there were numerous men named Abraham Brouwer living at this time) and Angenietje Bennet, widow of Jan Schouten Thomas (Neeltje Thomas' sister-in-law, and a great-aunt by marriage to the child).
11-A possible eleventh child would be Thomas Brouwer, for whom no baptism record has been identified but who stood as sponsor at the baptism of the above William Brouwer's daughter, Geertje, in 1747. Thomas is another name that is exceedingly rare among the early families descended from Adam Brouwer. The first confirmed Thomas Brouwer does not appear until 1739 (a son of Everardus Brouwer and Eva Petit). But the given name "Thomas" would fit right along with this family considering that it was a name certainly taken from Neeltje's family. (For more on the Schouten-Thomas-Thomassen family see Eunice H. Young and Ken Styker-Rodda, "Jan Lucaszen Schouten and His Descendants," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record vol. 115 [1984]: pp. 180-181, 215-219).

What became of Willem Brouwer is not known. In 1708, "Willem Brower and Martha, his wife, of Brooklyn," sold to Cornelius Sleght of Newtown (Queens Co.) a house and garden spot in Brooklyn. They both signed with their marks (Kings Co. Deeds, v. 3, p. 144). In 1713 we have the baptism of his possible son, William, and after that event, nothing. His children by his first two wives did leave Kings County. Daughter Lysbeth is found in Bucks Co. Pa., daughter Catharina in Bucks Co. and then in Hunterdon Co., New Jersey, while son Samuel may have gone to Hunterdon Co., and son Adolphus appears in Bucks Co. (and may have landed in Monmouth Co., N. J.). Daughter Jannetje is in the area of Raritan and Readington, N. J. and eventually is found in Morris Co., N. J. The presumed son William, of possible third wife, Neeltje Thomas, remains in the New York City area, and sponsors at the baptisms of his children are primarily from his mother's family. Perhaps Willem Brouwer died soon after the baptism of William. He would have been aged 62 in 1713. Or perhaps he followed one of his older children to New Jersey or Bucks Co., Pennsylvania. It is noted that Neeltje Thomas, herself, does not appear as a sponsor at any of the baptisms of the children of her son, William. Willem Brouwer is not recorded as a sponsor at any baptism for any of his children (although it must be noted that the recording of sponsors in the records of New Jersey churches was not consistently done).

There exists two records in New Jersey for two different men named William Brewer or Brower, for which neither William is identified. In January 1730, administration of the estate of William Brewer of Amwell, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey was granted to James Chambers. Our Willem Brouwer would have been aged 79 in 1730. In 1735, a William Brower of Readington, Hunterdon Co., a debtor, appeared before the Monmouth County Court of Common Pleas. Our Willem Brouwer would be aged 84, and I doubt this record applies to him. The 1730 estate administration, however, is a record that may belong to our Willem Brouwer.

As of yet, no confirmed descendants of Willem Brouwer have participated in the Brewer DNA Project. Finding one would be fortunate, but I don't hold out much hope. Willem had three confirmed sons (Adolphus, Johannes and Samuel) but there are no confirmed sons for any of the three (unless Adolphus is the Adam Brewer of Shrewsbury). Possible son, William Brouwer, did have two known sons, but their descendants have yet to be traced. Among the persons who have participated in the Brewer DNA project, and who are confirmed genetic descendants of Adam Brouwer, but are yet unplaced, is a descendant of William Brewer of Philadelphia. In 1850, William Brewer was aged 73, said to be born in New Jersey (thus born ca. 1777). While definitely a genetic descendant of Adam Brouwer, the Y-DNA profile for the participant has two mutations that are not found in any of the other Adam Brouwer Group participants (see kit #N46637 at the Adam Brouwer Group DNA Analysis page). This could be a line descended from Willem Brouwer, born in 1651, a son of Adam Brouwer. Finding the traditional genealogical records to support this possibility, has thus far been unsuccessful.

A genealogical summery of the family of Willem Brouwer is now online:

The Family of Willem Brouwer and His (possibly) Three Wives

*Please see the post of March 15, 2013, which explains that the idea Willem Brouwer was married to Neeltje Thomas is incorrect.

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The Family of Matthys Brouwer and Marietje Pieters (Wyckoff)

Matthys Brouwer was baptized on 30 May 1649 at the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church, the son of Adam Brouwer. His mother was not recorded on the baptism register. The absence of the mother's name from the baptismal records was the norm during the period in which Matthys was baptized. Sponsors were Matthys and Barentje Molenaers, a married couple, for whom no family relationship has been discovered with either Adam Brouwer or Magdalena Verdon. Matthys Molenaers was likely a close friend of Adam's, and it appears that Adam may have named his second son for his friend. Matthys is no. 3 in William J. Hoffman's "Brouwer Beginnings," The American Genealogist 23 (1947): 202-204. "Brouwer Beginnings" does not carry descendants further than Matthys' children.

Matthys would have grown up at Gowanus, Long Island, and in early 1673, when he was not quite 24 years old, married Marietje Pieterse, a daughter of Pieter Claesen and Grietje Cornelise Van Ness. Descendants of Pieter Claesen adopted the surname, Wyckoff (with many variations in spelling). Her father Pieter is himself not found in records with the name Wyckoff, and Marietje, as well, is not seen with the surname (the Wyckoff surname, however, is often attached to her patronymic in modern published accounts). The marriage banns for Matthys and Marietje, published at the Reformed Dutch Church at New York on 26 January 1673, read, "Matthys Brouwer, j.m. Van N. Jorck, en Margrietje Pieters, j.d. Van N. Amersfort." This tells us that Matthys was born in New York City (at the time of his birth the city was of course New Amsterdam), and Marietje, who is erroneously called "Margrietje" in the published record (where the error occurred, with the original or with a later transcription, cannot be determined), was born at New Amersfoort, which was also known as Flatlands in Kings County on Long Island. The Wyckoff Family in America (1950 edition), page 13, claims that she was born at Beverwijck (later Albany, New York), and that accounts for the fact that no baptism record for Marietje has been found (church records for Beverwijck/Albany prior to 1683 are lost). Later records always refer to her as, Marietje, and the name Margrietje is not seen in any record other then the marriage bann.

Matthys and Marietje began their married life at Brooklyn, where Matthys can be found on the assessment list of 26 September 1683. In 1706 they began appearing as sponsors for baptisms of grandchildren at the First Reformed Church of Tarrytown, a.k.a. "the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow," in Westchester County, New York. On 18 April 1716, both Matthys and Marietje are listed as church members at Tarrytown. They no doubt finished out their lives in that area.

Matthys and Marietje are given eleven children. Of these seven can be confirmed by baptism records. Son, Peter was baptized at New York in 1676. Hendrick at New York in 1679. Daughter, Willemyntie at Brooklyn in 1682. Aeltje at Flatbush in 1684. Maritje at New York in 1686. Annetje at New York in 1689. And, daughter Willemtje (the second) at Brooklyn in 1693. In addition to these seven, four others have been identified by other means. Daughter Magdalena is named in the will of Adam Brouwer (her grandfather) as the "oldest daughter" of Matthys. She was probably born in 1673 and was Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon's first granddaughter (and was named for her grandmother). Son Samuel Brouwer, probably born about 1677 (he was married by 1695) is identified based upon the fact that Matthys and Marietje stood at sponsors for two of Samuel's children (1706 and 1708), on the fact that Samuel named his first son Matthys (for his father, as would follow tradition), and because Samuel, who was also a member of the Tarrytown Church, stood as sponsor for a number of other grandchildren of Matthys and Marietje (they would be Samuel's nieces and nephews, children of his siblings). Son, Johannes (born about 1691, married by 1711) is placed in the family for the same reasons as Samuel (i.e. baptismal sponsorships, named first son Matthys). Daughter Jannetje (born about 1695) was married on 1 August 1726 to John Pell in the Lutheran Church of New York City. The record of her marriage states that she is a daughter of "Mathias Brouwer, deceased." Of his eleven children, eight are known to have married. Of the eight, children have thus far been found for seven (children for Jannetje have thus far not been found). Of the three for who no marriage has been verified, it is known that the first Willemytje had to have died prior to 1693 when a new born daughter was named in her honor. Sons Peter and Hendrick remain mysteries. No records, other than their baptisms, have been confirmed for either one. T. G. Bergen states in his Early Settlers of Kings County (page 54) that Hendrick went to Raritan (in New Jersey), married Elizabeth and had a son named Adam. That a Hendrick Brouwer lived in the area of Raritan is not disputed. But he was much more likely a son of Adam Brouwer (brother of Matthys) and his wife, Marretje Hendrickse. Records for Westchester County in the early 1700s are scarce. However, the Tarrytown Church records are available. With that in mind it has to be noted that neither Peter nor Hendrick appear among the sponsors at the baptisms of their sibling's children. If living in Westchester county, they most likely would have. Either Peter and Hendrick left the area at an early age, or they died prior to reaching adulthood. But the book should not be closed on either one, yet. It should also be noted that Matthys did not name a son for his father, Adam. He did name his eldest daughter, Magdalena, for his mother. While the eldest son, Pieter, was named for Marietje's father (Pieter Clasesen), the couple did not name a daughter for her mother, Grietje.

Unfortunately, Matthys did not leave a will, and no estate settlement has been found for either himself nor his wife. If they existed, such documents would certainly have been helpful in discovering the fate of sons Peter and Hendrick. The lack of records for an estate settlement is not too unusual for persons who lived in Westchester County at the time that Matthys and Marietje did, as few actually owned land (most were tenants on "Manors"). It is known that Matthys was deceased by 26 July 1726 when he stated as such in his daughter Jannetje's marriage record. Marietje was living on 26 September 1725 when she was a sponsor at the baptism of her grandson Mattheus Vos. It is likely that Matthys was actually deceased by this date, for if he were alive he would have likely been a sponsor for his namesake as well.

Descendants of Matthys Brouwer with the BROUWER, BROUWER or BREWER surname would have to be descendants of either son Samuel, of which there may be quite a few, or through son Johannes, which if any, would likely be fewer in number. Johannes had at least one son who is known to have had children (although no confirmed grandsons have been found). Thus far, no confirmed descendants of Matthys Brouwer have participated in the Brewer DNA Project, and therefore we do not yet know of any Y-DNA mutations that might distinguish descendants of Matthys from descendants of his brothers. We would love to see a confirmed descendant join the project!

A summery of the family of Matthys Brouwer and Marietje Pieterse is now online.

Details and source citations can also be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

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