More Corrections to the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD)

 Four of the corrections that follow were discovered while conducting research focused on the Brouwer families found in the records of Hunterdon, Somerset and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey. The fifth from some further research into the family of Johannes Brouwer and Perkins Lambert.

1. Daniel, baptized 24 June 1764 at the North Branch Reformed Dutch Church in Readington, New Jersey, son of Daniel Brouer and Marya (___). The BGD places Daniel in the family of Daniel Brouwer (bp. 5 Jul 1719, d. 15 Jan 1791) and Marietje Koning (bp. 22 March 1724, d. ___). This placement is incorrect. Daniel (bp. 24 June 1764) belongs in a different family not found on the BGD. The family of Daniel Brouer/Brower/Brouwer and his wife Maria/Marya (____) will be covered in a future post pending further research. [A correct citation for the baptism is: "Readington Church Baptisms From 1720," Somerset County Historical Quarterly vol.4-8 (1915-19) 5:146. Daniel and Maria; parents: Daniel Brouer and Maria; no witnesses recorded]. In addition, Daniel did not die before February 1768. He may well have lived into adulthood. Eight of Daniel Brouwer and Maria Koning's (remaining) ten children, including their own son Daniel (bp. 28 Feb. 1768) were baptized at Schraalenburgh. This one baptism at Readington is an outlier and belongs in a different family. To be clear: There are TWO distinct families headed by couples named Daniel Brouwer/Brouer and Maria (in one case, Marietje Koning and in the other Maria/Marya (___) found in New Jersey during the same period of time. The family of Daniel Brouwer and Marietje Koning originates in Bergen County, New Jersey (ten children with eight baptized at Schraalenburg between 1744 and 1768), then removed to the Conewago settlement in York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania during the mid 1770s, and then on to Harrodsburg, Mercer Co., Kentucky where Daniel Brouwer died in early 1791. The family of Daniel Brouer and Maria/Marya (___) had six children baptized in more than one of the Reformed Churches of the Raritan River valley area in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey between 1755 and 1770. This family IS NOT found on the BGD and will be covered in a future post.
   
2. Hendrick Brouwer, had daughter Sara baptized 25 October 1727 at Harlingen, Somerset Co., New Jersey, the mother being Rachel Bon. The profile here places this Hendrick as a possible son of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans. Scratch that. The reasoning supplied on the BGD was that a Hendrick Brewer witnessed the will of Johannes Luyster (3 Aug. 1766). Johannes Luyster lived at Middletown in Monmouth County, New Jersey and the Hendrick Brewer who witnessed that will is more likely one who we do know was living at Middletown at this time (he being this Hendrick Brewer). This one record of the baptism of a daughter (Sara) is the only confirmed record for Hendrick Brouwer that we have in the Raritan River valley region of central New Jersey. We do not know Hendrick Brouwer's ancestry, and we have no evidence to make a reliable suggestion. It is best to leave his ancestry open to all possibilities until  additional records and evidence can be found. We hope to have more regarding Hendrick Brouwer and Rachel Bon, as well as the multiple Hendrick Brouwers of Hunterdon, Somerset and Middlesex Counties in a future post. For now, remove Hendrick Brouwer from the family of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans. We have NO evidence that this couple had a son named Hendrick.
   
3. Annatje Brouwer and her supposed sister Catherine Brewer are placed respectively as probable and possible daughters of Pieter Brouwer and Annatje Jans, the same couple in no. 2 above. Remove both Annatie and Catherine from the family of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans. The 2007 article, "Jan Brouwer of Flatlands and Descendants," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol.138 (2007) places Annatje, but not Catherine, as a daughter of Pieter Brouwer and Antje Jans. My own rationalization for this (back in 2007) was that Annatje was a daughter was based on the baptism record of Joannes, son of Pieter Brouwer and Antje Van Dyk at Freehold-Middltown (Monmouth Co.) dated 21 March 1756, with one witness: Antje Brouwer. Annatje who was known as the wife of Abraham Lane/Laen was placed as this witness and then assumed to be a daughter of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans, only because there was no other Annatje known. At closer inspection, it is more likely that the witness for this baptism was the child's paternal grandmother, Antje (Van Dyk) Brouwer who was living at the time and had not yet remarried James Johnson (marriage license dated 24 March 1761). This leaves Annatje, the wife of Abraham Lane/Laen, with no identifiable parents (as of this writing, although I do have a much better alternative in mind). Catherine is known from only one record - in May 1734 at the Harlingen Reformed Church she was witness for the baptism of Lucretia, daughter of Abraham Lane and Hanatie Brouer, the witnesses being recorded as Pieter Janse and Katryntye Brouer. At this writing we have no other record for Catherine/Katryntye. With such limited info we cannot determine her correct relationship to Annatje with complete certainty. She could be a sister (I think very likely), but she might not be. She could be her mother (less likely but as of this writing cannot be ruled out). More work to be done here, however, without additional records it is prudent to remove Annatje and Catherine from the family of Pieter Brouwer and Annetje Jans. [Please also note that there are errors with regards to Abraham Lane and in particular, his father Adriaen Lane as they appear on the BGD. Researching the very large and complicated Lanen Van Pelt families in detail is beyond the scope of my own research. For a better understanding please see Mike Morrissey, "Notes on Descendants of Gysbert, Son of Matthias Lanen Van Pelt"]. Also see no. 4...
   
4.  Corrections to the family of Abraham Lane and Annatje Brouwer. Remove the daughter Petronelly. As Mike Morrissey points out in the above referenced piece, no record of baptism (as claimed by Honeyman in SCHQ 2:217) exists. He likely confused her with Peternlte, daughter of Abraham Lot and Yante, who was baptized at Harlingen, March (not May) 30, 1748 ["Reformed Dutch Church of Harlingen, Baptisms," Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, 17:86]. Remove Petronelly from this family. The placement of son Jan, not mentioned in his father's will, also can be questioned. The baptism record at Raritan, 6 Dec. 1730, lists his parents as Abraham Layn and Ariaentie (not Annatje). This baptism would conflict with that of his sister Jannetje who was baptized at Harlingen 15 April 1730, only eight months earlier. Yes, there are issues with estimating actual birth dates from the baptism dates at Raritan and the associated Reformed churches, but neither Petronelly nor Jan are mentioned in their claimed father's will. Mike Morrissey (again see the above reference) suggests that Jan is a son of Abraham Bodyn/Bodine and his wife Ariaentje Jans Van Nuys. I would suspect that he has good reasons for this statement. So, either the father's surname in the published record is incorrect, OR, the mother's given name is incorrect. For now I'll follow Mike's lead and suggest removing Jan from the family of Abraham Lane and Annatje Brouwer. The baptism record is found at "First Reformed Church Raritan (Somerville) Baptisms," Somerset County Historical Quarterly, 2:215. 
5. Thomas Brouwer. The BGD shows Johannes Brouwer (bp. 1747) and his wife Perkins Lambert with a son Thomas, born "say 1778." I don't recall my original source for this information, and you will notice that there is no citations involved with this profile. There is, however, a caveat stating that, "this placement is questioned." The Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia does record a baptism for a "son of John and Pirkins Brouwer, of New York" [Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Records, 1753-1914; (Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian Historical Society, 1982), FHL 973460 (DGS 7903469):48]. It is important to recognize that in this record the son's name is not recorded. Unless, or until evidence is found showing that Johannes and Perkins (Lambert) Brouwer had a son named Thomas, this profile should be changed from Thomas, to A son (name unknown). Please also not that the claimed death date of 1823 for Johannes Brouwer has not been verified.
   

In addition to the above there is a substantial correction to the family of Jan Brouwer and Helena (which is not her correct given name) Van Cleef  which will require a post onto itself to explain. Look for a future post on this important correction.

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Hunterdon County, New Jersey Deeds - Samuel Brewer and Rebekah His Wife of Amwell Twp.

 Abstracts of deeds from Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Also see the post of August 10, 2021.

Year Grantor Book:Page Grantee

1802 Samuel Brewer  8:3 Thomas Wilson: Dated 1 May 1802. Samuel Brewer and Rebekah his wife of Amwell Township, to Thomas Wilson of the same place, for four hundred and eighty pounds lawful money, convey two certain lots or parcels of land situated in the township aforesaid and bounded as follows. Lot no. 1 begins at a post corner to Aaron Pealls land and from there runs north fourteen degrees west twenty six chains on line of John Lamberts land to a hickory tree marked for a corner thence by land of Garret Vandolah north fifty degrees east twenty chains to a (?) and stone for a corner thence south fourteen degrees east twenty six chains to a stone corner in a line of the aforesaid Aaron Pealls land then along the same south forty seven degrees west twenty six chains to the first mentioned corner, and contains fifty acres of land. Lot no. 2 begins at a stone corner in line of the aforesaid Aaron Peall's and thence runs north eighteen degrees west twenty seven chains to a stone corner in the line of the aforesaid Garret Vandolah's land then along the same north forty six degrees east three chains and thirty two links to a large white oak tree for a corner then eighteen degrees east twenty seven chains to a corner then south forty six degrees west three chains and thirty two links to the place of beginning containing eight acres of land... Signed by Samuel Brewer and Rebekah Brewer. Witnesses Jno. Lambert and J(?) Coryell. Recorded September 25, 1802.

1805 Samuel Brewer 11:331 Jonathan Smith: Dated 11 May 1804. Samuel Brewer of the Township of Amwell and Rebecca his wife convey to Jonathan Smith of the Township of Hopewell, Hunterdon County, for the sum of four hundred and thirty seven dollars and thirty three cents, one certain messauge or tract of land situated in the Township of Amwell, butted and bounded as follows beginning at a stone standing in the line of Robert Lanning also in the township line thence north eighty six degrees east fourteen chains sixty six links to a stone corner to said Henry Phillips in the township line thence north thirteen degrees west fifteen chains seventy five links to a Line Tree in said Phillips line thence south sixty degrees west six chains to a hickory bush for a corner thence north eighty six and a fourth degrees west nine chains and seven links to a stone for a corner thence south thirteen degrees east fourteen chains fifty six links to the beginning, containing twenty and a half acres of land...with appurtenances, privileges, etc. Signed Samuel Brewer, Rebekah Brewer. Witnesses: Geo. Holcombe, John Rose. Acknowledged by Samuel Brewer and Rebekah Brewer, examined apart from her husband, 18 May 1805 by John Smith one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas.

Notes: I have not identified Samuel and Rebekah Brewer. It must be remembered that Hunterdon County was home to descendants of both Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L.I. and of descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L.I., although I have the impression there were more of the former compared to the latter. The will of John Barber of Amwell, Hunterdon County, dated 22 February 1795, was witnessed by William Taylor, Samuel Brewer and William Naylor. Inventory of the estate of John Barber was taken 1 August 1795, by Samuel Brewer and William Taylor [Elmer T. Hutchinson, editor, Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey First Series Vol.37; Calender of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc., Vol. 8, 1791-1795 (Jersey City, N.J.: Scott Printing Co., Printers, 1942):27]. I would suspect that the Samuel Brewer of the deeds and the one who witnessed the will were one and the same persons. If so, Samuel was an adult by 1795, and so was born by at least 1774 and probably earlier, even as early as 1740s or 1750s. As such he would have been among the fourth or fifth generation descended from either Jan Brouwer or Adam Brouwer, that is either a great-grandson or great-great grandson of one or the other.

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Nicholas Brower and Mary A. Green, Widow of Levi Green

If this post was on Wikipedia it would be called a stub. It's been sitting in the draft file for nearly a year now and it appears that I'm not going to have the time to explore the issue further, so perhaps I should just get what little I know out there to see if anyone else might be able to contribute.

The question here is who is the Nicholas Brower who married Mary A., the widow of Levi Green sometime between 29 April 1841 and 2 December 1841. The two abstracts that follow explain this choice of dates.

The following deed is found in Oneida County Land Records Vol. 103, p. 482:
Nicholas Brower and Mary A. Brower (late Mary A. Green) widow of Levi Green late of Rome, Oneida County, deceased in consideration of the sum of five hundred forty nine dollars and sixteen cents paid by John Stryker, Surrogate of the County of Oneida...being the sum in gross set off to the said Mary A. Brower (late Mary A. Green) for her right and claim of Dower in the real estate of said Levi Green, deceased, lately sold by the order of said Surrogate... Dated 2 December 1841. Recorded 5 January 1842. Signed by Nicholas Brower and Mary A. Brower, witnesses: Wm. C. Pease, Jm. P. Barney, late of Michigan, Kalamazoo County (this last name is not entirely clear).

The issue of the estate of Levi Green was taken up in the Surrogate's Court of Oneida County on 29 April 1841 (Oneida Co. Administrations 1:116). Administrators of his estate were Alva Whedon and James Merrill. Calvert Comstock was special guardian of the minor children of Levi Green, named as DeWitt Clinton Green, Henry Green and Sam Green. Mary A. Green is mentioned as administratrix. An accounting of the payments made by the administrators is found at 1:118. This entry is dated 7 December 1841.

What little I have been able to learn about Levi Green comes from History of Oneida County, New York; With Illustrations..., by Samuel W. Durant (1878), pages 174, 207, 465 and 627. He apparently was in Oneida County by 1814 when he owned a building that was store at Nisbett Corners in Lee Center later owned by Charles Stokes. On 3 August 1816, in Oneida County, Charlie Wylie and Lucretia his wife, Parker Hallick and Levi Green, all of Rome sold a parcel of land to Treadwell Soper, land in Lynchville in the Town of Rome Oneida Co. Deeds 30:79). On 20 May 1836, Levi Green and Mary his wife, of Rome, sold a parcel in Rome to John B. Bradt and Seth Roberts (Oneida Co. Deeds 76:69-70).

From the above we know that Levi Green was an adult by 1814; he had property in Lee Center in 1814; lived in Rome in 1816 and 1836; and was married to Mary prior to 20 May 1836. He died prior to 29 April 1841, and he had three children, all minors in 1841, namely DeWitt Clinton Green, Henry Green and Sam Green. Thus far I have been unable to identify with any degree of certainty, any of the three in later records. I come across the names in searches, but can't conclude that the search findings correspond to any of the three named children. Curiously, I have also been unable to identify Levi Green as a head of household on any of the U. S. census records from 1820, 1830 or 1840, when he should be found in Oneida County. Perhaps he, and his family, lived in a household headed by another, perhaps one of Levi's parents or even one of Mary's parents. Mary's maiden name is not known. We would like to lean what it was.

I find even less regarding Nicholas Brower. In fact other than the deed noted above, I find no mention or record of a Nicholas Brower in Oneida County. He and Mary may have lived elsewhere (outside of  Oneida County) when the deed was written. The deed itself does not say where they lived. It only states that Levi Green was "late of Rome."

We would like to identify this Nicholas Brower, and learn the family name of Mary, the widow of Levi Green, and wife of Nicholas Brower prior to 2 December 1841. Should anyone have any knowledge of the couple, or any potential leads, please share them using the Comments for this post. Thank you.

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Our Unplaced Genetic Descendants of Adam Brouwer Continued

This continuation of the May 4th post adds five more earliest known but unplaced ancestors of members of the Brewer DNA Project's Adam Brouwer Sub-Group. Can you help our Project members break through their brick walls?

The Ten Continued

     6. William Brewer is found in Southwark, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850 and may be the William Brewer whose death on 23 December 1867, age 73 (so born about 1794) is recorded in Philadelphia. The 1850 U. S. census gives his age as 73, placing his birth at about 1777, but the 1850 census may be overstating his age. The 1820, 1830 and 1840 census records are inline with the death record, and William was likely born between 1794 and 1805. His four known children were born between 1826 and 1835, and so this too would favor the later birth date for William. The 1850 census gives his place of birth as New Jersey. William's wife was named Ann. Her family name is not known. She appears to be the Ann Brewer who died on 17 May 1850, age 60. She nonetheless appears on the 1850 census, age 60, born in New Jersey. Both William and Ann are buried at the Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Church cemetery in Philadelphia. Southwark is today a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia. Our one Y-DNA tested descendant is a descendant of William and Ann's son Joseph whose name is recorded as BREWER in 1850 and 1860, but then as BROWER in 1870, 1880 and 1900. He was born in September 1828 according to the 1900 census. His wife was Elizabeth McGregor and they are found in Philadelphia from 1850 through 1880, while the 1900 census has Joseph at Ocean City, Cape May County, New Jersey. Joseph died on 3 May 1908 in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama. His son Joseph Brower, Jr. (1856-1926) had relocated to Jefferson County, Alabama by 1900. Elizabeth had died 23 February 1900 at Ocean City, New Jersey. See the posts of October 29, 2013 and November 3, 2013.

     7. Jeremiah John Brower was, as calculated from his age at death, born 27 August 1815 (died 2 April 1887, age 71y 7m 6d). His enumerations on the 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 U. S. census records consistently record that he was born in New York. Jeremiah married Sarah Jane Woods on 4 February 1849 in Cass County, Indiana. The 1850 census at Clinton, Cass County, Indiana mistakenly records him as "James Brown" or Brower, but the appearance of wife Sarah and one year old son John W., point to this being Jeremiah. The family moved to Lucas County, Iowa in about 1853 and lived there in Jackson Township for the remainder of Jeremiah and Sarah's lives. Sarah died in 1891, and was a daughter of John Woods and Susannah Buffington. The couple had seven children and our one Y-DNA tested descendant is a descendant of their son James Allen Brower, born 20 January 1862. He too remained in Lucas County until his death in 1920. It is suspected that Jeremiah is a son of a John Brower who is found in Cass County, Indiana on the 1840 U. S. census age 70-80 (so born 1760-1770). The remaining household consists of one male aged 20-30 (which would fit Jeremiah) and one female aged 20-30. The given name, Jeremiah, is only found, during the colonial period, among the descendants of Adam Brouwer's sons Nicholas and Abraham, and we believe he would be a descendant of one of the two. A John Brower, age 60-70 (born 1760-1770) is found on the 1830 U. S. census in Petersburg, Rensselaer County, New York. His household includes a male age 10-15 which again matches Jeremiah's age at the time. Although found at Petersburg in 1800, 1810 and 1820, John Brower is not found at Petersburg in 1840. Jeremiah Brower of Highgate, Vermont died at Petersburg in 1822 and his son, Jeremiah, lived at Petersburg through 1840 before moving to Green County, Wisconsin. Could John Brower be an unknown son, or nephew, of Jeremiah Brower? See the posts of 29 January 2012 and 24 December 2013.
     8. Jacob Brewer married Lavinia Smith on 14 March 1815 at Chatham, Lower Canada, on the north side of the Ottawa River. Today, Chatham is in the Argenteuil R. C. M., Laurentides Region of the Provence of Quebec. The dates of his birth and death are not known but he likely died about 1824 as his wife is called "widow of Jacob Brewer" on the 1825 census of Lower Canada. Lavinia was born about 1794 or 1795 in Vermont, so perhaps Jacob was born about that time or a bit earlier. Four children have been identified. Born between 1816 and 1823, three were sons who have numerous descendants. 34 grandchildren of Jacob the Brewer surname. Our one Y-DNA tested descendant is a descendant of Jacob and Lavinia's son John Alexander Brewer who was married twice and had sixteen children. John lived at Renfrew, Canada West/Ontario, Canada and relocated to Seattle, King County, Washington by 1904. Descendants are numerous in the Pacific northwest. Lavinia Smith was remarried to Samuel Dodge (probably about 1825) and had at least two children, but possibly more. She married for a third time to John Shoswood Donaldson and had two Donaldson children (born in 1837 and 1839). Other than his marriage and the census mention of his widow in 1825, we only have a record of a grant of land to a Jacob Brower at Barnston, Stanstead, which is in Quebec across the international border from Derby, Orleans County, Vermont. It is not near Chatham, and the record may belong to a different Jacob Brower/Brewer. See the post of February 26, 2013.
     9. John G. Brewer, said to have been born in 1795 at Trenton, New Jersey, died 27 January 1886, age 91, in Greene County, Ohio. His gravestone with the same date of death gives his age at death as 91y 5m 8d which calculates to a date of birth of 19 August 1794. The 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 census records all agree in stating his place of birth as New Jersey. He was at Miami, Greene County, Ohio on the 1830 U. S. census and his marriage to Sarah Miller on 6 March 1823 is recorded in Greene County. John and Sarah had nine children born between about 1824 and 1847. Our one Y-DNA tested descendant is a descendant of their son Charles Brewer (1836-1897) who remained in Greene County through his entire life. Charles was married to Rosanna Nevius whose surname will be recognized by anyone familiar with the families of the greater New York City area during the colonial period (her surname is also recorded as Nevis, Neves and Nevins). Middle names, as we know them and how they are used today, were not common at the time John was born. A middle initial (such as John's "G") usually referred to the name of the individual's father. Sort of a remnant from the days of patronymics. Could John's father have been named George? John and Sarah named their eldest son, born about 1824, George A. Brewer. Other sons were named William H., John G. and David Russell Brewer. Middle names were more popular as the 1800s progressed. The daughters were Rebecca, Paulina G., Sarah E., and Martha L. See the post of July 10, 2014.
    10. John Brewer, of Broadalbin, New York, died 13 August 1849, age 53y 10d. His calculated date of birth is 3 August 1796. He was likely born in New York, but exactly where is not known. His wife was Elsie Mosher who is found as a head of household on the 1850 U. S. census at Broadalbin. In 1860 she is in the household of her daughter Mary and son-in-law David Carson at Victor, DeKalb County, Illinois. She died in 1878 or 1879 in Chariton County, Missouri where she is buried. John was originally buried in the North Broadalbin Cemetery and then removed in 1930 to Union Mills Cemetery when the Great Sacandaga Lake was created. Our one Y-DNA tested descendant is a descendant of John and Elsie's son James Brewer, born about 1825 in New York and died in 1877, presumably in Chariton County, Missouri where he was living in 1870. James Brewer's first wife was Sarah Reeves. Broadalbin was formed out of the town of Caughnawaga, Montgomery County, in 1770. Johnstown and Mayfield were created from Broadalbin in 1793 and Fulton County was set off from Montgomery County in 1838. Present day Broadalbin is in Fulton County, New York. The area around Broadalbin saw a large migration of families to it in the years following the Revolutionary War. The rise of the manufacturing of leather goods, particularly gloves, attracted people from other parts of New York, New Jersey and New England. James Brewer died prior to 1880 when the birth places of parents were first recorded on the U. S. census. However, his brother John Brewer did live long enough to be recorded in both 1880 and 1900. The census records for both of these years give John's parent's places of birth as "New York." The larger Mosher family, whose origins were in Rhode Island, did have branches found in Dutchess County during the second half of the 1700s. Elsie, a daughter of a Samuel Mosher, is said to have been born in Saratoga County, New York. See the post of March 15, 2017.

Insight and factual information into the origins, and identity of the parents of any of the above is welcomed and hoped for. Please use the Comments option below or send an e-mail to Brouwer Genealogy's new e-mail address.

In addition, of the ten mentioned above and in the previous post, four descendants have taken the advanced Big-Y test with Family Tree DNA. The four are the descendant of John G. Brewer, and three of the descendants of Peter Brewer. We are also awaiting Big-Y test results for the descendant of John Brewer of Broadalbin. Our use of the Big-Y test for potentially identifying lines of descent from Adam Brouwer has been hindered by the fact that (to date) we have a Big-Y test from only one member who can prove his complete ancestry back to Adam. That member is a descendant of Adam's son Abraham Brouwer. The Project very much needs other previously tested descendants of Adam Brouwer's sons Pieter, Jacob and Nicholas, to step up and take the Big-Y test. If we can get enough tests from those proved descendants, we may be able to help out their cousins who are still looking to complete their ancestries. For more info on Big-Y, please contact the administrators of the Brewer DNA Project.

Photo by Pawal Wozniak, Wikimedia Commons

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Review of Our Unplaced Genetic Descendants of Adam Brouwer

Since its inception in 2005, the Brewer DNA Project has grown to include 290 members, 36 of whom have been placed in the Sub-group, "Adam Brouwer, Gowanus, L. I." Of these 36 members there are 21 who can, through traditional genealogical research, prove a direct paternal ancestry back to Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. In addition there are 13 members who we know must be descendants of Adam Brouwer (by virtue of their Y-DNA test results) but who still cannot find the link between their earliest known paternal ancestor and Adam Brouwer.* The 13 members with incomplete Brewer ancestries represent ten different earliest known ancestors and the purpose of this post is to provide a quick review the ten. We hope that others who happen upon this post and who may have information or insight regarding the further ancestry of these ten will contact us with a willingness to help.

The Ten

1.  Peter Brewer, probably born during the 1750s in or near Sussex County, New Jersey. He is first seen as an adult in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1783 but soon went to Hardin County, Kentucky where is will dated 2 November 1840 was proved 19 April 1841. His wife was Margaret Hobach (Hoback) who died in 1853 in Larue County, Kentucky. They had seven known children. Three members of the Project can trace their Brewer ancestry to Peter through his son, Valentine Brewer. The three are all descendants of Charles Brewer (1888-1950) a great-great grandson of Peter Brewer. We are currently waiting Y-DNA test results for a descendant of Peter's son, Isaac Brewer. Peter is known to have had a brother named Samuel Brewer who died in 1835 in Mercer County, Kentucky. In his Revolutionary War Pension Application, Samuel stated he was born in Sussex County, New Jersey. His brother Peter provided a deposition. See the post of November 16, 2013.
2. Benjamin Brewer, born 24 April 1755, location unknown, died 6 May 1834 in Washington County, Indiana and his buried in the Cooley-Brewer Cemetery. His wife was Catherine Mellinger who he married on 18 May 1781. Benjamin is found on the tax roll in Tyrone Twp., originally in Westmoreland County and afterwards in Fayette County, Pennsylvania (Fayette was formed from Westmoreland in 1783). Benjamin was enumerated in Tyrone Twp. in 1790 (U.S. census), at Jefferson County, Kentucky in 1800, and later in Washington County, Indiana in 1820 and 1830. He and Catherine are known to have had nine children born between 1780 and 1799. A descendant of Benjamin's son Benjamin (1782-1861) has taken a Y-DNA test. On 20 February 1783, Samuel Brewer of Tyrone Twp. sold land to Benjamin Brewer. This Samuel Brewer is the same Samuel mentioned above, brother of Peter Brewer. Although a relationship is not stated in the deed, we suspect that Peter, Samuel and Benjamin are all brothers. See the post of November 16, 2013. 
3. Henry Brewer, said to have been born in 1763 (unconfirmed) is probably the Henry Brewer found on the 1810 U. S. census, over age 45, at Donegal, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. A Henry Brewer is on the 1783 tax list at North Huntingdon, Westmoreland County. His wife was named Anna Maria and the baptism of their son Henry (called Heinrich Brauer) on 10 October 1788 was recorded by the German Church in Westmoreland County. The younger Henry's birth date was 1 September 1787, and he is found on the 1820 census in Washington, Westmoreland County; on the 1830 census in Salem, Westmoreland County, and on the 1840, 1850 and 1860 censuses in Loyalhanna, Westmoreland County. The younger Henry is the only known child of the elder Henry. His wife was Mary Rudolph and two (believed) sons are Jacob and a third (in line) Henry. A descendant of this Jacob Brewer provides our Y-DNA testing evidence. What is known of the earliest generations of this family is very sketchy, and incomplete. In is conceivable that Henry is a close relation (brother or first cousin) of Peter and Benjamin above. See the post of November 16, 2013.
4. Henry Brewer, of Berkeley County, Virginia and Adams County, Ohio, was born in March 1765, location not known, and died 20 February 1829 in Adams County, Ohio. His wife was Sarah Hawke who died in May 1829. Henry and Sarah were married on 14 February 1786 in Berkeley County, Virginia, a county that is now in the State of West Virginia. Sarah is likely a daughter of Elijah Hawke who can be found in Berkeley County on lists of land holders between 1784 and 1794. Among the eight known children of Henry and Sarah is a son Elijah Brewer. Elijah is a given name that is otherwise not found among the descendants of Adam Brouwer. The Project has one member who is a descendant of Henry's son Charles Brewer, born about 1802 in Virginia and is last found on the 1860 U. S. census in Jefferson, Adams County, Ohio. Charles also gave a son the name Elijah. The key document in researching Henry is his Revolutionary War Pension Application. In his application Henry states that he enlisted at Martinsburg, Berkeley County, Virginia. In 1830, Henry's son Elijah Brewer applied for bounty lands due his father. This document lists Henry's heirs and is the source for reconstructing Henry's family. Some descendants have claimed that Henry's parents were a couple named Abraham Brewer and Mary Wilts. However, no record of any couple with such names has ever been found, and it is doubtful that said couple ever existed. An Abraham Brewer has been found in Berkeley County in 1774 on a "list of tithables," but whether or not Henry is a son of this Abraham Brewer is not known. He could be, but he doesn't have to be, and it cannot be assumed that he is.  See the post of May 9, 2013, and the post of January 15, 2012.
5. Mathew Brewer, was probably born in the later part of the 1750s, location not known but suspected to be either New Jersey or New York. He is last found at Richhill Twp., Greene County, Pennsylvania on the 1820 U. S. census, age over 45. In 1815 a Mathew Brewer applied for 48 acres in Buffalo Twp., Union County, Pennsylvania. In 1810, Mathew Brewer is found on the U. S. census at Morris, Greene County, over age 45. In 1800, Mathew Brewer is found on the U. S. census in Bedford County (Bethel and Belfast Townships). In 1793 a Mathias Brewer is found on the June tax list in Lebanon, New Jersey which is in Hunterdon County. I would suspect that this Mathias Brewer is the one later found in Bedford and then Greene Counties. Mathew's wife was believed to be an Emery, perhaps Mary or Elizabeth. A Mary Emery, daughter of Jacob and Eva Emery was born in Lebanon, New Jersey on 5 March 1759. Dates of death or records of probate have yet to be found for either Mathew or his wife. It is believed that he had eight children, seven of whom are named in an account authored by his grandson James A. Brewer. An eighth child, Jacob Brewer who married Cassandra McDonald is also claimed as a son of Mathew Brewer. Two members of the project have taken Y-DNA tests. One is a descendant of James A. Brewer whose father Conrad Brewer was a son of Mathew. Conrad is an unusual name among the descendants of Adam Brouwer, but the Jacob Emery mentioned above was a son of Conrad Emery who is found on the tax roll in Lebanon, New Jersey in 1778. The second Project member who has tested is a descendant of Mathew's son John B. Brewer who can be found on the 1820 U. S. census enumerated next to Mathew. John B. Brewer is later found in Porter County, Indiana (1840), Dallas County, Iowa (1850) and finally Madison County, Iowa where it is believed he died in the early 1860s. See the posts of September 11, 2013 and September 18, 2013, as well as the comments left at both posts.

 And so there are five of our ten unplaced earliest known Brewer ancestors. The remaining five will be reviewed in a following post. I would invite anyone with insight, new information or comments to use the Comments feature below to share them with others. If you wish to convey more than what the Comments field will permit, please send correspondence to our new e-mail address.

*We also have one member who has not communicated a Brewer ancestry with the Project, and one other who is a special case involving a known adoption event.

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Council Minutes, 1655-1656

Council Minutes, 1655-1656, transcribed and edited by Charles T. Gehring, was published in 1995 by Syracuse University Press as Volume VI of the New Netherland Document Series. A PDF version can be found online at the New Netherland Institute's website.

Council Minutes, 1655-1656

A physical copy can be purchased from the NNI through their online bookstore, for $55 (as of the date of this post).

This volume includes a short biography (page vi) of Charles T.Gehring, which should be of interest to anyone who spends much time engaged in researching the families and history of New Netherland. The introduction to the records (page xiii) is also a must read. It will provide some insight into the location and formation of local (regional) jurisdictions within New Netherland. Knowledge of  how New Netherland was governed is valuable background for genealogists and family historians attempting to interpret events that effected the lives of their ancestors. 

The surname Brower is found in the index. There are records naming an Eduard Bronje, an Edward Brower, an Eduward Borus, and an Edward Brouse. They all refer to the same Edward. Whether or not Edward's correct surname was Brower, or something closer to Bronje, Borus or Brouse, is not apparent from these records alone.

At pages 40 and 41 is the "Discharge of William Bouwne and Eduard Bronje as guardians of John Ruckman." The date is 5 May 1655. Both William Bouwne and Eduard Bronje are described as inhabitants of Gravesend.

At pages 63 and 64 is a "Letter containing the nomination of officers from Gravesande for the council's approval." The letter is dated 19 July 1655. It announces the choice of "William Bowne, William Wilkins & Edward Brower for our Magistrates and John Morris for schout," for the inhabitants of Gravesend, and asks for confirmation. It was subscribed by Deborah Moody and John Tillton, "cleck in behalfe of the Rest" (which I would assume means the other inhabitants of Gravesend. The reply from the "lord director general" and councilors of New Netherland writes the names of the four men as, Willem Bount, Willem Wilkens, Eduward Borus, and Jan Mourits.

At pages 278 and 279, under date 24 March 1656, John Tillton, clerk at Gravesend, again submits on behalf of the inhabitants there, their choices for Magistrates as "William Boune, William Willkins, and Edward Brouse." Also for John Cooke as shout.

As it turns out, the man found in the above records, is actually named, Edward Brown. And it was not all that difficult to discover this. The History of Long Island..., Volume II (New York: Gould, Banks & Co., 1843) by Benjamin Franklin Thompson, at page 177 has a list of inhabitants at Gravesend in 1656. The only Edward among the group is Edward Brown (the name is listed here twice). This volume can be found online at Internet Archive. The variations in his name, found above, are simply examples of the fact that spelling was not standardized in the 1600s, that the Dutch clerks and scribes spelled phonetically and had particular difficulty with non-Dutch names, and also of the difficulty in reading, transcribing and translating these old documents that were created some 350 or so years ago. [William Bouwne/Bowne/Bount/Boune, was William Bowne who came to Gravesend from Salem, Massachusetts where he was a freeman in 1637.]

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Reviewing the Unplaced Genetic Descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.

I have been researching Jan Brouwer, of Flatlands, L. I., and his descendants now for roughly ten years. In addition the Brewer DNA Project has been in existence for about the same period of time. Of the Project's total of 239 members, thirty (12.5%) are included in the "Jan Brouwer/Hermans Group". Among the members there are a handful who can reliably trace their BREWER/BROUWER ancestry completely back to Jan Brouwer. However, there are many others who cannot. After ten years, I felt that this was a good time to consolidate what is known about the earliest generations of the descendants of Jan Brouwer (i.e. his sons and grandsons) and match that with what is known about all of his unplaced genetic descendants. The result is a twenty-three page document that I felt was best made available by placing it as a PDF online.

Review of the Early Generations of Descendants of Jan Brouwer and the Possible Placement of Known Genetic Descendants Whose Precise Ancestry is Not Known

The document is free to download, in fact I recommend that those interested do just that. There are numerous links embedded in the document and it is easier to access them from the downloaded PDF. Using this method a new window will open when a link is selected. I also realize that large numbers of footnotes can be distracting and can hamper the reading experience, so I have chosen to try and limit the number and present them as endnotes. Source citations for the genealogical statements made can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, and are not included in the endnotes. The endnotes that are included are important to the document and I suggest that the reader not ignore them. 

Presently, the document is a bit out of sync with the current edition of the Brouwer Genealogy Database which was last updated on May 16, 2014*. In the thirteen months since the last update we have had a number of new participants taking Y-Chromosome DNA tests with the Project, and the data from their tests, and the accompanying lineages are not found in the May 16, 2014 edition. The Brouwer Genealogy Database will be updated within the next week or so, and once it is, this document will be in line with what is found in the database.

My intention with this document is to provide suggestions on the placement of all of the unplaced genetic descendants of Jan Brouwer among is known descendants. This is done based upon the best, known, genealogical evidence available at the time of the writing (June 2015) in conjunction with the data obtained from Y-DNA testing of Jan Brouwer's descendants. As of now, various placements can be described as "most probable", "probable", "possible", and so on, and in general they range in degree from what I would call "tentative" to "speculative." None of them have been fully proved to the extent that meets modern day genealogical research standards. Hopefully the day will come when they can be proved, but that, I leave to others. I am not a descendant of Jan Brouwer. And I have limited time available for continuing research on his descendants. Please use the document as a source of suggestions and possibilities, and as a guide for locations on where to look for confirming evidence and documentation. That is how this document can best be used. And if you do make a new find, or prove a link, PLEASE share it with others in an open and easily accessible way.

As mentioned, you are free and encouraged to download and save the document to your own computer or device for your own use. You are also free to share it with others. However, if you do use it for any work of your own, whether that be publishing your own genealogical work in whatever format, or adding documents and files to one of the numerous online "Family Tree" accounts (like Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com) you are expected to give proper attribution to me, the author. That can be as simple as a link to this blog post.

Good luck with your continued research into the descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I.

Chris Chester

June 19, 2015

Link for a PDF of this Post

*The Brouwer Genealogy Database has now been updated (June 22, 2015).

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The Will of Joseph G. Brower of the City of New York, 1836

The will of Joseph G. Brower of the City of New York, Merchant Tailor, is found in New York County, Surrogate's Court, Will Book 75. Images are online at Family Search in New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971, New York, Wills 1836 vol. 75, new pages 364-366 (old pages 350-351) (images 226-227). Additional documents are found in New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971, New York, Proceedings 1834-1836 vol. 3, pages 384-387 (images 242 and 243).

A summery of Joseph G. Brower's will dated 6 May 1836 (proved 8 August 1836), and what is recorded in the proceedings of 21 July 1836:
Joseph G. Brower, of the City of New York, Merchant Tailor. Directs that all just debts and funeral expenses be paid out of his estate. Executors of the estate are to have at their discretion the ability to sell real estate and to put the proceeds at interest or mortgage for benefit of the estate. Wife Charlotte to have income from said interest for her own benefit and for the education and support of "our children" (not named, nor number of children stated). Appoints as executrix his wife Charlotte and as executors his friends Henry Garner and Edgert Scudder of the City of New York. Witnesses: John M. McKinley, Chas. W. Sandford, both of New York City (addresses given). Proved 8 August 1836. Proceedings dated 21 July 1836 name as the heirs of Joseph G. Brower, his widow Charlotte, and heirs Joseph Henry DeWitt Brower and Charlotte Ann Brower. The widow Charlotte Brower is appointed guardian of the two children. The proceedings also state that Joseph G. Brower died in Brooklyn on 17 July 1836, and that he was a resident of New York County (Manhattan).

From the above it is found that Joseph G. Brower was a merchant tailor, lived in New York City, and died at Brooklyn. His wife's name was Charlotte and they had two children, a son Joseph Henry DeWitt Brower and a daughter Charlotte Ann Brower, both presumed to be minors as their mother was appointed their guardian. Additional searching has found that Joseph G. Brower's death was reported in the New York Herald, July 20, 1838. Unfortunately, the website Old Fulton NY Post Cards, probably the best free site online for New York newspaper images, only has PDFs of the New York Herald beginning in the year 1841.

Further research yields a bit more regarding Joseph G. and Charlotte Brower's family, but nothing on Joseph G. Brower's ancestry or Charlotte's family name. Joseph G. Brower was baptized, presumably as an adult, on 2 June 1826 at the Vandewater Street Presbyterian Church in New York City. Joseph Henry Dewitt Brower, son of Joseph G. and Charlotte Brower, was baptized in the same church on 12 December 1828. He was born on 21 June 1828.

The 1830 U. S. census finds two men named Joseph Brower  enumerated as heads of households in New York County (Manhattan). The first is found in the 7th Ward and the household is one male aged 5-9, and one male aged 50-59. There are no females in the household. The second Joseph Brower is found in the 3rd Ward with a household of one male 10-14, one male 30-39, one female 15-19, two females 20-29, and one female 30-39. There is not enough information here to tell us which one, if either, is Joseph G. Brower. I suspect that neither is Joseph G. Brower.

As noted above, Joseph G. Brower died in 1836, and in 1840, Charlotte Brower is found as a head of household on the U. S. census in New York City's 10th Ward with a household of one male 10-14, one female 5-9, one female 30-39, and one female 40-49. I suspect that this Charlotte Brower is likely Joseph's widow. Also in 1840, Charlotte Brower and Henry Garner, executors of the estate of Joseph G. Brower, deceased, and Joseph Henry DeWitt Brower and Charlotte Ann Brower, were listed as defendants when sued in the Chancery Court in New Jersey by Peter Mount. A notice of this action was posted in the New York Evening Post, apparently in May of 1840 (exact date uncertain, see column two, third up from bottom in this image found online at the fultonhistory.com website). Back in November of 1837, a Bill was introduced in the New Jersey Legislature titled, "An Act for the relief of the Executors and Trustees of Joseph G. Brower, deceased, with an amendment" (Votes and Proceedings of the Sixty-Second General Assembly of the State of New Jersey Legislature, Newark: M. S. Harrison, 1838, page 35).

In 1850, Charlotte Brower is found as the head of a household on the U. S. census in the 16th Ward, 3rd District, New York City, New York County. Her age is given as 47 years and her place of birth as New York. There are three others in the household, Samuel G. Vanusden (as transcribed by Ancestry.com), age 22, a chairmaker; Charlotte A. Vanusden, age 18; and Hester A. Turner, age 12. I am assuming that Charlotte A. Vanusden is Joseph G. and  Charlotte Brower's daughter, and she is the wife of Samuel G. Vanusden. If so, it would have been her first marriage. Hester A. Turner's relationship to the others in the household is, as of now, unknown.

Charlotte Brower household, 1850 U.S. Census (NARA via Ancestry.com)

Charlotte Brower, the widow of Joseph G. Brower, died on 2 May 1887 at her daughter's house in Brooklyn, New York. Her death was reported in the Brooklyn Daily Union, May 4, 1887. Her daughter is described as "Mrs. T. W. Meighan." Her age at death, which may be overstated, is given as 89 years. A search of both the New York County and Kings County Surrogate's Court records did not find a will for the widow Charlotte Brower. It is possible that there are proceedings in the Administration records for Kings County, but that search has not yet been attempted. In 1860 and 1870, Charlotte Brower is found in the household of Thaddeus W. Meighan (recorded on the U. S. census records of those years respectively as "Mahan" and "Meighl"). In 1880, Charlotte Brower, widow, age 80, is found in the household of Charlotte "Minghan" also a widow.

Charlotte Ann Brower, the daughter of Joseph G. and Charlotte Brower, married Thaddeus W. Meighan on 29 March 1852 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in New York City (as stated in a few "Public Family Trees" found on Ancestry.com, none of which display a direct source for the statement). The couple had nine children born between 1852 and 1874. The birth record of one son, Thomas Seaquist Meighan, 2 October 1869 in Brooklyn, can be found online in a Family Search database (here the mother's surname is incorrectly transcribed as "Brown"). In 1860, Thaddeus W. and Charlotte "Mahan" with four children and Charlotte Brower, age 60, are found in Ward 20, District 6, New York City, New York County. In 1870, Thaddeus and Charlotte "Meighl" with seven children, and Charlotte Brower, age incorrectly stated as 60, are found in Ward 13, Brooklyn, Kings County. Thaddeus W. Meighan died 4 January 1874, and his death was reported in a number of New York City area newspapers including the Eastern State Journal (White Plains, New York), 9 January 1874. Thaddeus W. Meighan was apparently a journalist, editor, play-write, author and composer of note in the New York City area during his time. A web search of his name will bring up enough hits to keep anyone interested in perusing his life more, busy for a time. The Eastern State Journal death notice reads as follows:

      "Thaddeus W. Meighan, one of the oldest and most versatile writers of the metropolitan press, died on Sunday last, after a short illness. He had just accepted the position of managing editor of the Express when taken sick. There is not a paper in New York city with which Mr. M. had not at sometime or other been connected."

Charlotte Ann (Brower) Meighan died on 1 May 1922, in Brooklyn at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Frances C. Vander Waag. This as reported in the Brooklyn Standard Union, 3 May 1922. Her death was recorded and is found in the New York City Death Index, Charlotte A. Meighan, age 86, died 1 May 1922, Kings County (cert #9878). A copy would have to be purchased from the New York City Department of Records. It may contain her mother's maiden name.

Joseph G. and Charlotte Brower's son, Joseph Henry DeWitt Brower, is found on the 1850 U. S. census at the correctional facility at Ossning ("Sing Sing") in Westchester County, New York. His age is recorded as 22 years, born in New York City, a clerk, he was incarcerated in 1849, convicted of Grand Larceny.

Joseph H. Brower, 1850 U.S. census (NARA via Ancestry.com)

 The Eastern States Journal (1849, exact date uncertain but likely in October) reports under the Grand Jury proceedings, the case of The People vs. Joseph H. Brower alias Joseph H. Dewitt, indicted for grand larceny, pleading not guilty (second column). On the same page, further down the same column, under September 20, we find that Joseph H. Brower alias Joseph H. Dewitt was found guilty of horse stealing. He was sentenced to two years "apprenticeship under Mr. Porter, warden at Sing Sing." (Image from fultonhistory.com, search using "Joseph H. Brower").

On 11 March 1864,  Joseph H. Brower of New York City, age 36 (b. ca. 1828), enlisted at New York City in Company U, New York 25th Cavalry Regiment. The New York City Death Index has an entry for a Joseph H. Brower, age 76, died 20 January 1905, Kings Co., New York (cert #1434). A copy would have to be ordered from the New York City Department of Records to view other information, such as the names of his parents (if recorded).

Joseph G. Brower wrote his will and died in 1836. His age at death, and where or when he was born is not presently known, nor are the names of his parents or his ancestry. He was a "merchant tailor," and had also been described as a "tailor and draper." His wife, Charlotte's family name is unknown, but the death certificate, filed in Kings County, of her daughter Charlotte Ann (Brower) Meighan, may provide an answer to her identity. Charlotte (___) Brower was born about 1800 (probably between 1798 and 1803). Daughter Charlotte Ann (ca. 1834-1922) has been traced and she left descendants. The life of son Joseph Henry DeWitt Brower (1828-poss. 1905) is known only incompletely. Whether or not he married and has descendants has not been determined. Although it appears that he served during the Civil War (enlisting in 1864) Joseph H. Brower has not been located on the census records of 1860, 1870, 1880, or 1900.

Please feel free to use the comments section to add any additional information.

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John G. Brewer (1795-1886) of Miami, Greene Co., Ohio

The "Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997" database/index at FamilySearch.org includes a record for John G. Brewer, b. 1795 at Trenton, New Jersey, d. 27 Jan 1886, age 91, at Greene Co., Ohio. We do not know who the parents of John G. Brewer are, and we do not know his complete Brewer ancestry, but, thanks to Y-DNA testing of a direct descendant, we do know that John G. Brewer is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island.

The descendant of  John G. Brewer who joined the Brewer DNA Project and took a Y-DNA (111 marker) test is represented by kit #342692, and results and comparisons can be seen on the Y-DNA Chart page under the Adam Brouwer, Gowanus, L.I. Group. Although the descendant has tested at the 111 marker level we can only compare him at 67 markers, as no other descendant of Adam Brouwer has yet tested at 111 markers. At the 67 marker level, our descendant matches kit #s 30185 and 159021 on 67 of 67 markers. He also matches kit #50688 on 66 of 67 markers. Direct lineages for kit #s 30185 and 159021 can be found on the Pieter Brouwer Y-DNA chart at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, while the lineage of kit #50688 is found on the Jacob Brouwer Y-DNA chart. The lineage for the descendant of John G. Brewer will be added to the Adam Brouwer Group Y-DNA results page with the website's next update (probably this coming winter). Adam Brouwer descendant pedigrees are also found online here.

Of the above mentioned matches, kit #s 30185 and 159021 are descendant's of Adam Brouwer's eldest son, Pieter Brouwer, while kit #50688 is a descendant of Adam's son Jacob Brouwer. Although the descendent of John G. Brewer is slightly more closely related genetically to the descendants of Pieter Brouwer than to the descendant of Jacob Brouwer, based upon what we know from traditional genealogical research, I am of the belief that John G. Brewer is more likely a descendant of Jacob Brouwer.

According to his death certificate, John G. Brewer was born in 1795 at Trenton, New Jersey. In 1795 Trenton was within Hunterdon County and today it is within Mercer County. Trenton is the capitol of New Jersey. We can never be one hundred percent certain that birth information recorded on death records is accurate, but until proven otherwise we will take this as being accurate or at least close to accurate. The first hint to John G. Brewer's identity is his middle initial, G.

In 1795, the use of "middle names" which are common today, was very rare. When we find someone from that time period, and notice that he has a middle initial (or name, but usually it is only an initial), what we are most likely seeing is the initial of the given name of the individual's father. It is in a sense, a holdover or transition from the time when patronymics were more common. An exception might be when a child is named for a famous person, which was a practice that began to become popular after the founding of the United States. So, for example, we find males named "George Washington Brewer," or "Benjamin Franklin Brewer," or "John Wesley Brewer" born in the late 1700s and into the 1800s. Technically, I don't know that we should call (in the above cases) "Washington," "Franklin," and "Wesley," middle names. At least not in the same context in which they are used today. Still, in and around 1795, when a male is seen with a middle initial, that initial most often represents his father's given name. In the specific case of our John G. Brewer, my guess is that the G. stands for George, and that John was very likely a son of a man named George Brewer (or Brower).

It is noted above that the descendant of John G. Brewer was a match to two different descendants of Pieter Brouwer on 67 of 67 markers. However, I do not think John G. Brewer's line back to Adam Brouwer is found within either of the two lineages that are matches to John G. Brewer's descendant (again, the lineages can be seen on this chart page). In the case of #159021, the ancestry traces back to Pieter Brouwer's son Matheus Brouwer/Matthew Brewer who lived in the vicinity of Albany, New York and the descendants in this line are found in the Mohawk Valley region of New York, Illinois and finally Wisconsin. John G. Brewer, on the other hand, was born in New Jersey. The lineage for kit #30185, has a better chance of being John G. Brewer's line as well, there is even an ancestor named John G. Brewer (born in 1814) found in this lineage, but still I'm not convinced. This lineage begins with Pieter Brouwer's grandson, Daniel Brouwer, who lived first in Bergen County, New Jersey, then spent a short period of time at the Conewago settlement near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, before settling in Mercer County, Kentucky. In 1795, at the time when our John G. Brewer was born, in New Jersey, Daniel Brouwer's direct descendants were all living in Kentucky. It may be that John G. Brewer is a descendant of Pieter Brouwer through one of his other sons or grandsons, but what gives me hesitation is that the given name, George, which we are assuming is the most likely name of John G. Brewer's father, is just not found among Pieter Brouwer's known descendants.

The 66 out of 67 match with kit #50688 is, in my opinion, more promising. #50688 is a descendant of Adam Brouwer's son Jacob Brouwer and the lineage is online in this chart. If you look at the lineage of the other tested descendant of Jacob Brouwer (kit #32376) you will see an ancestor named George Brewer (b. 1770, d. 1851). I believe that it is this George Brewer who is most likely the father of our John G. Brewer. Unfortunately kit #32376 has only tested at the 25 maker level (he is one of the earliest participants in the Brewer DNA Project) and so an advanced level comparison is not possible. George Brewer, also known as George Brower, was a son of Elazerus Brewer and Frances Morris of Monmouth County, New Jersey. He was married twice and as far as we know lived his life in Monmouth County. There is no known birth or baptism records for the children of George Brewer. He is a grandson of Adam Brewer of Monmouth County, who had joined the Quakers. Adam's children were either Quakers, Baptists, or possibly did not practice any religion, but at any rate, records of baptisms for children are just not found within the Reformed Dutch Congregations in Monmouth County. George Brewer's children are known from his will which was written 1 December 1841 and filed 26 April 1851 in Monmouth County. George Brewer died 23 March 1851. Among his children named in the will is one, John Brower (the Brewer and Brower surnames are both seen in records regarding descendants of Adam Brewer of Monmouth County). I have previously estimated his birth as about 1793, this based simply on how he might fit in with his siblings for whom much more is known. To date, nothing other than the fact he is named in his father's will, is known of George's son, John Brower (or Brewer). He has not been identified as an adult in records in Monmouth County, although we do know he was living in 1841. Taking into consideration all that is known to date regarding the descendants of Adam Brouwer, I think that he most likely scenario is that our John G. Brewer, of Miami, Ohio, is Georger Brewer's son, called John Brower in his will. Although this is not conclusive, and not certain, we could never have gotten at least this far without the participation of a descendant of John G. Brewer in the Brewer DNA Project. And so, I'd like to extend a thank you to that descendant.

We do know more about John G. Brewer. He was married in Greene County, Ohio to Sarah Miller, and apparently lived his entire adult life in Miami Township, Greene County, Ohio. John G. Brewer and Sarah Miller had nine children born between about 1824 and 1847. Their eldest son was named George Brewer. The eldest daughter was named Rebecca, and it should be noted that John Brower/Brewer's mother, the first wife of George Brewer of Monmouth County, was Rebecca Schenk. The participant who took the Y-DNA test is a descendant of John G. Brewer's son, Charles Brewer, born in 1836, and died 30 January 1897 at Xenia, Greene County, Ohio.

We would very much like to hear from other descendants of John G. Brewer who may have more information on his possible ancestry. Perhaps there are Bible records, or family records and memoirs out there that are not a part of the public records, that could add some insight into John G. Brewer's origins. In addition, land records in New Jersey that may involve the sale of land previously belonging to George Brewer, and perhaps sold by his heirs, should be searched for evidence of a family relationship.

Details and sources on all of those mentioned above can be located on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. A lineage chart on the Adam Brouwer Group DNA Results page, for John G. Brewer, will be added with the next update. And once again, thanks to the participating descendant.

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Sylvanus Brower of Hempstead, Queens County, New York

Sylvanus Brower of Milburn in the Town of Hempstead in Queens County, New York*, died 5 September 1884, age 74 years, 1 month and 23 days. His age at death, which was recorded on his New York State Death Certificate, would calculate to a date of birth of 13 July 1810. The death certificate states that his father's name was George Brower, and that he was born at Rockaway in Queens County. The name of his mother is not stated. The name of the informant for this information is difficult to decipher, but it appears to be S. H. Hammond. Who this person is, or what realtionship he, or she, had with Sylvanus Brower has not been learned.

Reconstructing the family and descendants of Sylvanus Brower was not easy, and I did not do most of the work. Credit goes to Susan Brower and Nancy Walker, and others with whom they had corresponded with. They were able to locate and collect some original documents regarding the descendants and their work on the descendants has been compiled and can be found online at the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. A convenient link for Sylvanus Brower can be found on the Unplaced page (scroll down).

Slyvanus Brower was married to Charlotte Ann Treadwell. A surviving record of their marriage has not been found, but their first known child, Samuel T. Brower was born 15 May 1834 as calculated from his date of death. He died 23 October 1897, aged 63 years, 5 months, 7 days (New York State Death Cert.).

Sylvanus, can be found on the U. S. Federal census in 1840, 1850 and 1860 at Hempstead, Queens County, New York. His wife, Charlotte Ann, is enumerated with him in 1850 and 1860. In 1870, Sylvanus is still at Hempstead, but now his "wife" is named Phebe. She again appears with Sylvanus on the 1880 census at Baldwin, in the Town of Hempstead. Her relationship to Sylvanus is stated as wife. Phebe has been identified as Phebe Remsen and she was first married to William Ackley on 12 August 1852 at Freeport, Long Island. William and Phebe had four children born between 1854 and 1862 and the family is found on the 1860 census at Hempstead. On 27 October 1864, Phebe Ackley, age 34, widow of William Ackley, a private in Co. A of the 139th Regiment, New York, applied for a widow's pension at Brooklyn, New York. William Ackley had been killed during service at "Chopin's Farm," in Virginia. He is buried at Fort Harrison National Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. In 1885, Phebe Ackley, age 49, a resident of Baldwins (sic), New York, filed a second application for a pension. In the affidavits she filed, she states that she and Sylvanus Brower lived together for some time, but had never married. Sylvanus and Phebe had two daughters, Marietta and Lily, born in 1869 and 1874 respectively.

Sylvanus Brower and Charlotte Ann Treadwell had five children born between 1834 and 1860. A descendant of the youngest son, William A. C. Brower (1860-1915) has participated in the Brewer DNA Project. The results of his Y-DNA test, however, were not what we had expected.

The fact that Sylvanus Brower was born at Rockaway, on the south shore of Long Island in the Town of Hempstead, and the fact that he lived his entire life there, leads us to believe that he is a descendant of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island, through Jan's grandson, Jan Brouwer and his wife Aegje Sprong. Descendants of Jan and Aegje's sons, Jan/John and Dirk/Richard Brower largely remained in the area of Hempstead which is known today as the "Five Towns" (Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Inwood, and the Hewletts). This area is in the immediate vicinity of Rockaway and Baldwin. Families named Brower have lived here through the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s, and it has been assumed that most, if not all of the Brower living there pre-1850 were descendants of Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong. As mentioned above, Sylvanus Brower's death certificate names his father as George Brower. Although the name of Sylvanus' mother is not included on the death certificate, it is surmised that Sylvanus was a son of George Brower and Ann Combs who were married at St. George's Church in Hempstead on 12 December 1796. George Brower, born 20 September 1767, died 26 January 1850, was a grandson of Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong. With all of this in mind, it was expected that the descendant of Sylvanus Brower who participated in the Brewer DNA Project (Kit #122861) would have Y-DNA test results that matched the other previously tested descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. But this did not turn out as expected. The Y-DNA results can be seen on the Y-DNA Results Chart page at the Brewer DNA Project website. The results do not match with any of the descendants of Jan Brouwer, and in fact, do not match with any other male named Brower, Brewer, etc., who has tested with Family Tree DNA.

We are now left with the problem of trying to figure out why the results from the Y-DNA test did not confirm our initial expectations. There are a few possibilities. None of them are certain. We first start with the belief that the ancestry of the descendant who took the Y-DNA test, back to Sylvanus Brower, is correct. The research done here is very solid, and I have not seen any reason to doubt the lineage provided by the descendant. With that in mind, one possibility is that Sylvanus Brower is not a descendant of Jan Brouwer. While this is certainly possible, it would mean that Sylvanus, born in Rockaway in 1810, is the ancestor of a BROWER family that is completely unrelated to any other known BROWER families found in that area at that time. The second possibility would be that somewhere in Sylvanus' direct male ancestry back to Jan Brouwer, there was a non-paternal event (NPE). We do have one descendant of Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong who has taken a Y-DNA test (kit #187629, see the far right lineage on this chart) and that descendant does match other descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, therefore, if there was a NPE it would have had to of occurred in a generation between Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong and that of Sylvanus himself. In other words, either Sylvanus Brower's genetic father was not a BROWER, or his paternal grandfather was not a BROWER. To determine which of these two possibilities is correct we would have to see the Y-DNA test results of additional direct male descendants of Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong. We hope that with time more descendants will come forward and join the Brewer DNA Project.

A third possibility is that there was an undetected NPE somewhere in the lineage between the tested descendant and Sylvanus Brower. While this scenario is not considered likely, in order to become more certain that there in fact was no NPE, we would like to see other direct male descendants of Sylvanus Brower join the Brewer DNA Project and take a Y-DNA test.

Presently all we can conclude with regards to the BROWER ancestry of Sylvanus Brower, is that it is not certain and additional evidence has to be collected before anything certain can claimed. A first step would be to find more descendants of both Sylvanus Brower, and of Jan Brouwer and Aejge Sprong who would be willing and interested in taking a Y-DNA test. In addition, more genealogical research of the traditional sort can be undertaken. Probate and estate records, along with land records and deeds, pertaining to the Brower families of Five Towns area of the Town of Hempstead can be searched for. Unfortunately, Hempstead, along with Queens County and Nassau County, is one of the more frustrating places to conduct online genealogical research. For example, while FamilySearch has images online of land records for almost all the counties of New York State, the only counties for which no records have been made available are Queens and Nassau (as well as Franklin County). Regarding probate records, the one county not included in the browse-able images at FamilySearch, is Nassau County. A separate database of Queens County Probate Records, 1785-1950 has recently been added to the FamilySearch collection, and although there is no search feature, the images placed online may contain some new records that a dedicated researcher with enough time might be able to locate.

Any descendants of Sylvanus Brower, or of Jan Brouwer and Aegje Sprong who are interested in joining the Brewer DNA Project and in taking a Y-DNA test, are welcome to contact the administrators of the Brewer DNA Project.



*Milburn is no longer an extant location in the Town of Hempstead. It was originally known as Hicks Neck and was first settled in the 1640s. What was later known as the village of Milburn is now the hamlet of Baldwin and is within the political boundaries of the Town of Hempstead, which in 1884 was in Queens County. In 1899 Nassau County, having the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, was formed out of Queens County. Milburn (now Baldwin) is on the south shore of Long Island.

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Lucas Brewer of Cherry Valley and Elmira, New York

Lucas Brewer was born about 1806 or 1808, he married Amanda Grace in 1832 at Cooperstown, New York and lived much of his married life at Elmira in Chemung County, New York. His ancestry is unknown, but what is known is he is not a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island.

It had been postulated in the past, by some researchers of the descendants of Adam Brouwer, that Lucas Brewer was one of Adam Brouwer's descendants. The first known record of Lucas Brewer is his marriage to Amanda Grace on 15 August 1832 at Cooperstown, New York. A notice of the marriage appeared in the Otsego Herald & Western Advertiser. In 1840, he is found on the U. S. Federal census at Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., New York. In 1840, there were 15 households headed by persons named BREWER in Otsego County. Some of the Heads of Households were descendants of Adam Brouwer, and because Lucas lived in close proximity to them, it was thought that Lucas could be related to them. For the record, an actual descendant of Lucas Brewer always doubted this theory. Family tradition had claimed that Lucas Brewer was from Ireland, or of Irish ancestry. Fortunately we now have genetic genealogy as another tool for research, and in the case of Lucas Brewer, the Y-DNA test of a direct male descendant has cleared up any confusion.

In 2010 a direct male descendant of Lucas Brewer joined the Brewer DNA Project by taking a Y-DNA67 marker test. He is represented by kit #174485 and his results clearly demonstrated that the participant, and therefore all of his direct male ancestors, cannot be descendants of Adam Brouwer. The Y-DNA test results do not match any of the known descendants of Adam Brouwer. Results, for comparison, can be seen on the Y-DNA colorized chart page at the Brewer DNA Project's website. The results are listed in the "Ungrouped" section. Our participant's predicted haplogroup is R1b1a2, now known by the short hand, R-M269. Descendants of Adam Brouwer belong to haplogroup E1b1b1, or E-M35.1. Any common direct male ancestor of the descendant of Lucas Brewer and the descendants of Adam Brouwer would have lived tens of thousands of years ago.

With the Y-DNA test results it can be stated that Lucas Brewer's ancestry is not known. In 1850, Lucas Brewer is found on the U. S. census at Elmira, New York. His age is given as 42 years and his place of birth as Connecticut. In 1860, at Elmira, Lucas' age is recorded as 51 years, while his place of birth is stated to be New York. The 1870 census at Elmira gives his age as 64 and his place of birth again as New York. Lucas has not been located with certainty in 1880, however, there is a Brewer family found at Elmira, and while the given names were (for some reason) not recorded, the head of the household is a male, age 72, born in New York. His parent's place of birth is given as "find out," and nothing is recorded for his occupation. The 1850 census recorded Lucas' occupation as Inn Keeper, while in 1860 and 1870 he was a painter. The 1880 record includes his wife, age given as 64, which is consistent with Lucas' wife's age. Also in the household is Julia Brewer, age 25, born in New York and single. Julia Brewer is also found in the household of Lucas Brewer in 1850 and 1860 with her ages given as 8 and 15 respectively. Although Julia's ages do not line up, the presence of a Julia in this 1880 household leads me to believe that this is Lucas Brewer's household.

Lucas Brewer and Amanda Grace had six children born between 1836 and 1855, although there may be as much as a ten year gap between the youngest child, Sarah, and the next youngest, Julia. Amanda Grace died on 21 December 1888 at Humboldt, Richardson Co., Nebraska. She is buried back in Elmira, New York. Lucas Brewer's date of death has not been found. Details and sources for the family can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database. A direct link for Lucas Brewer can be found on the Unplaced page.

Thanks goes out to the descendant of Lucas Brewer who participated by taking a Y-DNA test. This case is a clear example of how genetic genealogy, in particular Y-DNA testing, can be a valuable tool for solving genealogical questions.

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Abraham Brewer and Eunice Griswold of Chemung, New York

According to his gravestone which is found in Riverside Cemetery near Lowman, Chemung County, New York, Abraham Brewer died on 17 May 1814, aged 70 years, 1 month, and 2 days. From this, is date of birth is calculated as 15 April 1744. Abraham's wife was Eunice Griswold who was born on 2 February 1755 in Tyringham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Elijah Griswold (b. 1719) and Abigail Thomas. Eunice Griswold's paternal ancestry is easily traced and documented back to Michael Griswold who died in Wethersfield, Connecticut on 26 September 1684, having left a will that was dated 10 September 1678. The ancestry of Eunice's mother, Abigail Thomas, has not been determined. Eunice died on 21 October 1815, and is buried in the same cemetery.

In the past, some descendants of Abraham Brewer and Eunice Griswold have suspected that Abraham was a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. A few years back a descendant of Abraham Brewer participated in the Brewer DNA Project, and results from his Y-DNA test indicate that the participant is NOT a descendant of Adam Brouwer. The participant was a direct descendant of Abraham Brewer's great-grandson Milton G. Brewer (1854-1936) who lived most of his life in Farmington, Fulton County, Illinois. The descendant is represented by kit #109921. Test results, for comparison with results from descendants of Adam Brouwer (and other groups) can be found on the Brewer DNA Project Y-DNA Results Page. The results are found in the group labeled "Ungrouped." Thus far, the participant's results do no match any other male with the surname Brewer, Brower, Bruer, or some variation thereof. At this point, we have to conclude that the participant's earliest known direct male ancestor, Abraham Brewer, is NOT a descendant of Adam Brouwer. However, we should have a second descendant of Abraham Brewer tested, preferably one who is a descendant through a different son and line than the one descendant already tested, to be confident with this conclusion. The testing of a second descendant, if he matches the results of the first descendant, will confirm for us that there was no non-parental event (NPE) somewhere in the lineage of the first tested descendant.

My own research on the family and descendants of Abraham Brewer and Eunice Griswold is most certainly incomplete. With that in mind, here is a family group sheet summarizing what is known of their family.

Abraham Brewer & Eunice Griswold Family Group Sheet 

Some descendants, and source citations can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website. A convenient link for Abraham Brewer can be found on the Unplaced page.

It appears that Abraham Brewer and Eunice Griswold had three sons. Elijah, who appears to be the eldest, is the ancestor of the descendant who participated in the Brewer DNA Project by taking a Y-DNA test. Elijah was married to Margaret Kinyon, and they lived at Chemung, Tioga County, New York. Although an unconfirmed source states that he died, in 1821, in Ohio, Elijah is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Chemung County, New York. Abraham and Eunice's other two sons are Abraham Brewer, born in 1790, died in 1859 in Genesee County, Michigan. His wife was Hannah Stull. The other son, David Brewer, is considered a possible son at this time. He was born in 1797 and died in 1849. He was married to Betsey Baldwin and they lived in 1840 they were at Southport, Chemung County, New York. The effort to discover Abraham Brewer's ancestry could be helped greatly if direct male descendants of both sons, Abraham and David, would join the Brewer DNA Project by taking a Y-DNA test.

In attempting to determine Abraham Brewer's ancestry through traditional genealogical research techniques, it might be helpful to consider his wife's origins. Eunice Griswold was born in Tyringham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Berkshire County is the western most county in Massachusetts and it borders the present day New York State counties of (north to south) Rensselaer, Columbia and Dutchess. During the colonial period, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties did not exist, and at that time were within the boundary of Albany County, New York. During the years just prior to the Revolutionary War there were numerous Brouwer/Brower/Brewer families found in this area of New York State and they represented descendants of all three original New Netherland families (Adam Brouwer, Jan Brouwer, and Willem Brouwer). In addition, living in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, were descendants of John Brewer who had lived at Cambridge and Sudbury, Massachusetts in the mid 1600s. We do have Y-DNA tests from two descendants of John Brewer of Massachusetts, both of who match each other very closely, but neither one matches the descendant of Abraham Brewer. It does not appear that Abraham is a descendant of John Brewer.

Getting back to the Griswold family, according to Glen E. Griswold, The Griswold Family, England - America (Rutland, Vermont: The Griswold Family Association of America Inc. The Tuttle Publishing Co. Inc., 1935), Eunice Griswold's father, Elijah Griswold, was born in Farmington, Connecticut and was an early settler of Tyringham, Massachusetts. It is stated that Elijah moved his family to Nobletown, Albany County, New York where he is first mentioned in 1766. If correct, Elijah Griswold was living in Albany County at the time that his daughter's future husband would have been about twenty-two years of age. Noblestown no longer exists and is today the hamlet of North Hillsdale in the Town of Hillsdale in Columbia County, New York. Hillsdale was created in 1788 from the Town of Claverack, and this would have been the name of the location in 1766 when Elijah Griswold first came to the area. It is possible that Abraham Brewer lived at, or near Claverack, New York at the time he met Eunice Griswold. We do know that families descended from Adam Brouwer lived in the Claverack area at the time of the American Revolutionary War, however, as mentioned above, the genetic evidence thus far indicates that Abraham Brewer can not be a descendant of Adam Brouwer. This contradiction is the reason for the emphasis on the need to locate another male descendant of Abraham Brewer who is interested in taking a Y-DNA test.

The Griswold Family genealogy mentioned above states that Elijah Griswold "is doubtless the Elijah who served in the Revolution as a private in the Levies and New York Line, Capt. Pearcy, Col. Willet, New York Troops." The genealogy also suggests that he is the "Elijah Grisel" who served with Capt. Hogeboom's Co., out of Claverack, New York in 1767. By 1790, Elijah Griswold had moved to Chemung, then in Montgomery County, New York, where is is found on the first U. S. census. In 1800, Elijah Griswold is found at Chemung, then Tioga County, New York. Listed here in succession with Elijah are his sons Gideon Griswold, Elisha Griswold, and then Abraham Brewer. It appears that Abraham Brewer likely married Eunice Griswold in the area of Claverack, New York, and then relocated with his father-in-law to Chemung, New York.

It has been claimed that Abraham Brewer served during the Revolutionary War with the 7th Regiment of Albany County Militia, under Capt. Abraham J. Van Alstine. It has also been stated that he served with Col. Hay's Regiment of Orange County Militia. The source here is "Revolutionary Soldiers B-G, Chemung Co., N.Y.," Gemini Vol. 8 (Apr. 1979). The second claim is most certainly incorrect. This service more likely belongs to Abraham Brouwer (1759-1806) who lived at Clarkstown which was then in Orange County, New York. The first service claimed, that in the 7th Regt., Albany Co. Militia, could well be correct. However, there is no record of Abraham Brewer filing for a Revolutionary War service pension, and so this cannot be confirmed with certainty.

In 1790, Abraham Brewer is found on the U. S. census at Chemung, Montgomery Co., New York, with a household of one male over 16, one male under 16, and four females. In 1800, he is at Chemung, Tioga County, New York with a household of one male under 10, one male age 10-15, one male over age 45, one female age 16-25 and one female over 45. As mentioned above, he is listed in succession with his Griswold in-laws. In 1810 he is at Chemung, Tioga County, New York with one male over age 45 and one female over age 45. Enumerated on the same census sheet are Elijah Brewer and Abraham Brewer, Jr.

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is a helpful tool for understanding the formation of the counties in which the town of Chemung is found. Today, the Town of Chemung (pronounced shuh-MUNG) is found in Chemung County, which was created out of Tioga County in 1836. Tioga County had been created out of Montgomery County in 1798. The town is located in New York's "Southern Tier" and to the south is Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Historically, economically and culturally, Chemung County has more in common, and is more closely associated with the counties of northern Pennsylvania to its south, then with the New York State counties to the north. The town of Chemung was first settled in 1786, and was established in Montgomery County in 1788. Joyce M. Tice's "Tri-County Genealogy" website should be of help to researchers of Chemung area families.

The current assumption is that Abraham Brewer's origins were in the area of Claverack, New York where his wife's family is found, and that he moved to Chemung, New York with his in-laws. This assumption could be wrong, and it is possible (but less likely) that Abraham Brewer came to Chemung, New York independently of the Griswolds, met and married Eunice Griswold there and settled in next to his in-laws. The problem with this second scenario is that it is clear that Abraham and Eunice's older children were born prior to the first known settlement at Chemung.

It is hoped that other direct male descendants of Abraham Brewer, especially through his son Abraham, Jr., and through the possible son, David, will be encouraged to join the Brewer DNA Project with a Y-DNA test.

NOTE: Corrections to this post were made and can be found in the post of April 4, 2016.

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