William B. Bogardus (1929-2020)

This morning I received a note from Perry Brewer from up in New Brunswick, Canada, informing me of the passing of William B. Bogardus. You can find his note in the comments on the post of August 15, 2012. Bill died a few weeks ago on December 5th. An obituary can be found online here. 

 Those who frequent this website would have encountered the mention of Bill's name in many posts. And of course there is the "William B. Bogardus Collection," which bears his name. He didn't give it that name. I did. But I'm sure he didn't mind. Bill very generously gave me physical possession of the very large collection of material he laboriously collected over many years. It consisted of published pieces, notes, and mostly correspondence between Bill and his uncountable "Cousins." His intent was to compile and publish a genealogy of the descendants of Adam Brouwer, of which he was one. However, along about 2008 he came to the realization that he would not be able to complete that quest, and so he passed the material on to me. It was a lot of stuff. In the pages of this blog, somewhere, you might find my comments on just how much. Even with all that, he mentioned to me that it was but a fraction of the material and correspondence that he had collected regarding his foremost mission, a genealogy of the descendants of Anneke Jans through seven generations, which sadly too, he apparently did not get to finally publish. 

  I spent countless hours over many, many months with this material. Much of it was correspondence, and to put it all in context you have to remember that Bill started this work back in the 1960s, long before there was an internet and email and terabits of digitized documents and publications available online. Everything had to be done the "old fashioned way" through handwritten or typed letters, travel to and from libraries and archives and court houses, spending hours over and money on copy machines. You get the idea. I very often found myself stopping in the middle of whatever it was I was looking at to just think about and marvel at how much time, effort and money Bill had to have spent accumulating it all. The most impressive part was the correspondence with his "Cousins." It started in the late 1960s and went right through to the early 2000. Hand written letters with questions and queries, literally hundreds of them. I can imagine that when his Anneke Jans correspondence was added in he had perhaps a few thousand correspondents sending questions and requests from all over. And as far as I can ascertain, he answered everyone of them! And not just with a short note, but with a letter, sometimes a rather lengthy one, typed out on his stationary. I was amazed. I would just try and imagine the amount of time he spent just answering his mail. I don't know that I could have done it. I don't know that too many people out there could have done it. And sometimes the correspondence would go back and forth over a period of months and even years. He always answered. That's what stuck with me the most. He always answered.

  In 1996 Bill published, Dear "Cousin": A Charted Genealogy of the Descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus (1605-1663) to the 5th Generation. If you are a researcher of Anneke Jans and her descendants it is the place to start (search online and you'll find copies for sale). As mentioned, Bill had hoped to expand this work to seven generations of descendants and to publish it in a traditional journal type format. Bill was also a co-author with Richard Brewer and Scott Kraus on "DNA Analysis: Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, Elias Brouwer of New Jersey and John Brewer of Ohio," which was published in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record in 2007 (Vol. 138, no. 4). This work was groundbreaking in that, as far as I can tell, it was the first article accepted and published by one of the "major" genealogical journals that focused on using DNA analysis to sort out lines of paternal ancestry. It demonstrated that Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I. and Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. were not in anyway related and that anyone living today who was uncertain as to which one their Brower or Brewer ancestry would lead, could settle the question with a simple Y-DNA test from a direct male ancestor. The article was there as a seminal part of the early years of the Brewer DNA Project, and I also have to mention that Bill was, unsurprisingly, very generous with his time in helping and answering questions of the earliest participants in the Project. Myself included. 

And so, for myself, and I'm sure for many others who have accessed some of Bill's collection through the pages of this website, and who had the chance to correspond or speak to him, I'd just like to thank Bill for all the selfless work and effort he put into solving so many genealogical questions. The fruit of Bill's efforts will hopefully live on.

Merry Christmas Bill.

Merry Christmas everybody.

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BROWER and BREWER in American Biography: A New Cyclopedia

 I may or may not have previously made this file from the William B. Bogardus Collection available online. I came across it again while working on cleaning up and reorganizing all that I've collected over the past two decades. So, in the event that I haven't done this before, here is a link to a twenty-six page PDF of pages from American Biography: A New Cyclopedia. This is a large multi-volume work spanning many years and you can find a bit more, including links to various volumes, online at Hathi Trust Digital Library. Volumes are also probably available through Google Books and the Internet Archive and perhaps other websites. You'll have to poke around.

William B. Bogardus collected the pages pertaining to men named BROWER and BREWER, and I scanned them all into one PDF document with Bill's index card notes at the forefront. There are eight or nine different profiles here. Some also appear in other late 19th and early 20th century works that are similar in scope to American Biography: A New Cyclopedia, but I don't believe any of the others have as many men profiled. The PDF I created is now online and available here with this link. 

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BREWER and BROWER Mentions in Dutchess County, NY Court Records

This is a follow up to the post of October 10, 2013, which features a file from the William B. Bogardus Collection. I'm in the process of reorganizing my own files and as I'm finding items that I haven't looked at for some years now, I think there is an opportunity to bring attention to some of them again. Should I come across any that were overlooked, I will add them as well in future posts.

The original 2013 post provided a link to a PDF of this file uploaded to RootsWeb. That link is still good, here it is again, but in the event that the link should fail at some point in the future, here is a second link to the PDF on Google Drive.

This file is an extraction of BREWERs and BROWERs found in the records of the Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas in Dutchess County, New York. As mentioned seven years ago, the Family History Library has filmed these records, they are on microfilm and are cataloged here online, however, as was the case back in 2013, the FHL has not yet digitized the microfilms for online use. As the FHL is no longer in the business of lending microfilms out to local Library Centers, the only way in which one might access the records is to visit the main library in Salt Lake City. Alternatively, one might be able to access the originals with a visit to the Dutchess County Clerk's Office in Poughkeepsie, New York. Some of the cases are, apparently, also found in the Dutchess County, "Ancient Documents," and can be accessed rather easily online, from home. I'll give an example, but first here is a list of the BREWERs and BROWERs found in the file (the file also includes some with the BOGARDUS surname which are not included below).

• Vol. A, p. 156; May 15, 1744; John Sackett vs. Mathew BREWER
• Vol. A, p. 244; Oct. 17, 1749; Peter Colwell vs. Hendrick BREWER (bail to Samuel BREWER)
• Vol. B, p. 10; May 21, 1751: Jury verdict against Nicholas BREWER
• Vol. B, p. 26; May 21, 1751; Samuel Dusenbury vs. Hendrick BREWER
• Vol. B, p. 283; Oct. 18, 1757; Nicholas BREWER vs. John Bookhout and Ann his wife

 After this the volume isn't given but a date and page number is provided. I would guess that the records are likely found in FHL film #0565228 in volumes C or D (the film covers volumes B-D). The date would be the date of the Court session.

• Oct. 16, 1759, p. 1; John Bookhout and Ann his wife vs. Nicholas BREWER
• May 20, 1760, p. 1; Nicholas BREWER vs. John Bookhout; p. 2 Dolf BREWER witness for plaintiff (note: Dolf would be a variation of Adolph or Adolphus).
• May 17, 1763, p. 22; Nicholas BROWER vs. Robert Soul Butcher
• May 17, 1763, p. 23; Michael Surfelt by William Surfelt vs. Jacobus BROWER
• Oct. 18, 1763, p. 13; Michael Surfelt vs. Jacobus BROWER
• Oct. 18, 1763, p. 15; Nicholas BREWER vs. Robert Soul Butcher
• Oct. 1, 1765, p. 2; Henry Chase vs. Isaac BREWER
• Oct. 1, 1765, p. 20; Isaac BREWER vs. Henry Chase

To the Ancient Documents available online at the Dutchess County Government website. Go to the Search page and enter a name. I'm going to try Hendrick Brewer and when I do I get this result. And when I click on Document Number 2561 (highlighted in blue) this image appears. It's a PDF and can be easily downloaded. This is actually a lot easier then searching through the digitized microfilms of the Ancient Documents of Dutchess County found on the FamilySearch website. However, it appears that not all of the documents mentioned above are found in the Ancient Documents files.

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Some Previously Unreleased Material for Brewers in the South

Here are a few documents in PDF format that I've found will combing through the collection of material that has been sent to, or otherwise accumulated by me over the years. Many items just get "filed" as they were not of particular concern to me at the time they were received. Hopefully they will be of use to some of you.

Howell Brewer and Ambrose Brewer Timeline. This was compiled by Foy Varner back around 2010, and he wishes to pass on the caveat that some inferences may be incorrect. An example being that "Tice's" Creek might be Tyson's Creek or perhaps Tick Creek, which are just a few miles from each other. Those with specific questions should contact Foy directly.

I've mentioned in the past on numerous posts, the William B. Bogardus Collection. The, currently offline, Brouwer Genealogy Database had a page of links devoted to many of the files originally collected by Bill Bogardus, which I scanned and placed online so as to be available to all who were interested. Many are currently offline do to the meltdown at RootsWeb. Hopefully they'll be back, but who knows when or even if they will be. I had the collection back in the winter of 2008-09, and digitized perhaps 70% or so of what I had. While most of the correspondence and documents were related to the Brewer, Brower and Brouwer families with origins in New Netherland, New York and New Jersey, there were a few from outside the area. Here now are a few that relate to Brewer families with origins in the southern states:

John C. Brewer (b. 1817, Randolph Co., NC) son of William Brewer and Elizabeth Cavaness, in Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Vol. 11 (Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1899). A brief biography from a late 19th century "mug book."

Descendants of John C. Brewer and Mary Elizabeth Wilhite (no author or date). Family Group sheets. The compiler is not stated. The family originated in Randolph County, North Carolina and then relocated to Morgan County, Indiana.


Records of Terrell Brewer and Descendants of North Carolina, b. 1796, son of Nathan. This consists of compiled Family Group sheets, compiler not stated, for Terrell Brewer (1796-1856), son of Nathan Brewer (mother not stated) and his wife, Margaret Rushton, and for their son Josiah R. Brewer (1827-1902) and his wife, Margaret Elmore.

History of Brewer Family of North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois..., by the Officers of Brewer Family of N. C., Tenn., Ind. & Ill. (names then stated, dated 1936). Fourteen pages (typescript) which is not the complete document. Focused on descendants of a Thomas Brewer "born 1760-1770 in perhaps NC or SC, Md. or Va."

_______________

This Abstract of the Will of Thomas Morris of Greensville County, Virginia, dated 9 February 1782, was made and provided to me by Diane Daniel in early 2015. Mentioned in the will is his son-in-law John Brewer who also is appointed as one of the executors. John Brewer was married to Thomas Morris' daughter Bethiah Morris. John Brewer relocated from Brunswick Co., Virginia to Hancock Co., Georgia by 1794. He was a son of George Brewer and Abigail Wyche, and a grandson of George Brewer and Sarah Lanier.

Brewer Families of Moore and Southwest Chatham Counties, North Carolina, by David V. Brewer. This is a 220 page PDF which should prove to be valuable to those searching for their Brewer lines in North Carolina. David is a co-administrator of the Brewer DNA Project with focus on the "Lanier-Brewer" sub-group. He can be contacted through the Project's main webpage.

I'll continue to look for documents and files not yet online and will add them via blog posts like this as they appear. So, check back often.

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Brewers in New Jersey During the Period of the American Revolution

2018 is the year that I, for once and for all, clear out the Brouwer, Brower, Brewer files on the old home desk top computer. It's a chance to spot things that may have been overlooked, and when such an item is found I'll place it online for any interested researcher to access. They'll be stored in a Google Drive account. In the past I had often placed docs and files online using RootsWeb FreePages. But after last year's take down of that website (down for a few months during the spring of 2017) and the difficulties RootsWeb is currently experiencing (just click on the Brouwer Genealogy Database link to the right and you'll get an explanation), I'll switch to the more reliable (and free so long as I don't exceed data limits) Google Drive. The Google Drive will be my only copy. I will no longer maintain a back-up or second copy. So once my Google Account is gone these files will disappear as well. I will no longer be a repository for all things Brouwer, Brower or Brewer. And so my advise is if you should happen to find a keeper, something that is useful to your own research, download it now. It will not be online forever. Now back to the subject of this post...

From the collection of material loaned to me by William B. Bogardus back in 2008-09, here is a page of Brewers found in Revolutionary Census of New Jersey - An Index Based on Rateables of the Inhabitants of New Jersey During the Period of the American Revolution, by Kenn Stryker-Rodda  (1986). This is a four page PDF. Please read the introduction found on the second page. The third page gives abbreviations used for the townships covered. New Jersey counties that are covered are Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, and Salem. The fourth page is the page that includes those named BREWER (also spelled BREWAR and don't ignore BREWEN and BRUEN, BREWIN and BRUIN).

My experience over the past 17 years of research on the Brouwer, Brower and Brewer surname, is that many of those who reach dead-ends with their lines do so around or just after the period of the American Revolution, and they do so with families that migrated to what was then the western frontier of the new United States. This specifically refers to families that "suddenly" appear in western Pennsylvania, western Virginia including what would later become West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. I can also state that it has been my experience after years of researching not only Browers and Brewers, but also many other families with origins in colonial New York, New Jersey, and New England, that many (probably the majority) of those who did find their way to the western frontier of the new United States, did so from homes located in the western counties of New Jersey and adjoining counties of eastern Pennsylvania. Specifically I'm talking about Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris counties in New Jersey and Bucks and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania. So here now is a handy list of adult males, as well as a Hannah, a Mary, and a "widow," who were living in those counties in New Jersey that I just mentioned above.

There is little doubt in my mind that if your dead-end Brewer or Brower ancestor is found in western Pennsylvania, western Virginia, Ohio or Kentucky, his/her ancestor that is the link to your colonial period ancestry is very likely on this list.

Good luck, and I'd invite anyone who has found a viable link to share it with others by using the Comments field below.

A Map of Colonial New Jersey

From the website http://www.teacheroz.com/colonies.htm

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Nicholas Brouwer in Dutchess County, New York Mortgages and Deeds

I have scanned copies of two pages of correspondence between Avis Watkins of Exeter, New Hampshire and William Bogardus. I originally received the copies from Bill back in late 2008. Avis and Bill had a correspondence that ranged over a few years during the 1980s. It was centered around Avis' search for the ancestry of Jeremiah Brower of Highgate, Vermont. I don't know that Avis ever satisfactorily completed her search, and although the correct ancestry of Jeremiah Brower is not 100% certain, a highly likely ancestry for Jeremiah has been proposed in a series of posts found on this website. But I digress. The purpose of this post is to share a list of  mortgages and deeds in which the name of Nicholas Brower (or Brewer) is found. Avis had sent this list to Bill in the midst of her search for Jeremiah's ancestry (she was getting close). The two pages are online and can be accessed with the following links:

Nicholas Brower (Brewer), Dutchess County, New York, Mortgages & Deeds, page 1

Nicholas Brower (Brewer), Dutchess County, New York, Mortgages & Deeds, page 2

These pages may serve as an index to finding the originals. I will emphasize that the entries DO NOT pertain to one man named Nicholas Brouwer, but rather to multiple men of that same name. When using the records, please be careful to identify the individual record with the correct Nicholas Brower (or Brewer).

Back in the 1980s searching out these records would have required either a trip to Dutchess County, or accessing microfilmed copies of the records through either a local library that could provide such a service or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and one of its many local Family History Centers. Today, we are fortunate in that the Family History Library has digitized the microfilmed copies and has made them available online at FamilySearch.org. In this case we can find the records under "New York Land Records, 1630-1975," then selecting Dutchess County. These digitized microfilm records at FamilySearch are not searchable. It is a browse only database (at least at the time of this writing). And so, this list compiled by Avis Watkins some 30 or so years ago, comes in quite handy today.

In a series of follow up posts, and as time permits, we'll go through the records we can find online, provide links to the documents, and see if any helpful genealogical information can be discovered.

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Links to Miscellaneous Brouwer Documents

2017 is the year I clean up my Brouwer (Brower and Brewer) Genealogy files. I'm working through hundreds of files, identifying ones that may be of help to future researchers and making them available online. Some are already there, but others have been overlooked until now.

Below are links to various documents that have been collected over the years while researching Brouwer families. They are various files, records, letters that I have only recently made available online. The documents have been placed online as PDFs on RootsWeb's Free Pages. They will remain online so long as RootsWeb, owned by Ancestry.com, maintains the sites.

Indenture between John (Jan) Brower of Flatlands and Peter Brower, 22 April 1700. This is a transcript of the indenture obtained by William B. Bogardus from the file of William A. D. Eardeley at the Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, New York.

A Status Report on Research Into the Origins of Johannes Brouwer of Flatlands, New Amsterdam, by Richard D. Brewer (March 24, 2010).

A Narrative of Jan Brouwer, Richard D. Brewer, 2012, Introductory letter to Our Brewer Family Roots, Volume I: The First Four Generations, 1632-1812.

On the Lost Records of the West India Company, Richard D. Brewer (August 12, 2012).

BREWER in the Index to Will and Estate Records, Greene County, Pennsylvania.

BREWER and ROSE extracts from Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Twp. Warrantee Maps of Fayette County, by Sharon MacInnes (Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 2005). Compiled by Marg Bond

New Jersey Estate Records - Brewer. Compiled by Charles Wells

Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files - Brewer

Index page including BREWERs in New York in the Revolution as Colony and State

Index page including BROWERs in New York in the Revolution as Colony and State

Index pages including ROOS, ROOSA, ROOSE, ROSA, ROSE and ROSS in New York in the Revolution as Colony and State

New York in the Revolution as Colony and State, Vol. 1 (Internet Archive)
New York in the Revolution as Colony and State, Vol. 2 (Internet Archive)

PDF version of this post

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The Brower Papers, 1734-1872, Part II

This continues the post of January 21, 2017. Below are links to documents numbered 10 to 17 of The Brower Papers, 1734-1872. The set, compiled by Muriel D. Schuman and Cleo Stuhlman were borrowed from William B. Bogardus in 2008.

NOTE: The links below are broken. For replacement links please see the post of July 22, 2024

No. 10. Indenture dated 5 March 1803 between Harme Brower of Palatine in Montgomery County and Margaret his wife, and Harme Brower, Jr., of the same place. The deed is for 47 acres of land in Palatine, New York.

No. 11. Indenture dated 5 March 1803 between Cornelius Brower of Palatine, Montgomery County and Elizabeth his wife, and Harme Brower, Jr., of the same place. This is a deed for lot number 22 in the Patent of Stone Arabia, Montgomery County.

No. 12. The will of Harme Brower of Stone Arabia, dated 14 March 1803. The testator names his son Wilhelmus, son Harme Brower, Jr., "farming utensils to be divided among my five sons," daughter Deborah Brower, three daughters Rebecca Van Deusen, Sarah Docksteder and Deborah Brower. Following the will is a receipt from John B. Jno. Van Eps, dated 1 October 1808 for the legacy left his wife Deborah by her father Harmen Brower.

No. 13. At the top of this page is a Bill of Money received from Benjamin Smith by Mr. Harmen Brower, dated 5 March 1794. The remainder of the page includes receipts from Jacob N. Doxstedder and Arindh Smith.

No. 14. Eight pages. Page 1 is an order for Arent Brower to appear before the Superior Court of Common Pleas in a matter of Hermanus Brower, plaintiff, v. Philip P. Empey. The remainder of the documents consists of varied minutes recorded in the courts (presumably Montgomery County) involving Harmen Brower. Dates are from the 1790s.

No. 15. The will of Herman Brower of the Town of Palatine, Montgomery County. Dated 11 January 1839. Names his wife, Magdalene, and sons and daughters. Signs with his mark. This is a fourteen page document and includes the probate record.

No. 16. Indenture dated 3 March 1848 between Herman H. Brower and Margaret his wife of the Town of Palatine, Montgomery County, and Frederick Brower of the same town and county. This is a deed for a woodlot in Palatine.

No. 17. Five pages of receipts and other varied court records involving Browers in Montgomery County. In at least one instance the surname is recorded as Brewer.

This concludes the links for PDFs of The Brower Papers, 1734-1872.

PDF version of this post

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The Brower Papers, 1734-1872

"The Brower Papers, 1734-1872," are a set of transcriptions of indentures and wills and a few miscellaneous items pertaining to some descendants of William Brouwer and Rebecca Vedder of Schenectady and later of Stone Arabia, New York. For some background and thoughts on William Brouwer see the post of April 21, 2012.

"The Brower Papers, 1734-1872," were obtained from William B. Bogardus in late 2008 as a part of his large collection of Brouwer research. The papers themselves were compiled by Muriel D. Schuman and Cleo Stuhlman and were obtained by Bill from the Montgomery County Department of History and Archives in Fonda, New York. The transcripts are not dated (I do not know when the compilers did this work) but they are typed and in very good condition. I have split them into 17 separate documents, scanned them to PDFs and have placed them online. Fifteen of the documents are housed on RootsWeb's Free Pages, while two the documents (nos. 6 and 15) because of their size are available through a Google Drive account. The following list is a brief description of each and a link to the corresponding file.

NOTE: The links below are broken. For replacement links please see the post of July 22, 2024

No. 1. Indenture dated 1 September 1734 between Barhanardus Van diere of Bergen Co., New Jersey and numerous others all of Albany Co., New York and William Brower of "Schonaghton" for lots of woodland lying north of the Mohawk in Stone Arabia, Albany County.

No. 2. Deed for a wood lot in Stone Arabia from Hendreck Walrath to Hendreck Schremling dated 9 October 1739.

No. 3.  Deed from Hendreck Schremling to William Brower for six lots on the north side of the Mohawk, dated 10 December 1739.

No. 4. Bond of Cornelis Feele, Clas Feele and John Feele unto Margaret Acker, daughter of John Acker, dated 2 July 1743. "Margaret Acker" also known as Margariet Ekker or Ecker, was a daughter of Jan Ekker/Ecker/Ekkerson and Margrietje Vile, daughter of "Cornelis Feele" as his name is rendered in the bond. I have not worked out the genealogy but I would suspect that the three bondsman named "Feele" are Margaret's brothers. Margariet Ekker, baptized 21 July 1734 at Schenectady, married Harmanous Brouwer, 8 February 1755. Harmanous is a son of William Brouwer and Rebecca Vedder.

No. 5. The will of William Brower of "Stone Raby In the County of Albany on the Mohawks River yeoman," dated 10 February 1757. He is described as "Being Verry well in Good helth and Sound Perfect Mind and Memory." If born by 1669, which he would have had to have been if he is a son of William Brouwer who died in August 1668 and Lysbeth Drinkvelt, then William Brower of Stone Arabia would have been 86 or 87 years old in early 1757. The will was proved 15 February 1765, which again if born by 1669, would mean that William Brower may have lived to the age of 95 or 96.

No. 6. Indenture dated 2 June 1775 between Arent Brower and Harmen Brower, both of Stone Arabia.

No. 7. Indenture dated 22 May 1793 between Jacob Ekker, Abraham Coopman and Jacob G. Klock, Commissioners for Montgomery County, of the first part and Harmen Brower of the Town of Palatine, Montgomery County, of the second part. The parcels being sold to Harmen Brower appear to be lots that were confiscated from prior owners.

No. 8. Indenture dated 27 February 1798 between Cornelius Brower and Harme Brower, both of the Town of Palatine. The deed is for land that had been bequeathed in the will of William Brower to his sons Arent Brower and Harme Brower.

No. 9. The will of "John B. Jno. Van Eps" of the City of Schenectady, dated 25 March 1799. This would be Jan Baptist Van Eps, baptized 17 June 1752 at Schenectady, the son of Jan Baptist Van Eps and Maria Truax. In his will he names his wife Debora. Jan B. Van Eps married, as his second wife, Debora Brower on 26 January 1799. Debora is a daughter of Harmanus Brower and Margariet Ekker. The rather lengthy will of the elder Jan Baptist Van Eps can be found in Albany County Wills, vol. 3, pp. 241-246. It was dated 13 March 1800, followed by a codicil dated 24 May 1802 and an additional codicil dated 21 June 1805, proved 16 September 1805. The younger Jan Baptist Van Eps is said to have died 28 October 1821. His sister, Sarah Van Eps, married Wilhelmus Brower, a brother of Debora Brouwer.

The remaining eight documents and links will be presented in a following post.

PDF version of this post

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Update to Cemetery and Gravestone Inscriptions from the William B. Bogardus Collection (Part V)

The following additional information to the post of August 21, 2013, "Cemetery and Gravestone Inscriptions from the William B. Bogardus Collection (Part V)" was received from John Wright. The information pertains to the ninth paragraph, Quaker Cemetery on Amawalk Hills near Amawalk Railway Station, Westchester County, N. Y.

"Regarding your post of August 21, 2013, titled Cemetery and Gravestone Inscriptions from the William B. Bogardus Collection (Part V). Quaker cemetery on Amwalk Hills.

I may have some answers to the uncertainties you noted in your post. You mentioned a few unknown Browers in the Armwalk Cemetery, and I can identify them.  James H. Brower and Mary A. Brower were my great, great grandparents. They were both born in Wastchester County, N.Y. In 1827, they were married in Westchester in 1847. The Bedford 1850 census lists Jas H. Brower, 23, Mary Brower, 23, and a daughter, Louisa, 4 months. The 1860 Somers County (next to Bedford) Federal Census, which is a sloppy mess, lists the family as James H. Brown. 33, Mary, 33, “Laura” (Mary Louisa), 10, Sarah E, 9, Annie A, 9, and James H. Jr., 4.

After his father, John Brower, died in 1864, James H. and family moved to Rockland County. The 1865 Clarkstown NY census shows James H., 38, Mary A, 38 with children, Mary L., 15, Anna A, 11, James H, 4, William H., 4, and Harriet H, 2 3/12.

The 1875 Clarkstown NY Census includes the county of birth. It shows James H., Mary A, William and Harriet were born in Westchester County.

In the 1880’s, the family used a last name of Brewer. My grandfather, Earl J. Brower (b. 1888), told me that his Victorian, biddy aunts decided that Brewer sounded too much like brewery, and changed the name back to Brower.

James A and Mary A are buried in Germonds Cenetery in New City, Rockland County. 

The Katonah Cemetery in Westchester County was taken in the 1890’s to make way for the Croton Aquaduct and reservoir. The graves were moved to various nearby cemeteries. The Browers were moved to Amawalk Hills Cemetery. The following is a link to a document prepared in 1907. It is an alphabetical list of the graves moved: Cemeteries, Katonah, Westchester Co., N. Y. Brooklyn N. Y., unknown, 1907.  

If you look at line 30, you see Brower: Sarah E ——, April 13, 1863 aged 11, 4, 17 of James H and Mary, and See 12A: Tuttle 389

Line 389 shows: Tuttle: Louisa wife of J— A—

Sarah E Brewer (or Brower) daughter of James H (owner)

Line 390 shows John Brewer (or Brower) his stone is right next to Sarah’s.

Louisa Tuttle is James H’s daughter, born in 1850. She married James A Tuttle (b. 1841 d. 1919).

I have not been able to prove that John was the father of James H., but I think it's a strong possibility. The inscription on the stone gives the dod, February 4, 1864, 83 years."

Thanks John for the contribution. 

View Above the Croton Dam, Croton Histories & Mysteries

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Court Appearences for William Brewer in Monmouth County

The final five files from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part III, those being numbers 58 through 62, all deal with a man named William Brewer.

No. 58, William Brewer in the Court of Common Pleas. (My apologies here as two of the pages in the PDF are upside down). This is a case at Freehold in which William Brewer, late of Monmouth County, is ordered to appear on 10 April 1735 to answer to a complaint of Jacob Janeway and John Broughton, merchants, for a debt of seventeen pounds.

No. 59, William Brewer, Trespass, 1735. This file dates from the October 1735 term at Freehold. Here William Brewer, late of Monmouth County, yeoman, is to answer to Jacob Janeway and John Broughton on charges of trespass.

No. 60, William Brewer, Trespass, 1734. (Again, the pages in this file need to be flipped). This case is from the January 1735 term at Freehold, in which William Brewer, late of Monmouth County, is to answer to a charge of trespass filed by Aaron Lowgada (or Longada, the name is not familiar to me), merchant, from 4 November 1734.

No. 61, William Brewer of Readington, New Jersey, Debt. In this case Casparus Vanostrandt (Van Nostrandt) files a complaint against "William Brower otherwise called William Brewer, of Readington in the County of Hunterdon, yeoman, in the custody of Bernardus Verbryck, High Sheriff of Monmouth County." The case centers on a debt of fifty pounds, eight shillings, incurred by William Brower/Brewer on 15 December 1733 at Freehold.

No. 62, Casparus Vanostrandt v. William Brower. This file appears to be dated from the October 1735 term at Freehold. It is a second complaint by Casparus Vanostrandt against William Brower, in custody of Bernardus Vanbryck, High Sheriff of Monmouth County. The case is in regard to a debt of twenty-eight pounds due for smith work performed by Casparus Vanbryck for William Brower.

It is impossible to say with certainty whether the above five cases relate to one man named William Brewer/Brower, or if there are two different men of the same name. I suspect the former, that this is one man. The cases all involve events from the same short period (December 1733 thru October 1735), and in the first three William Brewer is called "late of Monmouth County" (implying that he used to live there but no longer does), and in the last two, William Brower ("sometimes Brewer") is called of Readington, Hunterdon County, but the transactions in which he incurred debts to Casparus Vanostrandt took place in Monmouth County. I'm left with the impression that William Brewer/Brower left Monmouth County and moved to Readington in Hunterdon County, about 1734 or 1735.

It is also not possible, with certainty, to say just who this William Brewer is. However, the only known man named William Brewer found in Monmouth County at this time would be Willem, the son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus, baptized on 8 May 1687 at Brooklyn. As mentioned in previous posts, Willem married Maritje Van Oort, and moved to Middletown, Monmouth County, where he is generally seen as William Brewer. The last record we have for William in Monmouth County is a deed dated 13 May 1726, in which William and his wife Mary, sell to three Hoffmire brothers, land in Monmouth County. On 19 June 1746, William Brower conveyed to Jacob Brower, of Mansquan in Monmouth County, land in Monmouth County. This deed does not state William's current place of residence.

Although this is subject to change in the event that more and clearer evidence appears, I would say that the above cases imply that Willem Brouwer/William Brewer of Middletown, relocated to Readington in Hunterdon County about 1734 or 1735. No date of death, or final settlement of estate, has yet been found for Willem Brouwer/William Brewer.

This post concludes the exercise of making available the original files from which "Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers" was constructed. Thanks again to William B. Bogardus who originally provided me with the pages, and to any unknown or unmentioned correspondents of his who first provided Bill with the pages.

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Deeds Involving William Brewer in Monmouth County

Here are two files from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part III pertaining to William Brewer of Monmouth County.

No. 55, Mott to Hoffmire Deed

No. 57, William Brewer to Hoffmire Deed

File no. 55 is from Monmouth County Deeds, Book G, page 43. It is a typed transcription of a deed (or indenture) dated 18 February 1721, in which Charles Mott of Hempstead, Queens County, Long Island conveyed to Samuel Hoffmire, Benjamin Hoffmire and William Hoffmire, of Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey, a 150 acre parcel of land adjoining Henry Tilton and Samuel Tilton and now in the possession of William Brewer, "made over unto me the said Charles Mott by Samuel Hoffmire deceased father of the said Samuel Hoffmire, Benjamin Hoffmire and William Hoffmire."

File no. 57 is from Monmouth County Deeds, Book H, pages 84-85. It is dated 13 May 1726 and is a photocopy of what appears to be the original indenture (its not a transcription). Here William Brewer of Middletown, Monmouth County, yeoman, and Mary his wife convey to the same Samuel Hoffmire, Benjamin Hoffmire and William Hoffmire, also of Middletown, Monmouth County. There is a very lengthy description of the property, and William Brewer signs the deed with his mark.

The William Brewer in the above deeds would be the Willem Brouwer, baptized 8 May 1687 at Brooklyn, a son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus. He is a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. His wife Mary, mentioned in the 1726 indenture, is Maritje Van Oort, or Van Noordt (Van Nord, Van Nort), who was a daughter of Goosen Van Oort and Maria Peek who were early settlers at Schenectady. Maritje was probably born in the early 1680s. No record of her baptism survives. She was first married to Pieter Hennion on 9 January 1700 at the Reformed Dutch Church in New York, and had two children with him. William and Maritje were married 19 May 1709 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church and had three children baptized there in 1710, 1712 an 1714. It appears that William then relocated his family to Middletown in Monmouth County, New Jersey soon after 1714. A daughter of Willem Brower was baptized by the Reformed Dutch Congregation of Freehold and Middletown in 1723. The child's name is not stated in the record. Two other sons, Jacob and William, believed to have been born between 1715 and 1720 are also included in the family. Further explanation regarding their placement will be reserved for a future post. For now, here is a Family Group sheet for Willem Brouwer/William Brewer and Maritje/Mary Van Oort.

Family Group Sheet: Willem Jacobsz Brouwer and Maritje Van Oort

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Estate of Ezekiel Huls (Magdalene Huls Administratrix)

File No. 53 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part III, is an application filed by Magdalene Huls, Administratrix for the Estate of Ezekiel Huls of Monmouth County.

No. 53 Estate of Ezekiel Huls

File No. 53 is found in Monmouth County, Orphans Court Book C, pages 3-4. It is from the April 1801 term which was held at Freehold. Here is my transcription:

Magdalene Huls, Admx. of Ezekiel Huls, decd.:

 An application for the sale of real estate; the Administratrix having explained to this Court upon oath a just and true account of the personal estate of the said Ezekiel Huls deceased and of the debts as far as the can discover the same by which it appears that there is not sufficient to pay the said debts. Therefore an application of the said Administratrix setting forth that the said Ezekiel Huls died seized of Real Estate in the County of Monmouth, and praying that aid of the court in the Premises. It is ordered that all persons interested in such real estate do appear before the Judges of the Orphans Court to be held at Freehold in and for the County aforesaid on the fourth Tuesday of July next at two o'clock in the afternoon of said day to show cause, if any they have why so much of the real Estate of the said deceased should not be sold as will be sufficient to pay said debts.

According to Florence Johnson Asman, Brouwer/Brower Ancestry with Allied Families (Illuminage, 1994), p.3, Ezekiel Huls was the husband of Magdalena Brewer, the daughter and youngest child of Adam Brewer (1696-1768). A digital version of the book can be found online through the Family Search website - Brouwer/Brower Ancestry with Allied Families.

Unfortunately this book contains errors, including a fictitious ancestry for Adam Brouwer, and it does not provide a source for the claim that Magdalena Brewer married Ezekiel Huls (or Hulse). Asman states that Magdalena was born on 12 June 1735, however, in her father's will of 22 August 1768, it is clearly stated that she is not yet age 21. There is no record of Adam Brewer having a child born on this date. Asman states that Magdalena's mother is Adam Brewer's first wife, Deborah Allen, which is not possible. She also incorrectly identifies Adam's second wife as Mary Curtis. We now know that Adam's second wife was Catherine Mitchell and she was most certainly the mother of his daughter, Magdalena, who was most likely born in 1743. Adam Brewer's third wife was Mary Davis, the widow of John Curtis.

The placement of Magdalena Brewer as the wife of Ezekiel Huls/Hulse may be correct, but acceptable evidence for the claim has not been found. The petition presented to the Monmouth County Orphans Court is made by "Magdalene Huls, Administratrix of Ezekiel Huls," however, the family relationship between the two is not stated anywhere in the document. Magdalena may well be Ezekiel's widow, and widows often administered their deceased husband's estates, but again, that is not specifically stated. Magdalene Huls could also be a sister of Ezekiel. Additional documents need to be located before it can be stated with certainty that Magdalena Brewer, daughter of Adam Brewer, was the wife of Ezekiel Huls/Hulse.

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Holsart Deed, Monmouth County, N. J., July 10, 1733

File no. 52, found in Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part III, is a deed from Hannah Holsart and John Holsart, executors of the last will and testament of Benjamin Holsart, to Thomas Werne of Amboy in Middlesex County, New Jersey.

No. 52, Holsart Deed

The deed is found in Monmouth County Deeds, Book H, pages 175-177. It begins at the bottom of the first page in the PDF. The deed is dated 10 July 1733 and was recorded in Monmouth County on 26 March 1737. The land that was transferred from the Holsarts to Thomas Werne was in Monmouth County.

I am not entirely certain as to why this document was included in a collection of documents regarding families and persons named Brower, Brewer, Bruere, etc., but it was in fact included so rather than simply discard it, I'll make it available for anyone who may have an interest in the Holsart family of Monmouth County.

The Holsart (Holsaert Hulsaart, Holzert, etc.) family has it's origins in Kings County, Long Island, and some members of the family were among the early settlers in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Descendants of both Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, and of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, would have been familiar with, and no doubt had dealings with some members of the Holsart family. The progenitor of the family was Johannes Holsaert who was probably born around 1640, immigrated to America from Flanders in 1684, witnessed a baptism at Flatbush in May 1687, but is not found on the oath of allegiance taken in Kings County in September of that same year (1687). About a year ago I had done some cursory research on this family and what I had been able to cobble together is online in the following documents:

Family of Johannes Holsaert, Immigrant to New York

Johannes Holsaert, Descendant Chart

Family of Pieter Hulsaart

Benjamin Holsaert (Holsart) was a son of Johannes Holsaert, and in all likelihood was born in Europe. He lived first at New Utrecht, Kings County, Long Island and relocated to Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey probably in 1716 or 1717. He wrote his will on 13 October 1732, and it was proved 26 May 1733. The executors were his wife, "Hanake," and his eldest son, John. They are the two (Hannah Holsart and John Holsart) mentioned in the deed who are conveying the land to Thomas Werne. "Hanake," or Hannah Holsart, was a daughter of Mathyas Pietersz Luyster and Cornelia Kip. She is also found with the name, Annatje Luyster, and Johanna Luyster. The three given names, Annatje (Anna), Hannah and Johanna, were sometimes used interchangeably during the colonial period. Benjamin and Hannah Holsaert had nine children and at least four but probably more, had descendants.

The research found above is not claimed to be complete, but it is offered here as a start to anyone who is researching this family. For example, I have not yet been able to find Pieter Hulsaart's place among Johannes Holsaert's descendants. Most, and probably all of those found in the above documents can also be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website, where you will find sources.

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Division of James Bruere's Estate

Part III of Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers covered files that, as of 2009, had not been identified as pertaining to either Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, or Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. Some background on this group of files was placed online on December 12, 2011, and I would refer you to that post for a bit more detail. Although I kept them grouped as they were when they first came to my attention in 2009, we can now identify where most, if not all, belong.

The first file in this group is file no. 51, which is a record from the Monmouth County Orphans Court regarding the division of the estate of James Bruere of Upper Freehold.

No. 51, Division of Real Estate James Bruere Estate

James Bruere, as mentioned in an earlier post, is not a descendant of either Adam Brouwer or Jan Brouwer. He is a member of the third family whose surname is on occasion recorded as BREWER in the various records found in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post of April 14, 2014 provides some background on the Bruere family.

This file contains the record from the October 1813 term, and is found in Monmouth County Orphans Court, Book D, pages 339-343. The original was on legal size pages and scanning to create a PDF has resulted in a ten page file. Peter Bruere, Price Bruere and James Bruere, executors of the estate of James Bruere, deceased, are providing the court with a report of their proceedings in the division of the real estate of James Bruere, late of Upper Freehold. The court record describes property that was devised by the the will of James Bruere to his two younger sons, Richard Bruere and Jonathan Bruere. Included in the report are excerpts from James Bruere's will.

James Bruere, the only son of the immigrant Peter Bruere, was born 9 February 1751 and died 2 July 1807. He lived his entire life in Upper Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey. His will was dated 19 May 1807 and was proved 29 July 1807. James was married to Sarah Horsefell, whose date of death has not yet been located. They had eight known children, six sons and two daughters. Details and sources are found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

[Please note: because of excessive spamming of the comments feature of this specific post, the title was changed on July 22, 2014] 

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Brewere Family Deed

File no. 49 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, is a deed involving the Bruere (recorded as Brewere) Family of Upper Freehold.

No. 49, Brewere Deed

In this deed dated 2 April 1808, Sarah Brewere, the widow of James Brewere, who died on 19 April 1807, quitclaims real estate to John H. Brewere, Price Brewere, James Brewere, Richard Brewere, Jonathan Brewere,and their heirs. The grantees in this deed were all sons of James and Sarah Bruere.

It had been mentioned previously that Part II of the Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Deeds had been grouped, by William B. Bogardus, as those that most likely referred to descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. This file is one case in which that is not correct. James Bruere is not a descendant of Adam Brouwer. He is a son of Peter Bruere who came to America, first arriving at New York City, in 1709. Peter Bruere settled at Upper Freehold in Monmouth County where he became a very large land owner. The spelling of the family name is generally accepted as BRUERE, however, records from the colonial period often spell the name differently. In this example it is spelled, BREWERE, but I have also seen it as BREWER and BRUER.

James Bruere was born 9 February 1751 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He is the only known son of Peter Bruere, whose wife was Ellinor Price, a daughter of David Price. James Bruere's wife was Sarah Horsefell, and she was a daughter of John Horsefell and Ruth Rogers. James and Sarah Bruere had eight children, six sons and two daughters. Descendants are known for four of the sons, John Horsful Bruere, Peter Bruere, Price Bruere and Jonathan Bruere. The daughters, Mary and Ruth were also married. Mary was married to Joseph Holmes, while Ruth married Senica Sennickson. Both left descendants.

Peter Bruere, the father of James, was a son of Jacques Bruyere and Louise Doussot. Research on the first generation of this family was conducted and published by Mary Emma Burt and Robert Eugene Burt in Jacque Bruyere, a French Huguenot and Descendants (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1997). A digital version can be viewed online at the FamilySearch website. According to the Burts, Peter Bruere was born on 10 August 1697 at Greifenthal, then in the German Palatinate, which is now a center in Lahn-Dill-Kries in Hesse, Germany (a Kries is a district, while Hesse is a present day German state). He was baptized at the Reformed Church of Daubhausen.

Peter's sisters, Jeanne and Susanne, and his brother Jacque, are recorded in New York City on a list of Palatines in the city in 1710/11*. A birth and baptism records for another son of Jacque Bruyere, named Jean, was also found at Daubhausen by the Burts, however, there is no evidence that Jean made the trip to America. It is suggested by the Burts that Jacque and Louise Bruyere either died during the voyage to America or shortly after arriving. The Burts state that Peter's sister, Susanne was married to William Baker, Sr., while no marriage has been found for Jeanne. There is also no further record found for Peter's brother, Jacque Bruyere, although if he remained in the New York City area (which would include Westchester Co., Long Island and northern New Jersey) his name could have been anglicized as James Brewer, or even dutchified as Jacob Brouwer. Given the fact that there are still numerous unplaced Brouwers, Browers, and Brewers from the colonial period in the greater New York City area, it may be that Peter's brother, Jacque Bruyere, survived into adulthood and left descendants.

To date, no known descendant of Peter Bruere has joined the Brewer DNA Project. It would be a valuable addition to future research regarding this family, and for Brouwer, Brower and Brewer research in general, if we could get a direct male descendant (or two) of Peter Bruere to join the Project and take a Y-DNA test. A Y-DNA genetic signature for the Bruere family would be a great help to current and future researchers.

A chart of some descendants of Peter Bruere, as well as additional info and sources, can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.



*This list can be found in, O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. Lists of Inhabitants of Colonial New York, Excerpted from The Documentary History of the State of New York (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1979, 1989, 1999), pages 184-185. They are recorded as Jeane Bruiere, orph(an), age 18; Jacque, age 15; Susannah, age 6.

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Two Documents Related to the David Brewer Family

I'm using this post to list two files from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II. They are file nos. 48 and 50, and relate to the family of David Brewer and Ann Morris. Though out of sequence, file no. 49 will follow in the next post.

File no. 48 is a deed dated 20 June 1804, in which David Brewer and his wife Ann, conveyed a lot of land and meadow in Howell Township to John Brewer and Samuel Hulet.

File No. 48, David Brewer to John Brewer

David Brewer and his wife Ann Morris have been covered in numerous past posts involving this collection of court documents from Monmouth County. The John Brewer to who they are conveying this land is most likely David's brother. John Brewer was born about 1761 and died either in late December 1811 or early January 1812. John Brewer's wife was Miriam Allen, and she was a distant cousin of John Brewer's mother, Sarah Allen. Among the children of John and Miriam is a daughter Elizabeth who married Samuel Hulett on 14 May 1808. Although David Brewer also had a son named John Brewer, it seems likely here that he is selling the lot of land to his brother and his brother's future son-in-law. David Brewer wrote his will only two months after this sale and was deceased by September 19th of 1804. The deed is found in Monmouth County Deeds, Book O, pages 928-930.

File no. 50 is a petition filed by Richard M. Freeman. It is found in Monmouth County Orphans Court, Book G, page 69.

File No. 50, Petition of Richard M. Freeman

This petition was filed during the April 1825 session of the Monmouth County Orphan Court. Richard M. Freeman's petition begins at the bottom of the first page in the file. It is short. He is asking to be appointed guardian of David Brewer, Morris Freeman Brewer and Robert Brewer, "infant" children of Isaac Brewer, deceased. In the vernacular of that day, an "infant" was a legal term for a child under the age of 14.

The deceased Isaac Brewer was a son of the above mentioned David Brewer and Ann Morris. He had died in 1816. His wife was named Margaret, but nothing else of her identity has yet to be found. Their three sons, David, Morris Freeman, and Robert, are identified by this short petition. Records of their births or baptisms have not been found, and so I estimate that the sons David and Morris Freeman were likely born between 1810 and 1816. Robert D. Brewer is found on the 1850 census at Brick in Ocean County, New Jersey, and his age is given as 32. He may well have been born posthumously in early 1817 or late 1816. While some descendants of Robert D. Brewer have been researched, the same cannot be said of his brothers. David is mentioned in the April 1845 division of the estate of his grandfather, David Brewer (Brower), but Morris Freeman is not mentioned. Morris Freeman Brewer may have died previous to April 1845.

More details and source citations for those mentioned above can be found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

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Petition of Elazerus Brewer

File no. 47 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, is a petition from Elazerus Brewer.

No. 47, Petition of Elazerus Brewer

In this petition which is dated 10 January 1810, Elazerus finds himself in the Monmouth County "Goal" (jail) because of unpaid debts. Elazerus claims that he does not have the funds to pay his debts but is willing to appropriate property he owns to satisfy the debtors. A previous petition dated three years earlier, 30 April 1807, included an inventory of property.

Elazerus Brewer has been covered in earlier posts, and has mentioned previously, descendants claimed that he died in 1820, in Ontario, Canada. There is other evidence to suggest that he went there, and he may well have gone to Canada because of his financial troubles in Monmouth County.

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Jacob Brewer Deed, East Jersey Land Records

File no. 46 from Abstracts of Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, is not a copy of any original document. It is simply a piece of correspondence that was received by William B. Bogardus. I have included it because it does provide a source for the location of the original should anyone wish to view it. It also provides the opportunity to mention a valuable set of books for researching in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

No. 46 East Jersey Land Records: Jacob Brewer

The author of this letter cites page 439 of East Jersey Land Records, Book A-3, for a deed dated 25 April 1755, in which Jacob Brewer of Swan in Monmouth County, purchased land from Joseph Kinnan and his wife, Ruth, of Somerset County. The land was located in Shrewsbury. It appears that part of this land was later sold by Jacob Croxson to Joel Lippincott in 1808, and in that deed, Jacob Croxson mentions his grandfather, Jacob Brewer (see the previous post).

I am not certain whether the author of the letter viewed the original deed itself, or if he/she is referring to a published abstract of the deed.

Richard S. Hutchinson has authored a series of books abstracting East Jersey Land Records. They are published by Colonial Roots and are available through Amazon.com. They are also available at Colonial Roots' own website (and possibly other retailers although I have not checked for them). East Jersey was a province in British colonial America from 1674 until 1702. It consisted of the land area that had previously been claimed by the Dutch colony of New Netherland, and encompassed the counties of Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth. After 1702 it was combined with the Province of West Jersey to form the Province of New Jersey. The land records from the colonial period are located at the New Jersey State Library in Trenton. The Genealogical Society of Utah has filmed the records and the microfilm is available through the Family History Library. To date, the FHL has not placed digital images of the film online, and until they do so, locating a specific deed can be a time consuming task. The books of abstracts of these deed records created by Richard S. Hutchinson are a terrific aid for locating deeds and for getting a preview of just who and what is mentioned in them before one spends the time and effort required to view the original. The various volumes cover a stated range of years, however, many of the transactions were actually conducted in earlier years. For example, this deed was drawn up in 1755, but is found in East Jersey Deeds vol. A3 which covers the years 1763 to 1766 (see FHL film #460037). Although I have not viewed it myself, I would guess that the abstract of this deed would be found in Richard S. Hutchinson's East New Jersey Land Records, 1763-1766.

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Jacob Croxson to Joel Lippincott, Deed

File no. 45 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, is an indenture, or deed, in which Jacob Croxson (Croxon) transfers land to Joel Lippencott. There is an important piece of genealogical information in this deed.

No. 45, Indenture Jacob Croxon to Joel Lippincott

I have seen the Croxson surname recorded both as CROXSON (with an S) and as CROXON (without the S). Despite the label I've given the file, it appears that the surname is spelled with the S, as CROXSON, more frequently in this document.

The photocopied and scanned copy presented here is difficult to read. I would suggest to anyone who is seriously interested in pursuing research on this family that they seek out the original. According to the source who located this document for William B. Bogardus, it is found in Monmouth County Deed Book R, pages 137-138.

The indenture is dated 2 January 1808, and it records that Jacob Croxson and his wife, Elizabeth, of Shrewsbury, conveyed for the sum of $4000, to Joel Lippincott, land lying in Shrewsbury. There is a lengthy description of the property which I will not attempt to transcribe here. The statement of genealogical significance that is found in the indenture mentions that Jacob Croxson has right to the land being conveyed by the last will and testament of his grandfather Jacob Brewer. This statement is the only evidence found to date that can place Jacob Croxson as a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. The indenture also states that he owns part of the property by quit claim from his brother William Croxson, and Garret Wikoff and Rachel Wikoff, his (Garret's) wife.

Jacob Croxson is found on the 1830 U. S. census at Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey with a household of 1 male 10-15, 1 male 30-40, 1 male 50-60, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 50-60, and 1 free colored female age 10-23. Jacob would have to be the male aged 50-60 (the male aged 30-40 would have been too young to execute a deed in 1808), and therefore he was likely born sometime between 1770 and 1780. His birth was more likely closer to 1770, and may have been prior to 1770, as his daughter, Hannah Croxson, was married in 1811 (implying that she was probably born around 1790). Jacob Croxson died before April 1842. In that month, William W. Croxson, applied for the assignment of the dower for Elizabeth Croxson, widow of Jacob Croxson, dec'd. He had purchased the real estate of Jacob Croxson, dec'd., subject to the dower being set aside (Monmouth County Orphans Court Book K, page 368).

The identity of Jacob Croxson's parents has not been determined. His mother would have been a daughter of Jacob Brewer. I have seen one undocumented tree on Ancestry.com that called her Hannah Brewer, but I have been unable to confirm this identification. Jacob Croxson's grandfather, Jacob Brewer, is most likely a son of William Brewer/Brower (a.k.a. Willem Brouwer) who was baptized on 8 May 1687 at Brooklyn, Long Island. He was a son of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus, and a grandson of Adam Brouwer. This would make Jacob Croxson a great-great-great grandson of Adam Brouwer. Although no record of baptism has been found for Jacob Brewer, his mother would have been Maritje Van Oort (Van Nordt). It is likely that Jacob Brewer was born between 1715 and 1720. On 19 June 1746, William Brower conveyed to Jacob Brower of Mansquan in Shrewsbury Twp., property in Monmouth County. In 1748 and 1755, Jacob Brewer is listed as a Freeholder in Shrewsbury. On 25 April 1755, Joseph and Ruth Kinnan of Somerset County, conveyed to Jacob Brewer of Swan in Monmouth County, land in Shrewsbury (see the following post). On 30 March 1772, Jacob Brewer was a bondsman on the administration of the estate of William Vannorte of Shrewsbury. William's widow was named Magdalen, and it is suspected, but not proved, that she was Magdalena Brouwer, baptized 8 March 1704 at New York, a daughter of Jacob Brouwer and Annatje Bogardus. If correct, Magdalen would be Jacob Brewer's aunt.

According to John E. Stillwell,  Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Early Settlers of New Jersey and their Descendants, Vol. 5. (New York: n.pub., 1932), page 452, Jacob Croxson married Elizabeth Woolley, born 20 Jan 1776, daughter of Nathan Woolley and Zilpah White. Stillwell identifies two children, the daughter Hannah, mentioned above, who married Peter T. Wolcott, and a son Nathan W. who married Mary Haggerty. In addition, Jacob and Elizabeth had a son William (likely the William mentioned in the April 1842 Orphans Court record) and a daughter Deborah. From this deed we also know that Jacob had a brother named William Croxson, and a sister Rachel who was married to Garret Wikoff (Wyckoff). The brother, William Croxson, had married Catharine Wyckoff who was a brother of Garret Wyckoff. Garret and Catherine were children of Samuel Wyckoff (1732-1826) and Gertrude Shipman (1735-1820). For additional information and sources regarding the ancestors and some descendants of Jacob Croxson please consult the Brouwer Genealogy Database website.

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