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.

BGB 693

Corrections to Johannes (John) Brouwer and Perkins Lambert

An incomplete profile of Johannes Brouwer (a.k.a. John Brower or Brouwer) and his wife Perkins Lambert is found on the Brouwer Genealogy Database (BGD) here. Newly found records forwarded to me by Sara Brower corrects data found in this profile for John and Perkins, their son Thomas, and especially their daughter Susannah.

Regarding son Thomas, placed as a son with the stipulation, possible, a baptism record for "a son" of "John & Pirkins Brouwer from New York," is found in the baptism records of the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The date of baptism is recorded as June 13, 1779. The entry records the child as "son." A given name is not recorded. The identity of this son as Thomas, therefore still needs further verification. However, it is apparent that John and Perkins did have another son born after the five children whose baptisms are found in the New York Reformed Dutch Church between 1769 and 1776 (see the BGD profile for citations).


John and Perkins (Lambert) Brouwer's daughter, Susannah, baptized 11 August 1776 at the New York Reformed Dutch Church, is shown on the BGD as the Susannah Brower who married David Osborn (Osburn, Asburn) on 16 November 1800 at Poughkeepsie, New York (First Reformed Church), and with a date of death of 21 September 1873 and a burial at the New Hurley Reformed Dutch Church cemetery. This marriage, date of death and burial are incorrect.

Records of the Old Swede's Church, Philadelphia, include an entry under December 1795, which reads: "Joseph Cole, son of Andrew Cole in N. W. Jersey, and his dec'd wife Latitia, twenty five (and) Susannah Browers, dr. of the dec'd John and Perkins Browers, heret. of Philadelphia, nineteen."

Therefore, the Susanna Brouwer who married David Osborn, is not a daughter of Johannes (John) Brouwer and Perkins Lambert. In addition to Susanna's profile on the BGD, a Find-A-Grave memorial for Susannah Brower Osborn is also incorrect in placing her as a daughter of John and Perkins (Lambert) Brouwer. Although David Osborn did marry a woman named Susannah Brower (they had a daughter, Sally, baptized at Poughkeepsie, 23 August 1801, that Susannah is not a daughter of John Brouwer and Perkins Lambert. The marriage record of Joseph Cole of Salem Co., New Jersey and Susannah Browers (sic) of Philadelphia, tells us otherwise. The identity and parents of Susannah Brower, wife of David Osborn, is now unknown. She is, however, the Susannah Osborn who died 21 September 1873 and is buried in the New Hurley Reformed Church Cemetery (with her husband) and the Susannah, John and Perkins Brouwer's daughter, is not buried there. In that regard the Find-A-Grave memorial is correct and it does include a photo of David Osborn's gravestone (a repair of the stone apparently obscures his wife's name).

The marriage record also tells us that John and Perkins Brouwer, both died prior to December 1795. John did not die in 1823 as shown on the BGD. The Find-A-Grave entry for Johannes Brouwer is therefore incorrect. I'll note that the Find-A-Grave page for Johannes Brouwer cites the BGD, and you know, if you are creating a Find-A-Grave memorial you really shouldn't do that! Find-A-Grave was intended as a website were one could post memorials, backed up by actual graveyard records and photos obtained through visits, and not as a place to post genealogical summaries that were previously published elsewhere, whether online or in printed format (books or genealogical journals) without ever visiting the graveyard to see if some certain individual is in fact actually buried there. I could go on regarding this but I won't except to say that Find-A-Grave started out as a good, well intentioned idea, but it's become a site that unfortunately propagates a terrific amount of incorrect information. There is in fact a terrific amount of incorrect burial information regarding descendants of Adam Brouwer (including Adam Brouwer himself) found on Find-A-Grave. It's unfortunate, but enough said.

Sara sent me images of published transcriptions of these records. The marriage record of Joseph Cole and Susannah Brower can be found online at FamilySearch.org in "Early marriage records of Pennsylvania Churches: Old Swedes Church..." by Mildred C. Williams, p. 39, where the year is incorrectly transcribed as 1775 (which is impossible based on Susannah's baptism date). I imagine that the complete record as quoted above can also be found here, although this digitized film can only be viewed at a Family History Library location. I would gather that the 1779 baptism record for "a son" of John & Pirkins Brouwer from New York, can be found in this digitized film, again only viewable at a FHL location.

The marriage record of David Osburn (sic) and Susannah Brower in found in Kelly, Arthur C. M., Poughkeepsie Reformed Church Marriages, 1746-1824. Rhinebeck, N. Y.: Kinship, p. 25, no. 546. Parents names are not recorded. The baptism record for their daughter Sally is found in Kelly, Arthur C.M., Baptism Records - Poughkeepsie Reformed Church, 1716-1824. Rhinebeck,N.Y.: Kinship, 1998, p. 102. (Sally, b. 3.13; parents: Davis Asburn, Susannah Brower; no witnesses recorded).

Much thanks to Sara Brower.

BGD 692

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.

BGB 691

Who Is The William Brewer Whose Estate Was Administered In New Jersey, January 31, 1729/30?

The June 20, 2020 post, "The Earliest Brewers of Hunterdon County, New Jersey," left us with a couple of early William Brewers who we would like to identify. Here we will take a look at a couple of men named William Brewer (nos. 1 and 3 in the June 20th post) and then work through the roster of known men named William Brewer (Brouwer, Brower, Bruer) to see if we can find a fit.

From the June 20, 2020 post, No. 1 is the administration of the estate of William Brewer of Hunterdon County, yeoman. A second record of this administration (in "Hunterdon Wills") tells us he was of Amwell. William Brewer is obviously deceased shortly before 31 January 1729/30, and since he has an estate that needs administrating, he had to have been an adult and therefore born prior to 1708/09 (age 21 or older in Jan 1729/30). No. 3 is a William Brower/Brewer of Readington, who was an adult by 15 December 1733, when he was involved in a court action regarding a debt he owned to Casparus Vanorstandt of Somerset County. This William Brower/Brewer would have been born by 1712 and is certainly not the same William Brewer (no. 1) who died by 31 January 1729/30. There are two men named William Brewer (Brower) who we seek to identify.

The known candidates, i.e. men named Willem Brouwer, William Brower or Brewer, known to have lived in colonial New Netherland/New York/New Jersey and born prior to 1712, are:

A - We'll start by quickly eliminating Willem Brouwer of Beverwijck who was buried 3 August 1668, and his reputed son Willem/William Brouwer/Brower who lived at Schenectady and later Stone Arabia, New York and wrote is will in February 1757. This latter had a son Wilhelmus (William) baptized at Schenectady in 1725, which is clearly too late for him to be considered. The elder Willem Brouwer had a son Hendrick  (bapt. 1652 in Amsterdam) who in turn had a son Willem who was born and baptized in January 1704 at Schenectady. We have no further record of this Willem (William) Brouwer. He is not mentioned in his father's will of 1706, however, that will only mentions by name the eldest son (Johannis) and does not mention by name his other sons, Pieter, Jacob, Cornelis and Hendrick, all of whom were known to be living at the time the will was written. Although we have no evidence that any of the descendants of either Hendrick Brouwer or the younger Willem Brouwer (will 1757) ventured from the Albany/Schenectady/Mohawk Valley region of New York to Hunterdon County, the fact that Hendrick's son Willem is otherwise not accounted for by a known marriage, death, burial or probate record, does leave him as a possibility for either No. 1 or No. 3, but we would have to find evidence that he relocated to Hunterdon County, and thus far that evidence has not been found.

B - Willem Brouwer, baptized in 1651, son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon (on the BGD here). A death, burial or probate record has not been found for this Willem Brouwer. He is last recorded in a deed dated 7 May 1708, when he was "of Brooklyn," and conveyed a lot in Brooklyn. What became of Willem, after 1708, has not been found. If he lived, he would have been aged 78 in January 1729/30. We have no record of him having a son named William.
Of his known sons, Samuel (bapt. 1706, Breuckelen Dutch Reformed Church) is tentatively identified as the Samuel Brewer, who with wife Margaret/Maregrita had two daughters baptized  at Raritan in Somerset County, they being Annate (22 Oct 1732) and Anate (19 Jan 1735). The surname is rendered as "Brouer" and no witnesses are recorded for either baptism. This Samuel was an innholder at Millstone (in Somerset County) in 1766 when he and his wife Margaret took out a mortgage from Peter Schenk. Samuel of Millstone is identified as the son of Willem, only because all other known Samuels born early enough to have married by 1732, are accounted for. However, Samuel Bruer (with William Post and Cornelis Willemse) witnessed the will of John Bruer of Somerset County, 29 October 1732, and this "John Bruer" is Jan Brouwer (bapt, 1695) a son of Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws, and a grandson of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. There is no record of a Samuel having been born into the families of the descendants of Jan Brouwer early enough to have been an adult by 1732. A witness to a will need not be a relation, even if he or she has the same surname. To place Samuel within a family descended from Jan Brouwer would force us to create an individual for whom no other known record exists that explicitly connects him as a relation to a family descended from Jan Brouwer. I don't believe that it is sound practice to do that, and I suggest that the best identification for Samuel Brewer/Bruer/Brouer of Millstone is as the son of Willem Brouwer (bapt. 1651) and grandson of Adam Brouwer. 
Not wishing to digress much further here, Willem Brouwer did have a son Johannes baptized in 1687, recorded in the Breuckelen Dutch Reformed Church records. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings" (TAG 23:205) places Johannes as the "John Bruer" whose is discussed above. But this does not appear to be a correct placement. See no. 4 on the post of September 2, 2012.
Two of Willem's daughters, Lysbeth (married Herman Van Sant) and Catharina (married Joshua Cresson) relocated to Bucks County, Pennsylvania sometime during the first decade of the 1700s. Lysbeth's son, William Van Sant, was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1708. Willem Brouwer's son, Adolphus, was witness to a deed in Bucks County in 1704, but nothing further has been found regarding him. Hunterdon County was, for lack of a better term, a "stepping stone," for people migrating from the New York City area to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, including Bucks County. Finally, Willem's daughter Jannetje (bapt. in 1702 at Breuckelen), may well have been the Jannetje Brouwer who married Jan Losee, was at Jamaica, Long Island in the mid 1720s, but then had a daughter (Marya) baptized at Raritan (Somerset County) in 1730, and a son (Cornelius) baptized at Readington in 1732, about the time that William Brower/Brewer of Readington was involved in a court action regarding a debt.
All in all, it is conceivable that Willem Brouwer could be either the William Brewer (No. 1) whose estate was administered in January 1729/30, or the William Brower/Brewer (No. 3) involved in the court action in 1733. What gives me hesitation through is, first off, his age. Willem Brouwer would be approaching 80 in 1729/30, and age 82 in 1733, in other words, very long-lived for that period of time. Secondly, the estate of William Brewer (no. 1) is administered by James Chambers, a person who is not known to have been a relation, even through marriage, to Willem Brouwer. As Willem clearly did have children living in 1729/30, we'd expect one of them to administer his estate. I also note that the inventory if the estate amounted to "a bond from John Hamilton, late of Trenton, for £25, and interest for two years, £4 money at 8s the ounce" [Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I, 1670-1730. (Paterson, N.J.: The Press Printing and Publishing Co., 1901):60, citing "Hunterdon Wills"]. This estate is rather small. I would have expected an aged man to have had a much larger estate. What I take away from this exercise of reviewing Willem Brouwer, is that not enough is known regarding either him or (most) of his children to draw less than questionable conclusions regarding what became of him after 1708. I am very hesitant to assign this record of administration and inventory to Willem Brouwer, son of Adam Brouwer. Possible, but, "I just don't know."

C - Willem Brouwer, a.k.a. William Brower and William Brewer, baptized 8 May 1687 at Breuckelen, son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus. He is a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I. William married Maritje Van Oort (Van Noordt) daughter of Goosen Van Oort and Maria Peeck. She was born at Schenectady, and had previously married Pieter Hennion (two daughters). William and Maritje were married 19 May 1709, recorded in the New York City Reformed Dutch Church where they had three daughters baptized (1710, 1712, 1714). He was at Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey by 14 March 1720 when his earmark was recorded. Deeds have him at Middletown in 1721, 1725, 1726, and 19 June 1746 (the last one) when he deeded land to Jacob Brower. On 10 April 1735, William Brewer, late of Monmouth County, was to answer at the Monmouth County Court of Common Pleas for debt to Jacob Janeway and John Broughton, merchants (see nos. 58-60 here, which are followed by nos. 61 and 62 involving William Brewer of Readington's debt to Casparus Vanostrandt). I set off "late of Monmouth County" in bold because it implies that William is not living in Monmouth County in 1735. Where he is living, however, is not stated. There is a twenty year gap between 1726 and 1746 in which William has not been found in records in Monmouth County which state that he is living there. A record of death or burial, nor a record of probate has been found for William Brewer. He was certainly living after January 1729/30, so he cannot be No. 1. As he is not living in Monmouth County in 1735, and was last recorded there in 1726, it is conceivable, perhaps likely, that he was the William Brower/Brewer of Readington that owed a debt to Casparus Vanorstrandt in 1733 (No. 3).

D - Willem Bouwer, son of Samuel Brouwer and Grietje Smith, who lived in Westchester County, New York and were members of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown. No record of his baptism has been found, but he married Annatie Namburgh on 6 November 1725 (Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, New York), and so was likely born around 1700 to 1705 (I have "bef 1704" on the BGD). William and Annatie's son Samuel was baptized 15 April 1727 (Sleepy Hollow) and his parents, "Samuel Brouwer and Grietie his wife," were the witnesses. A daughter, Anna was baptized 29 March 1729 at Sleepy Hollow. William was deceased by 22 August 1730 when his wife married Jeremiah Mabie (Sleepy Hollow). The marriage record calls her the widow of Willem Brouwer. Obviously he is not No. 3. His daughter's baptism does not refer to him as deceased. The date of the baptism is likely in the new style, meaning it is prior to the 31 January 1729/30 date of No. 1. His death prior to 22 August 1730 creates a window between the dates of his daughter's baptism and his wife's remarriage during which both William died and the estate of the William Brewer of Amwell, Hunterdon County was administered, but as this William was a member of a large family (he had ten siblings) that was anchored in Westchester County, New York, I think it highly unlikely that he is No. 1. As with A, above, we would need to find other evidence that he ventured to Hunterdon County. I doubt such evidence exists.

And that is it. There are only four known men named Willem/William Brouwer/Brower/Brewer who could vie for the two spots we seek to fill, one of which is the William Brewer, of Amwell, Hunterdon County, whose estate was administered on 31 January 1729/30, and the second, a William Brewer/Brower of Readington, who on 15 December 1733 was named as a debtor in a court case in Monmouth County, New Jersey. To recap and condense what is above, they would be:


A - Willem Brouwer, born and baptized in January 1704 at Schenectady, New York, son of Hendrick Brouwer and Maritie Pieterse Borsboom, grandson of Willem Brouwer and Lysbeth Drinkveldt. No further known record after his baptism, so possible (for either record), but unlikely unless evidence connecting one of the William Brewers of Hunterdon County, to Schenectady, New York, can be found.

B - Willem Brouwer, baptized 5 March 1651 at New Amsterdam, son of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. Living on 7 May 1708 when he and his wife, Martha, of Brooklyn, conveyed a lot in Brooklyn to Cornelius Sleght of Newtown, Long Island. No record after this date has been found. He would be aged 78 on 29 January 1729/30 and aged 82 on 15 December 1733. He could be (although I'm not comfortable saying that it is likely) the William Brewer of Amwell who had administration of estate granted 29 January 1729/30 to one James Chambers. But why administration was not granted to a child, a number of whom were living, some as close as Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is a question that needs to be answered. The presence of C (below) leaves me to think it doubtful that he is the William Brewer/Brower of Readington on 15 December 1733.


C - Willem Brouwer/William Brower/William Brewer, baptized 8 May 1687 at Breuckelen, son of Jacob Brouwer and Annetje Bogardus and grandson of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. He lived at Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey from at least 1720 through 1726, but is called "late of Monmouth County" on 10 April 1735. No record of death or probate, but he was living on 19 June 1746 (deed). Certainly not the William Brewer of Amwell, 29 January 1729/30. He is the best candidate to be the William Brower/Brewer of Readington, indebted to Casparus Vanorstrandt, 15 December 1733, as per a court action held in Monmouth County.

D - Willem/William Brouwer, son of Samuel Brouwer and Grietje Smith. He is a grandson of Matthys Brouwer and Marietje Pieterse (Wyckoff) and a great-grandson of Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Verdon. Living 29 March 1729 but deceased by 22 August 1730. Although the date of the administration of William Brewer of Amwell's estate falls between these dates, we have no evidence that Willem/William lived anywhere outside of Westchester County, New York, and without that evidence we cannot assume that he was at Amwell. He is certainly not the William Brower/Brewer who was indebted to Casparus Vanorstrandt.

A final possibility could be that either, or both, of these records, No. 1 (the 29 January 1729/30 administration) and No. 3 (the 15 December 1733 court case) belong to one or two men named William Brower or Brewer who otherwise have not been identified by any known record found anywhere within colonial New Jersey or New York prior to 1729/30 or 1733. This might especially be the case for record No. 1 (the administration of the estate of William Brewer of Amwell). If this, to date unknown William Brewer (or two) is a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, he would have to be placed either among Adam's grandsons, or perhaps among his earlier great-grandsons. I'll just note here that Adam's son, Willem (B above) is not known to have had a son named William. If  he (or they) are descendants of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island, a place for him (them) would have to be found among Jan Brouwer's grandsons. However, it is conceivable that one of the William Brewers, could be a yet unidentified son of Jan Brouwer (but I would be extremely hesitant to create another son for Jan Brouwer without any additional evidence). Neither of the William Brewers would be found among Jan Brouwer's great-grandsons. All of Jan Brouwer's known grandsons were born too late to have fathered a son in the time period we're looking at. And of course, the possibility remains that one, or both, of the William Brewers could be someone completely unrelated to either of these two early Brouwer families.

We welcome any additional information or clues on this puzzle. Please use the Comments option.

BGB 690

"Sites of Historic Interest," Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Hank Graham (administrator of the Brewer DNA Project) sent me a link to this PDF, "Hunterdon County Master Plan, Sites of Historic Interest," published in November 1979. Recent posts have focused on Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and I think that this 550 page publication will be of interest to anyone researching Hunterdon County.

The purpose of the report is explained on page 5, which is essentially to identify, with the intent of preservation, historic sites in Hunterdon County. Hank points to pages 13-28 for information on early settlement and formation of the county during the colonial period. Page 15 has a map showing how the boundaries of the county changed over the years. An important point here is that the city of Trenton, now the site of the capitol of the State of New Jersey, and within Mercer County, was during the colonial period, within the bounds of Hunterdon County, and was the county seat until 1785. The character of the early settlements and settlers who came to Hunterdon County can be found on pages 14-16. The area was initially settled by diverse groups along both ethnic and religious lines. Maps on pages 20 and 21 show the location of townships in 1739 and 240 years later in 1979.

I found an interesting map at page 41 which illustrates the movement of people and settlements during the colonial period along the entire eastern seaboard. Four "centers" of migration are identified with origins in New England, southeastern Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay and southern North Carolina to eastern Georgia. If you are interested in historic architecture you will finds a concise overview with lots of illustrations in the pages that follow.

As the purpose of the report is to identify historic sites and develop a plan for their preservation, a good deal of the pages are devoted to an inventory of sites. This begins at page 104 and is arranged by present day (1979) townships and boroughs. There is some brief historical info in the short introductory paragraphs and some may find family names of interest listed among the numerous properties mentioned. Maps showing locations of the properties are included. There is no "name index" to the properties, but if you have interest in the earlier families of Hunterdon County, and some time, scrolling through the pages will no doubt yield names, and properties, that will catch your attention.

Hunterdon Co., NJ, 1851 (Library of Congress; Cornell, Samuel C, and Lloyd Van Derveer. Map of Hunterdon County, New Jersey: entirely from original surveys. [Philadelphia?: Lloyd Van Derveer & S.C. Cornell, 1851])

Thanks again Hank.

BGB 689

The Earliest Brewers of Hunterdon County, New Jersey

A survey of some of the earliest mentions of persons named BREWER (etc.) found in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. This will be focused on those who lived (were born) during the colonial period, say before 1780. Some years back I extracted all mentions of the names Brouwer, Brower, Brewer, etc. found in the series "New Jersey Calendar of Wills." That document can be found online here and it will be a source for some of those found below. Another is this list of New Jersey Tax payers 1778-1797 that was compiled by a company called T. L. C. Genealogy back in 1990 (before the days of the internet) and came to me by way of William B. Bogardus.  

We still have a number of unconnected Brower and Brewer lineages that can be traced back to the early 1800s or late 1700s but go no further. We know from Y-DNA testing that their ancestor was either Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I., or Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, L. I. , or neither (so someone else, yet to be identified). Research of the Brewer and Brower surnames in Hunterdon County show that there are a good number of families named Brewer living there during the 1800s, but how they relate to one another is just not clear. In addition there are a number of families who ventured westward during the late 1700s and early 1800s and settled in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, areas which are now in West Virginia and western Virginia, and eventually beyond, who we suspect had their origins in Hunterdon, or surrounding counties. Recent posts have focused on some of the probate and land records that can be accessed (with a little work and effort). However, they are from the post colonial period, the 1800s, and it may be well worth it to just back up here a minute and get a roster, or picture, of just who the fore-bearers of these post colonial families might be. 

My comments in brackets [   ].

1. 31 January 1729/30, administration on the estate of William Brewer of Hunterdon County, yeoman, was granted to James Chambers. Bond of James Chambers, as administrator, with Malkem McQuarry as fellow bondsman, both of Middlesex County. Same date, the inventory of the personal estate of William Brewer, of Amwell, consisting of a bond from John Hamilton, late of Trenton for £25, and interest for two years, £4 money at 8s., the ounce. Sworn to by James Chambers. Source: Nelson, William. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol. XXIII, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I, 1670-1730. (Paterson, N.J.: The Press Printing and Publishing Co., 1901):60, citing West Jersey Wills Lib. 3, p.40 (administration) and Hunterdon Wills (inventory). [As this is the earliest record of a Brewer in Hunterdon County, and this individual is deceased by the date of administration of his estate, it would be of great help if he could be identified with certainty. We will address the possibilities in a separate post].

2. 29 May 1732. Date of the will of John Severns of Trenton, Hunterdon County. An inventory of the estate, dated 4 March 1732/33 includes a long list of debts due. Among the debtors are "Bruer of Allentown" (which is in Monmouth Co.) and "Bruer of Amwell." Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. II, 1730-1750: 424, citing West Jersey Will Lib. 3, p. 202. [See no. 4 below.]

3. 15 December 1733.  Monmouth County Court for holding of pleas. Casparus Vanostrandt complaint against William Brower otherwise called William Brewer of Readington in the County of Hunterdon, yeoman in custody of Bernardus Verbryck, Esq., High Sheriff of the said county of Monmouth, regarding a debt of fifty pounds eight shillings for what whereas the said William the 15th day of December 1733 at Freehold in Monmouth County within the jurisdiction of this court, acknowledged he was bound to said Casparus for fifty pounds to be paid to the said Casparus... (This followed by a document): “That I William Brewer of Readington in the County of Hunterdon, yeoman, am firmly bound unto Casparus Vanorstandt, blacksmith, in the County of Somerset in the sum of fifty pounds and eight shillings...signed and sealed 15 December 1733 by William Brower (his signature). [See no. 61, with note, here. An adult by 1733, so born by 1712, we'd like to identify this man, who must be a different William from no. 1 above. Perhaps he is no. 5 below.]

4. In a survey dated 3 November 1738, for Benjamin Smith, of 100 acres at Neshaning Brook, Amwell Twp., William Brewer was named as owner of adjoining land. In a second survey bearing the same date, for William Bollowsfelt, 95 acres, same location, adjoining land owners were named as William Brewer, and Benjamin Smith. Book M, Part 2 (West Jersey Surveys): Folio 294 (PWESJ004) online at State of New Jersey, Dept. of State, Early Land Records, 1650s-1900, searched using "Brewer" and "Hunterdon County." [Is he the same, or is a different William Brewer from no. 3? I would lean towards different, see no. 2 above.]

5. A "List of Letters remaining in the Post Office at Trenton, September 28, 1754," published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, October 17, 1754, included William Brower, R:ddentown (sic). [Perhaps no. 3 above?] 

6. The will of Nathaniel McFarson of Kingwood, Hunterdon County, yeoman, dated 30 Sep 1788, was witnessed by Samuel McFarson, Uriah Bonham and David Brewer. It was proved 19 January 1789. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. VII, 1786-1790: 144, citing New Jersey Wills Lib. 32, p. 19.

7. The will of John Barber of Amwell Twp., dated 22 February 1795, proved 5 August 1795, was witnessed by William Taylor, Samuel Brewer, and William Naylor. The inventory, dated 1 August 1795, was made by Samuel Brewer and William Taylor. Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. VIII, 1791-1795: 26-27, citing File 1699J.

The List of Taxpayers in Hunterdon County, 1778-1797

This document (obtained from William B. Bogardus) is online here. It is arranged alphabetically and I'm going to just rearrange the names by Township. What is important to note here is that the individuals found on this list would have been adults in the year in which they were recorded, and so (assuming they were of age 21 or older) were born at the latest in the late 1750s or 1760s, and possibly (for some) earlier, perhaps by decades. I am standardizing the varied spellings, Brewar and Brewr, to Brewer. The spelling, Brower, is only found twice, both in Reading.

Reading (which I would assume to be Readington):

  Daniel Brewer, 1779, 1780; Daniel Brower, 1781

  Daniel Brewer, Sr., 1789, 1790

  Daniel Brewer, Jr., 1785, 1789, 1790 

  Henry Brewer, 1785

  William Brewer, 1778, 1779, 1785; William Brower, 1781

  William Brewer, Jr., 1778

Lebanon

  Mathew/Mathias Brewer, 1778*, 1780, 1784

  Mathias Brewer, Sr., 1779

  Mathew/Mathias Brewer, Jr., 1779, 1780

     *Both a Mathew Brewer and a Mathias Brewer are recorded in 1778 (probably one is the Sr., the other the Jr. of 1779)

Bethlehem

  Mathias Brewer, 1785 (twice, Matthias and Mathies), 1786 (once)

  John Brewer, 1785, 1786

  Tevis Brewer, 1786 [I've not seen this name before and suspect that it is a mis-transcription. Tevis? Could this be Thys, a diminutive for Matthys? There are two Mathiases in 1785 but only one in 1786]

Amwell

  Richard Brewer, 1780, 1784

  Samuel Brewer, 1786, 1789 [see no. 7 above]

Kingwood

  Richard Brewer, 1778

  Samuel Brewer, 1778, 1780

  David Brewer, 1779 [see no. 6 above]

  Powal Brewer, 1785

  Wright Brewer, 1789

In addition to the above, there are records of various churches in Hunterdon County to consider. The most available records for the 1700s being baptisms and church memberships. But that is a bit more complicated as some who had children baptized at (for example) at the Reformed Church at North Branch (Readington) may have lived in adjoining Somerset County. There is enough here for a separate post. For a start, this page has a list of Hunterdon County churches and includes a date of when the church was formed. The earliest were Zion Lutheran of Oldwick (Tewksbury Twp.) in 1714, First Presbyterian of Amwell in 1715, the Dutch Reformed Church of Readington, a.k.a. North Branch, in 1718, and St. Thomas (Episcopal) in Alexandria Twp. in 1723. There was also a Friends Meeting (Quakers) at Quakerstown in Franklin Twp., established in 1720. Records (if available) from all the churches extant in Hunterdon County during the Colonial Period should be scoured for mentions of Brewers, Browers, etc. A job for a future post.

Should other records and mentions be found in the future, I will add them to this post. Should anyone know of additional records, please inform us by leaving a Comment below.

BGB 688