File No. 37 from Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, is a one page file regarding the sale of lands from the estate of David Brewer, of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
No. 37. Estate of David Brewer
In this document we see Ann Brewer and Isaac Brewer, executors of (the estate of) David Brewer, seek permission to sell a certain tract or parcel of woodland of about eighty acres. The proceeds are to be used to pay debts.
This David Brewer has been mentioned before in posts on this website. He is a son of William Brewer and Sarah Allen, was born in 1758, and wrote his will on 16 August 1804. Ann Brewer is David's wife, Ann Morris. Isaac Brewer is their son.
This request was made in the April 1810 term of the Monmouth County Orphans Court, and is found in Book D of that court's records.
BGB 383
Sunset at Gowanus Bay
Sunset at Gowanus Bay, Henry Gritten, 1851
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Index to War of 1812 Pension Files
This file from the William B. Bogardus Collection contains a few pages from Index to the War of 1812 Pension Files, by Virgil D. White, 1989.
MIL II-6 Index War of 1812 Pension Files
There are a number of men named Brewer and Brower found on these pages. Some additional information and sources for War of 1812 Pension Files can be found at FamilySearch under, US War of 1812 Pension Records. In addition, Ancestry.com has a War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815. The Ancestry.com resource requires a paid subscription.
BGB 382
MIL II-6 Index War of 1812 Pension Files
There are a number of men named Brewer and Brower found on these pages. Some additional information and sources for War of 1812 Pension Files can be found at FamilySearch under, US War of 1812 Pension Records. In addition, Ancestry.com has a War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815. The Ancestry.com resource requires a paid subscription.
BGB 382
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files
File MIL RR-112 from the William B. Bogardus Collection, is pages from Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Volume 1, by Virgil D. White (National Historical Publishing Co., 1990).
MIL RR-112 Brewer Rev War Pension File Abstracts VDWhite
There are four pages with numerous BREWERs, one BROUWER (Garret) and six BROWERs. The veterans are from states all along the eastern seaboard, from New England and New York, to the Carolinas.
Pension Files of Revolutionary War veterans, and their widows and heirs, have long been available online at Heritage Quest, a site that is accessible for free through a subscribing institution (such as a public Library). Not all that long ago, Ancestry.com began access to digital images of Revolutionary War pension files as well. The files found at Ancestry.com contain many pages that are not found on the files available at Heritage Quest. A paid subscription is required to access the collection through Ancestry.com.
BGB 381
MIL RR-112 Brewer Rev War Pension File Abstracts VDWhite
There are four pages with numerous BREWERs, one BROUWER (Garret) and six BROWERs. The veterans are from states all along the eastern seaboard, from New England and New York, to the Carolinas.
Pension Files of Revolutionary War veterans, and their widows and heirs, have long been available online at Heritage Quest, a site that is accessible for free through a subscribing institution (such as a public Library). Not all that long ago, Ancestry.com began access to digital images of Revolutionary War pension files as well. The files found at Ancestry.com contain many pages that are not found on the files available at Heritage Quest. A paid subscription is required to access the collection through Ancestry.com.
BGB 381
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone, Dutchess and Greene Counties, New York
There are still a few Brewer families with roots in the American Colonial period, who have had male descendants participate in the Brewer DNA Project, that have yet to be addressed on this website. They are of particular interest because in each case the participant joined the Brewer DNA Project with the belief that their ancestry could be traced to either Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island, or to Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, Long Island. In each of these cases, the Y-DNA test results of the participant proved that their believed ancestries were not possible.
Peter Brewer and his wife, Elizabeth Stone, lived in Dutchess County, and later in Greene County, New York. Their identity originates with the History of Oakland County, Michigan (Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1877), where on page 129 is a biography of Peter Brewer of Addison, Oakland Co., Michigan who is stated to be their son. The source of Peter Brewer's birth, 1 April 1740, and of his wife's maiden name, Stone, is this published account which does not supply supporting documentation or sources. The biography further states that Peter Brewer was born in Holland and came to America at the age of 21, and first landed at New York City, where he remained until 1767 and then married Elizabeth Stone and removed to Westchester County, New York. At the close of the Revolutionary War, they settled in Dutchess County, New York. I have been unable to verify any of what was just summarized with actual records.
What is known, is that in 1771 (prior to the Revolutionary War) a Peter Brewer is found on the tax rolls in the Southern Precinct of Dutchess County (Buck, Clifford M., comp.; Kelly, Arthur and Nancy Kelly editor. Dutchess County, NY Tax Lists. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 1990, page 263). Found on the same list is a John Brewer, and both are followed by the notation, "to Fredericksburgh." In other words, after 1771 both Peter Brewer and John Brewer moved to Fredericksburgh, or Fredericksburg (without the H), Dutchess County, New York. Also on this list is a Nathaniel Stone (page 278) who is found there from 1759 until 1771, and he also went "to Fredericksburgh." Peter Brewer, John Brewer and Nathaniel Stone are found on the tax lists at Fredericksburgh, Dutchess County, from 1772 through 1775 (pages 283, 291). Peter Brewer is found on the 1790 U.S. Census at "Fredericksontown," Dutchess Co., New York, with a household of 2 males over 16, 4 males under 16, and 5 females. In 1820, he is found at Hunter, Greene Co., New York, with a household of 2 males 26-45, 1 male over 45, and 1 female over 45. No will or probate file has been found for Peter Brewer. The names and birth dates of his children all come from secondary accounts of researchers who were apparently getting their information from D.A.R. applications. For what it is worth, here is a family group sheet for Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone. It is suggested that any researchers of this family seek out additional records confirming dates and other details found here.
Peter Brewer is stated to have died on 22 March 1804. This date comes from an Application for Membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) filed by a Mrs. Carmen Townsend Wallace in 1962. The History of Oakland County, Michigan, simply states Peter's death as "in 1804." The D.A.R. application claims that Peter served during the Revolutionary War with the Albany County Militia. This claim cannot be substantiated and is almost certainly incorrect. Militias are raised locally, and in 1776, a man living in Dutchess County, New York would not enlist to serve with the Albany County Militia. There were at least one or two other men named Peter Brewer, living in Albany County at the time of the Revolutionary War, and this service most certainly belongs to one of them.
Correspondence that was found in the files lent to me by William B. Bogardus, between Bill and a few different correspondents, tended to lean towards the conclusion that Peter Brewer, based on the belief that he was originally from Westchester County, New York, was a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L.I., and that he was most likely the Petrus Brouwer, a.k.a. Peter Brewer, baptized on 3 June 1740 at the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown, a son of Johannes Brouwer and Elizabeth Concklin. Peter Brewer of Dutchess and Greene Counties is not Petrus Brouwer, son of Johannes Brouwer. This Petrus Brouwer (the son of Johannes Brouwer) married Annatie Mabie, and was deceased by 19 October 1778. See the Brouwer Genealogy Database for details and sources.
In 2006 a direct male descendant of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone took a Y-DNA test with the Brewer DNA Project. The test results of the descendant did not match any of the members of the project who were known descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus. The descendant's haplogroup was shown to be R1a1 (R-M198), while descendants of Adam Brouwer belong to Haplogroup E1b1b (E-M35.1). It is apparent from the Y-DNA test results, that the participant, and therefore is earliest known Brewer ancestor, Peter Brewer, cannot be descendants of Adam Brouwer. Ideally we should have at least two descendants of Peter Brewer (preferably descended from different sons of Peter) tested before assuming this one test to be conclusive. In this case, however, the tested descendant knew of no reason to suspect a non-paternity event (NPE), such as an adoption or illegitimate birth, in his own direct lineage back to Peter Brewer. We would, however, look forward to the testing of any other direct male descendants (Y-DNA test) of Peter Brewer. (Interested descendants should contact the administrators of the Brewer DNA Project).
As of now, the ancestry of Peter Brewer remains unknown. It is certainly possible, perhaps likely, that the account in History of Oakland County, Michigan was incorrect and Peter was not "born in Holland." He may have come to the area of Fredericksburg, Dutchess County, New York from New England. Many of the original families who settled at Fredericksburg, New York (which has since fragmented into the towns of Kent and Carmel in Putnam County) were from Connecticut and Massachusetts. They established the West Philippi, or Old Gilead Church (Congregationalist) there just prior to 1745.
Descendants of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone were initially found in Hunter, Greene County, New York (where Peter and Elizabeth apparently died), and also in Yates County in western New York State, as well as Michigan. A simple descendant chart is now online, and info and sources for some descendants can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database (look Peter Brewer up on the Unplaced page).
The Brewer DNA Project looks forward to hearing from any other descendants of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone, who would like to participate in the effort to discover the correct ancestry of Peter Brewer.
BGB 380
Peter Brewer and his wife, Elizabeth Stone, lived in Dutchess County, and later in Greene County, New York. Their identity originates with the History of Oakland County, Michigan (Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1877), where on page 129 is a biography of Peter Brewer of Addison, Oakland Co., Michigan who is stated to be their son. The source of Peter Brewer's birth, 1 April 1740, and of his wife's maiden name, Stone, is this published account which does not supply supporting documentation or sources. The biography further states that Peter Brewer was born in Holland and came to America at the age of 21, and first landed at New York City, where he remained until 1767 and then married Elizabeth Stone and removed to Westchester County, New York. At the close of the Revolutionary War, they settled in Dutchess County, New York. I have been unable to verify any of what was just summarized with actual records.
What is known, is that in 1771 (prior to the Revolutionary War) a Peter Brewer is found on the tax rolls in the Southern Precinct of Dutchess County (Buck, Clifford M., comp.; Kelly, Arthur and Nancy Kelly editor. Dutchess County, NY Tax Lists. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 1990, page 263). Found on the same list is a John Brewer, and both are followed by the notation, "to Fredericksburgh." In other words, after 1771 both Peter Brewer and John Brewer moved to Fredericksburgh, or Fredericksburg (without the H), Dutchess County, New York. Also on this list is a Nathaniel Stone (page 278) who is found there from 1759 until 1771, and he also went "to Fredericksburgh." Peter Brewer, John Brewer and Nathaniel Stone are found on the tax lists at Fredericksburgh, Dutchess County, from 1772 through 1775 (pages 283, 291). Peter Brewer is found on the 1790 U.S. Census at "Fredericksontown," Dutchess Co., New York, with a household of 2 males over 16, 4 males under 16, and 5 females. In 1820, he is found at Hunter, Greene Co., New York, with a household of 2 males 26-45, 1 male over 45, and 1 female over 45. No will or probate file has been found for Peter Brewer. The names and birth dates of his children all come from secondary accounts of researchers who were apparently getting their information from D.A.R. applications. For what it is worth, here is a family group sheet for Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone. It is suggested that any researchers of this family seek out additional records confirming dates and other details found here.
Peter Brewer is stated to have died on 22 March 1804. This date comes from an Application for Membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) filed by a Mrs. Carmen Townsend Wallace in 1962. The History of Oakland County, Michigan, simply states Peter's death as "in 1804." The D.A.R. application claims that Peter served during the Revolutionary War with the Albany County Militia. This claim cannot be substantiated and is almost certainly incorrect. Militias are raised locally, and in 1776, a man living in Dutchess County, New York would not enlist to serve with the Albany County Militia. There were at least one or two other men named Peter Brewer, living in Albany County at the time of the Revolutionary War, and this service most certainly belongs to one of them.
Correspondence that was found in the files lent to me by William B. Bogardus, between Bill and a few different correspondents, tended to lean towards the conclusion that Peter Brewer, based on the belief that he was originally from Westchester County, New York, was a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L.I., and that he was most likely the Petrus Brouwer, a.k.a. Peter Brewer, baptized on 3 June 1740 at the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow in Tarrytown, a son of Johannes Brouwer and Elizabeth Concklin. Peter Brewer of Dutchess and Greene Counties is not Petrus Brouwer, son of Johannes Brouwer. This Petrus Brouwer (the son of Johannes Brouwer) married Annatie Mabie, and was deceased by 19 October 1778. See the Brouwer Genealogy Database for details and sources.
In 2006 a direct male descendant of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone took a Y-DNA test with the Brewer DNA Project. The test results of the descendant did not match any of the members of the project who were known descendants of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus. The descendant's haplogroup was shown to be R1a1 (R-M198), while descendants of Adam Brouwer belong to Haplogroup E1b1b (E-M35.1). It is apparent from the Y-DNA test results, that the participant, and therefore is earliest known Brewer ancestor, Peter Brewer, cannot be descendants of Adam Brouwer. Ideally we should have at least two descendants of Peter Brewer (preferably descended from different sons of Peter) tested before assuming this one test to be conclusive. In this case, however, the tested descendant knew of no reason to suspect a non-paternity event (NPE), such as an adoption or illegitimate birth, in his own direct lineage back to Peter Brewer. We would, however, look forward to the testing of any other direct male descendants (Y-DNA test) of Peter Brewer. (Interested descendants should contact the administrators of the Brewer DNA Project).
As of now, the ancestry of Peter Brewer remains unknown. It is certainly possible, perhaps likely, that the account in History of Oakland County, Michigan was incorrect and Peter was not "born in Holland." He may have come to the area of Fredericksburg, Dutchess County, New York from New England. Many of the original families who settled at Fredericksburg, New York (which has since fragmented into the towns of Kent and Carmel in Putnam County) were from Connecticut and Massachusetts. They established the West Philippi, or Old Gilead Church (Congregationalist) there just prior to 1745.
Descendants of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone were initially found in Hunter, Greene County, New York (where Peter and Elizabeth apparently died), and also in Yates County in western New York State, as well as Michigan. A simple descendant chart is now online, and info and sources for some descendants can be found at the Brouwer Genealogy Database (look Peter Brewer up on the Unplaced page).
The Brewer DNA Project looks forward to hearing from any other descendants of Peter Brewer and Elizabeth Stone, who would like to participate in the effort to discover the correct ancestry of Peter Brewer.
BGB 380
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Samuel Brewer, Mortgage in Somerset Co., New Jersey, 1766
This file is from the William B. Bogardus Collection. It was labeled as LAN SS-238. It is a copy of a page from the Somerset County Genealogical Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 1, "First Book of Mortgages, Somerset County."
First Book of Mortgages, Somerset Co., Samuel Brewer
The mortgage names "Samuel Brewer and Margaret, his wife, of Millstone...Innholder." The abstract does not include some of the details of this agreement. My assumption is that Samuel and Margaret Brewer are taking a mortgage out on their property, and the lender is Peter Schenk, also of Millstone, a merchant. The abstract describes the property, and lists his neighbors as Edmund Lesley (Leslie), Peter Wilson, Benjamin Thomson, Samuel Reed (deceased), William Spader, and Smith (possibly Adam Smith, as per the footnote). Samuel Brewer had pchased the property from Teunis Rynierson, but the date of the purchase is not given.
This Samuel Brewer is believed to have been the son of Willem Brouwer and his second wife Martha Boulton. Samuel was baptized on 25 August 1706 at Breuckelen (Brooklyn). William J. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings," The American Genealogist, vol. 23, pp. 205-206, citing an account of Samuel in Our Home, equates Willem Brouwer's son Samuel with the Samuel Brewer whose wife was Margaret and who had a child baptized at Raritan (in fact they had two, one in 1732 and one in 1735, both named Annate). Assuming Hoffman is correct, Samuel would be a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I.
In the past I had theorized that Samuel could be a son of Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws, and a grandson of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. This was based on the purely circumstantial evidence that Samuel had his children baptized at Raritan and during the same period in which sons (or believed sons) of Derck Brouwer also had children baptized there. As of yet, no factual evidence has been found to back this theory, and for now I would defer to Hoffman, and continue with the assumption that Samuel is a son of Willem Brouwer.
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First Book of Mortgages, Somerset Co., Samuel Brewer
The mortgage names "Samuel Brewer and Margaret, his wife, of Millstone...Innholder." The abstract does not include some of the details of this agreement. My assumption is that Samuel and Margaret Brewer are taking a mortgage out on their property, and the lender is Peter Schenk, also of Millstone, a merchant. The abstract describes the property, and lists his neighbors as Edmund Lesley (Leslie), Peter Wilson, Benjamin Thomson, Samuel Reed (deceased), William Spader, and Smith (possibly Adam Smith, as per the footnote). Samuel Brewer had pchased the property from Teunis Rynierson, but the date of the purchase is not given.
This Samuel Brewer is believed to have been the son of Willem Brouwer and his second wife Martha Boulton. Samuel was baptized on 25 August 1706 at Breuckelen (Brooklyn). William J. Hoffman, in "Brouwer Beginnings," The American Genealogist, vol. 23, pp. 205-206, citing an account of Samuel in Our Home, equates Willem Brouwer's son Samuel with the Samuel Brewer whose wife was Margaret and who had a child baptized at Raritan (in fact they had two, one in 1732 and one in 1735, both named Annate). Assuming Hoffman is correct, Samuel would be a grandson of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, L. I.
In the past I had theorized that Samuel could be a son of Derck Brouwer and Hannah Daws, and a grandson of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. This was based on the purely circumstantial evidence that Samuel had his children baptized at Raritan and during the same period in which sons (or believed sons) of Derck Brouwer also had children baptized there. As of yet, no factual evidence has been found to back this theory, and for now I would defer to Hoffman, and continue with the assumption that Samuel is a son of Willem Brouwer.
BGB 379
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Mary Gifford, Heir of Isaac Brewer
Abstracts of Early Monmouth County Court Papers, Part II, file no. 36 is a document from Monmouth County Misc., Book C, page 181.
No. 36, Mary Gifford, Heir of Isaac Brewer
In this document, Mary Gifford, of Howell Twp., Monmouth Co., New Jersey, grants power of attorney to Joseph W. Fleming. The document is dated 3 March 1836. Mary Gifford, states that she is the "mother, and only surviving lawful heir of Isaac Brewer, deceased, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, who died in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey in February 1834." Mary Gifford is appointing Joseph W. Fleming, of Monmouth Co., to handle the settlement of Isaac Brewer's estate.
The principals here, Mary Gifford and Isaac Brewer, have not been identified and they do not appear in the Brouwer Genealogy Database. The information provided above, by Mary Gifford, tells us that she is the mother of Isaac Brewer who died in 1834 in Philadelphia. She describes herself as his only lawful heir which tells us that Isaac was not married (or was a widower), and had no living children of his own. It can also be deduced from Mary's description, that she was married to a man named Brewer (Isaac's father), and was afterwards married to a man name Gifford (the name she is using in the document).
With the information above, I am first led to the family of David Brewer (1758-1804) and Ann Morris, of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Among their children is a son named Isaac (died before 1816, whose wife's name is said to be Margaret), and a daughter Elizabeth, who was married to Annamiah Gifford. The family lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey. David Brewer is a grandson of Adam Brewer (1696-1768/69) and Deborah Allen of Monmouth County, and a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. I suspect that when, or if, Isaac Brewer who died in 1834 in Philadelphia, and his mother, Mary Gifford, are identified, they will find their place to be among the descendants of Adam Brewer and Deborah Allen.
BGB 378
No. 36, Mary Gifford, Heir of Isaac Brewer
In this document, Mary Gifford, of Howell Twp., Monmouth Co., New Jersey, grants power of attorney to Joseph W. Fleming. The document is dated 3 March 1836. Mary Gifford, states that she is the "mother, and only surviving lawful heir of Isaac Brewer, deceased, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, who died in the County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey in February 1834." Mary Gifford is appointing Joseph W. Fleming, of Monmouth Co., to handle the settlement of Isaac Brewer's estate.
The principals here, Mary Gifford and Isaac Brewer, have not been identified and they do not appear in the Brouwer Genealogy Database. The information provided above, by Mary Gifford, tells us that she is the mother of Isaac Brewer who died in 1834 in Philadelphia. She describes herself as his only lawful heir which tells us that Isaac was not married (or was a widower), and had no living children of his own. It can also be deduced from Mary's description, that she was married to a man named Brewer (Isaac's father), and was afterwards married to a man name Gifford (the name she is using in the document).
With the information above, I am first led to the family of David Brewer (1758-1804) and Ann Morris, of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Among their children is a son named Isaac (died before 1816, whose wife's name is said to be Margaret), and a daughter Elizabeth, who was married to Annamiah Gifford. The family lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey. David Brewer is a grandson of Adam Brewer (1696-1768/69) and Deborah Allen of Monmouth County, and a descendant of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus, Long Island. I suspect that when, or if, Isaac Brewer who died in 1834 in Philadelphia, and his mother, Mary Gifford, are identified, they will find their place to be among the descendants of Adam Brewer and Deborah Allen.
BGB 378
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