Adam BROUWER

Abt 1620 - 1692  (~ 72 years)

• Name	Adam BROUWER
  Birth	Abt 1620	Cologne, Present-Day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  Gender	Male
  Immigration	Abt 1642	New Amsterdam, New Netherland [now New York City, New York County, NY]
  Name	Adam BREWER
  Name	Adam Brouwer BERKHOVEN
  Will	22 Jan 1692
  Death	Between 22 Jan 1692 and 21 Mar 1692	Gowanus, Kings County, NY
  Probate	21 Mar 1692
  Notes	(1) Chris Chester, The Brouwer Genealogy Database <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brouwergenealogydat a/index.htm>: [The information on this website is copyright protected. Use of material on this website is for non-commercial, personal or educational use only. This disclaimer must appear on all copied material. Any reproduction for commercial use is prohibited. Copyright © 2008-2013 by Chris Chester. All rights reserved.] Adam Brouwer b. circa 1620, d. between 22 January 1692 and 21 March 1692. . . . • Adam Brouwer was born circa 1620 at Cologne. • He married Magdalena Jacobs Verdon, daughter of Jacob Verdon and Marie Thomasdr Badie, at Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam, on 21 March 1645 (Banns 19 Mar 1645) "Adam Brouwer, j.m. Van Ceulen, en Magdalena Verdon, j.d. Van N. Nederlt" • Adam Brouwer died between 22 January 1692 and 21 March 1692 at Gowanus, Kings Co., New York. • Also known as Adam Brewer. • Also known as Adam Brouwer Berckhoven (the name he called himself in his will) he is the progenitor of the largest of the three Brouwer families present in 17th century New Netherland. Adam Brouwer and his wife, Magdalena Verdon, had fourteen children reach adulthood, who in turn left at least 97 grandchildren, and more than 350 great-grandchildren. The identity of Adam's own parents and his ancestry is unknown. Claims that Adam is a son of either Pieter Clement Brouwer, or of Frans Sijmonsen Brouwer, are undocumented and unproven. Such claims are apparently based on nothing but a common surname. (See my article "New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer," New Netherland Connections vol. 13, no.4, 2008). In 1641, Adam Brouwer, as a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company (WIC), sailed to Brazil on the ship Swol . There he served, for at least some period of time, at Fort St. Louis de Marinhan. The first record of Adam in New Amsterdam is found in February 1645, when he bought a house lot in New Amsterdam from Hendrick Jansen. On the same day he gave Power of Attorney to Guert Servaesz to collect wages on his behalf due from the WIC. Apparently Guert was not successful for in 1646 Adam again gave Power of Attorney, this time to Govert Loockermans, to collect his past due pay. We know that Adam was born in Cologne from his 1645 marriage record at the Dutch Church in New Amsterdam. The record calls Adam, "van Ceulen," which in the context of the marriage records of that time, would indicate that he was born in Cologne (now within the borders of present day Germany). In his own will Adam called himself, "Adam Brouwer Berchoven." Berchoven, or variations thereof, were also used on the marriage records of a number of his children, namely Abraham, Nicholas, Rachel, Adam, Jr., and Anna. For a further explanation of "Berckhoven," please the above referenced article, "New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer." Adam Brouwer and his family have been covered in the past. Published accounts of Adam Brouwer and his descendants begin in 1878 with T.G. Bergen's, "Contributions to the History of the Early Settlers of Kings County, N.Y." (NYG&BR 9(1878):126-9). Fifty-eight years then passed between T.G. Bergen's treatment of Adam Brouwer, and the publication of "Brouwer (Brower-Brewer) Family Notes," by John Reynolds Totten in NYG&BR 67(1936):103-10, 217-29. Bergen and Totten's work were not without errors and in 1938 William J. Hoffman published "Brouwer Corrections" (NYG&BR 69(1938):172-9) to address some inconsistencies. Then, beginning in April 1947, William J. Hoffman published in a series of articles appearing in The American Genealogist (TAG) titled, "Brouwer Beginnings: The First Three Generations of the Adam Brouwer Berchoven Family." It is to date the most complete published treatment of Adam Brouwer's family. The first significant research regarding Adam Brouwer to be published in the sixty years since "Brouwer Beginnings," appeared in the NYG&BR 138(2007):245-9. The article, "DNA Analysis: Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, Elias Brouwer of New Jersey, and John Brewer of Ohio," by Richard D. Brewer, PhD, Scott Kraus, and William B. Bogardus, laid to rest any thoughts that Adam and his descendants may be closely related to Jan Brouwer, blacksmith, of Flatlands, Long Island. Analysis of DNA samples from known descendants of Adam, and of Jan, has shown that any possible common ancestor for the two could only be found tens of thousands of years ago. The Brewer DNA project, co-administrated by Richard D. Brewer, continues, and can be found at www.familytreedna.com (search for Brewer). Adam's most enduring legacy was of course the mill he built at Gowanus, initially in partnership with Isaac de Foreest (who likely supplied the financial backing). Adam probably had the mill built in the early 1650's on land that had been patented to Jan Everts Bout on 8 July 1645. In May 1664, along with other inhabitants of Gowanus, Adam Brouwer petitioned the Governor and Council to have the canal between Red Hook Island and the mainland dredged. This was the first action in what would eventually create the "Gowanus Canal," which today borders the neighborhoods of Red Hook and South Brooklyn on the west and Gowanus/Park Slope on the east. "Brouwer's Mill" is thought to have been the first water mill built in Brooklyn (Breukelen) and the first to have operated in New Netherlands. It appears that the rights to the property were secured by Adam's children as a claim of a "gift" from Jan Everts Bout only after both Adam and Jan Everts Bout were deceased. Some decades before, Adam became the sole owner of the mill business when he bought out Isaac de Foreest's interest for 2,400 guilders payable in grain (wheat and rye at 4 glds., buckwheat and maize at 2 glds. per skepel) with the remaining 400 glds. in wampum. Full rights to the mill property were purchased in 1698 by his two youngest sons, Abraham and Nicholas, from Adam's other heirs. The deed for this purchase is certainly the most useful document found for constructing the family of Adam Brouwer. The deed was not recorded but was later found in the possession of descendants of Garret Brouwer, and has been noted by the early Brouwer family researchers, Bergen, Totten, and Hoffman. Dated 12 Aug 1698 it names Pieter, Matthyas, William, Jacob and Adam Brouwer, Barent Van Tillburg, Matthys Cornelisse, Jesaias Dreax, William Nazareth, William Hilton, Thomas Knight and Peter Hendrix, "all sons and sons-in-law of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus." The above named convey to Abraham Brouwer and Nicholas Brouwer, their two brothers in consideration of £270, the plot on which the mill stands, and the Neck of land and meadows therunto belonging. On the same day, Adam's widow, Magdalena, conveyed her interest in the mill property to Abraham and Nicholas for a separate consideration. During the first decade of the 1700's sons, Abraham and Nicholas, together expanded the mill property and built a second mill, which was then referred to as the "New Mill." In 1706 the two brothers signed an indenture certifying their joint ownership in the mill and other properties. In 1709 the "New Mill" was built, and by two indentures in 1710, the brothers decided to split the properties into separate ownership with Abraham possessing the "Old Mill," and Nicholas, the "New Mill." On 20 June 1712, Nicholas conveyed his mill property to his brother Abraham for the sum of £1200, and by 1719 Nicholas had moved his family from Gowanus, relocating to Fordham Manor, and leaving Abraham as the sole Brouwer still in the milling business at Gowanus. In September 1737, Abraham conveyed to his son Jurie (Jeremiah) Brouwer, the "Old Mill" property, and by a separate conveyance sold to his son Abraham, the "New Mill" property. The mill property remained in the possession of these two brothers through the American Revolution, and in August 1776, the Battle of Long Island, or more appropriately, the Battle of Brooklyn was fought on the mill's doorstep. It was here, and at the neighboring "Old Stone House," that William Alexander (a.k.a. Lord Stirling) and his Marylanders held off the British invasion long enough for Gen. Washington to begin the evacuation of his troops from Long Island. The mill and its stores were ordered to be burned during the retreat. A partially destroyed mill anchors Alonzo Chappel's, 1858 painting, Battle of Long Island. In November 1785, Adolphus Brouwer (son of Jurie [Jeremiah] Brouwer, grandson of Abraham, and great-grandson of Adam) purchased the mill property, as well as all the timbers that had been collected to build a mill, from the remaining heirs of Jeremiah Brouwer. Adolph apparently rebuilt the mill, and on 4 May 1798, Adolph sold the mill and property to John C. Freeke of New York City, for a considerable profit over his own purchase price. One hundred and fifty three years after the property on which the mill stood was patented, Brouwer's Mill became Freeke's Mill. In November 1818, Mary (Elsworth) Brower, widow of Abraham, and descendants of Jeremiah Brower petitioned the U.S. Congress for reimbursement of losses suffered on the mill property during August 1776. They were denied their claim with the reasons that the petitioners waited too long, and that they applied to the wrong jurisdiction (they were told to petition New York State). • On 21 Feb 1645, at New Amsterdam, Adam Brouwer assigned and transferred to Guert Servaesz, living at Amsterdam in Papenbrugh alley, his wages earned in the service of the WIC at Marinhan, Brazil. The sum being 189 guilders was to be paid to Guert Servaesz at Amsterdam. This document was then canceled, and was immediately followed by a document, also dated 21 Feb 1645, Adam empowered Guert Servaesz to collect from the WIC, "all such sums of money as are still due to him . . . earned in Brazil where he received no settlement, having been ordered to proceed to Marinhan. Either this money was not collected, or Adam was owed still more wages from the WIC, for on 21 Sep 1646, Adam granted power of attorney to Govert Loockermans to collect from the WIC, the money he was due for his service at Fort St. Louis de Marinhan. • On 21 Feb 1645, "Hendrick Jansen from Jeveren, locksmith, and Adam Brouwer have in love and friendship, in the pressence of the witnesses hereto invited, agreed and contracted about the purchase of a certain house and lot for a garden situated on the island of Manhatans, formerly occupied by Jeurian Roodolf. Hendrick Jansen from Jeveren sells the aforesaid house and lot to Adam Brouwer above mentioned, who also acknowledges that he has bought the same, with all that is fastened by earth and nail, in true and full ownership, on which house and garden Adam shall pay within three months from date twenty-five guilders, which shall be the last payment." Signed AB, the mark of Adam Brouwer, and by Heidreick Jansz. Witnessed by Willem Breidenbent and Pawlus Van der Becke, at Fort Amsterdam before Cornelis van Tienhoven, Secretary. • On 2 May 1645, Adam Brouwer appeared as a plaintiff before the council demanding of Hendrick Jansen, locksmith, delivery of the deed for the house lot he purchased. The defendant stated he was willing provided the plaintiff bind himself for the payment of the account rendered to him. It was ordered that in the deed the house be mortgaged until the defendant was paid. • On 7 Feb 1647, Adam Brouwer was granted a certain lot for a house and garden out of the lot of Hendrick Jansz which was laid out by the surveyor on 2 June 1644. The lot, in New Amsterdam, was next to the lot of Willem Bredenbent. • On 12 Feb 1652, Adam Brouwer, as plaintiff, filed suit against Machiel Janssen, demanding "proof that he had grain to sell, because he, the defendant, would have said so, and that he, the plaintiff, would have taken it from the mill." The council ordered Adam to prove that the defendant said so, or to pay the defendant's expenses. • On 26 Feb 1652, Adam Brouwer was ordered to pay £43 to (___) Kristman. • Adam Brouwer's lot in New Amsterdam was mentioned in a conveyance dated 15 Oct 1653. • Adam moved to Brooklyn, where in 1657, "Adam Brouwer of Gowanus" was taxed £6 towards the support of the minister. Adam Brouwer and his wife, Magdalena Verdon, appear on the membership roll of the Reformed Dutch Church of Brooklyn on 12 March 1660. A censure, by certificate to New York, was added under Adam's name and dated 29 Aug 1667. This was later crossed out. Apparently he had been suspected as having leanings towards the Catholic faith. • On 18 Dec 1658, a suit was initiated by Thomas Verdon before the Orphan Master's Court at City Hall, New Amsterdam, "Mr. Paulus Van der Beek appears in the place of Tomas Verdon's son and is (directed), that when Tomas Verdon comes, he is to make a settlement of his wife's (Mary Badies's) estate." Apparently this was not completed, and four years later on 8 Feb 1663, Adam Brouwer (for his wife Magdalena Verdon), Thomas Verdon, and Arien Willemsen (Bennet) again appeared before the Orphan Master's Court and requested action in that Paulus Van der Beek should be ordered to let them have "their father's property." A week later on 15 Feb 1663, their mother Marritie Tomas (Mary Badie) made her deposition before the Orphan Master's Court. The Orphan Master's Court decided that the property and persons were not within their jurisdiction and suggested that the petitioners address themselves to the Director General and Council of New Netherlands. On 1 March 1664, a petition by "Willem Willemsen Bennet, Thomas Verdon, Adam Brouwer, and Adriaen Willemsen (Bennet), coheirs of Thomas (error for Jacob) Vardon, praying that Paulus van der Beecq, husband of said Vardon's widow (Mary Badie), may be obliged to account for their paternal estate." This was followed on 10 May 1664 by a warrent [sic] to "Sheriff Hegeman to put Adriaen, William, and Marietje Williamsen Bennet in possession of a portion of their late father's lands, pending their suit against Paulus van der Beecq, their stepfather." • He witnessed the baptism of Adam Praa, son of Pieter Praa and Catharina Letie, on 6 February 1661 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church, Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwers & Tryntie Hadders). • On 17 Feb 1661, Adam Brouwer, "inhabitant of Goannis and there miller to the water mill," bought out the half interest in the mill held by Isaac de Foreest, burgher of New Amsterdam. Payment was in the form of twenty-four guilders, and two thousand guilders in good merchantable grain, to be paid in two years. Signed by Isaac de Foreest, Adam Brouwer signs with his mark, AB. • Adam Brouwer witnessed the baptism of Abraham Praa, son of Pieter Praa and Catharina Letie, on 5 March 1662 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church, Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwer and Maria Fredericks). • Adam Brouwer witnessed the baptism of Dirck Gerritszen Kroesen, son of Gerrit Dircksen Kroesen and Neeltje Jans, on 23 July 1662 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church, Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwer and Grietje Jans). • On 12 Nov 1668, "An Order for Adam Brower of Breucklyn do grinde for all persons without Exception or distinction," was signed by Gov. Lovelace in response to complaints by the Constable and Overseers of Breucklyn as well as by some of the inhabitants that Adam had refused to grind corn for them "upon frivolous pretences." Apparently this had been an ongoing problem which, since the local constable was unable to correct, had to be referred to the Governor of the Province. • In 1669 a fine of five hundred guilders was levied on Adam Brower's estate. • On 6 Sep 1669, The Presentment of a difference between Adam Brower and his wife of Breukelyn and Gerrit Croessen of the same place about an Assault and Battery came before the Court of Assizes for New York, the principles [sic] having been bound over from the Court of Sessions held last at Gravesend. The matter was later referred back to the Court of Sessions. • On 18 Aug 1670, Adam Brower, among others, was granted a pass to travel aboard the ship Fort Albany, owned by Jacque Cousseau, bound for England and Amsterdam. He is also recorded on a list of persons aboard that same ship. • On 19 Nov 1670 the Court at New York found that a ten pound fine levied against Gerrit Croosen for assaulting Adam Brouwer's wife, and a ten pound find levied against Adam Brouwer for assaulting Gerrit Croosen were found to counterbalance one another and so were cancelled. • Two mentions regarding Adam Brouwer's mill property are recorded in Kings County Conveyances, Lib.2, with the date of 12 Sep 1698. The first on p.178, "I underwritten doe acknowledge to the requisition of Adam Brewer what I Arent Evertse have written between Adam Brewer and Joh Buys concerning the corner and meadow and the mill is grounded upon what is comprehended in the same I will declare and verifye by oath at all times. Actum in Yorke 17 Juny 1671." (signed) Averts. "This above written testimony was sworn unto by Arent Everson before me." (Signed) Mathias Nicolls, Mayor. On the following page 179 appears, "John Cornelinsse Buys, aged 38 years and Dirick Jansen, aged about 32 years acknowledge they heard John Evertse Bout in the house of John Damon, tavern keeper in Brooklyn, say that he did not give Adam Brewer the above property but Adam Brewer's children." (The statement is not clear). Both sign 20 Aug 1667 in the presence of Peter Janse Schooll and Denys Isaack Van Sartervelt "honest persons." John C. Buys signs by mark and Arent Evertsen is an extra witness for Dirck Janse. • On the 20 Aug 1675 assessment rolls at Breukelen, Adam Brouwer is assessed at 2 polls, 2 cows, 3 ditto of 3 yrs, 3 sheep, 1 hog, 1½ morgen of valley. • Adam Brouwer appeared on the assessment list of at Breukelen, Long Island, in September 1676 assessed 37 14, with 1 poll, 3 cows, 4 sheep and 1?? morgens of valley. • He witnessed the baptism of Adolph Evertszen Van Gelder , son of Evert Hendricksen and Fytie Adamse Brouwer, on 14 February 1677 at Reformed Dutch Church, New York City, (sponsors Adam Brouwer en s.h.v.). • On the 1678 list of "Estates of the Inhabitants of Newtowne, Long Island" is listed Adam Bruer, 1 head, 2 cows. Hoffman adds that it was possible that Adam Brouwer owned property there, but that he was probably not an inhabitant. The son, Adam would have been only 16 years old in 1678. • A matter regarding Adam Brouwer appears in the Consistory Minutes of the Flatbush Reformed Church. In August 1679 it is stated that Adam has been under censure "and has been spoken to on various occasions by the consistory of Brooklyn (under whose jurisdiction he lives), and has persistently conducted himself irreverently, and has unto the present postponed his repentance and joining with parties, it was likewise decided that the consistory should give him one more warning and in default of improvement should then proceed to his dismissal." Then on 10 Feb 1780, "Adam Brouwer shall be finally asked if he will surrender his case to the decision of the Honorable Consistory in order to end the disputes with his parties, and, to this end, to appear with them in their meeting. Also whether he still adheres to the Reformed faith. If a negative response is made by him, they shall threaten him with banishment and excommunication and surely also proceed thereto, but not without the knowledge and approval of the Honorable Consistory of New York." • Adam Brouwer and Magdalena Jacobs Verdon were members of at Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, Flatbush, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, on 30 March 1682 living at Gowanus. Adam is recorded as "under censure." • Adam Brouwer appeared on the assessment list of at Breukelen, Long Island, on 26 September 1683 with 1 poll, 1 mill, 3 cows, 1 ditto of 2 years, 2 ditto, 3 sheep, 3 morgens of land, totaling 149.10. • He and Magdalena Jacobs Verdon were members of at Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, Flatbush, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, The list of members living at Gowanus is undated, however, it does state that Johannes Christoffelsz died on 22 Nov 1684, so it was recorded at some time after that date. Adam is said to be under censure, and next to Magdalena is the notation, "by certifictate for N.York, 29 August 1707," which is then crossed out. Willem Brouwer and his wife Elisabeth appear next on the record. • Adam Brouwer took the Oath of Allegiance in September 1687 at Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, as "Adam brouwer, 45 Jeare" (45 years in this country). • His will was dated on 22 January 1691/92 proved 21 March 1692 (on file at the office of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals in Albany). He calls himself "Adam Brouwer Berkhoven inhabitant of ye town of Bruckland, being at present sick a body but fully having his knowledge." His witnesses are named as Henry Sleght, Cornelius Sebring and John Fredricks. Adam leaves his "whole estate moveable and immoveable my wife Magdalena Brewer and my utmost will and desire is that none of my children shall trouble or move their mother during her life." Adam Brower "makes to his eldest sonn Peter Brewer three shillings for reasons that he was disobedient to his father, as also Jacob Brewer and Aeltie Brewer, who for reasons of their disobedience shall not receive a penny from their father Adam Brower, but ye testator bequeath ye land from ye three disobedient children Peter Brewer ye eldest, Jacob Brewer and Aeltie Brewer upon their children ye portion of Peter upon his children, ye portion of Jacob upon his children, ye portion of Aeltie upon her children." Adam names his children as Mathys, William, Adam, Abraham, Nicholas, daughter Mary, Fytie, Helena, Anna, Sara, Rachel, "these eleven children shall have equal portions amongst them, also ye children of ye disobedient children above named they shall also with ye other eleven children equally divided." Adam makes special bequests to Adolphus son of William Brewer "three pieces of eight"; to "Mathys his daughter Magdalena one piece of eight, and Mary her daughter Magdalena one piece of eight. Peter Brewer his daughter Magdalena one piece of eight and his daughter Vroutie one piece of eight, with Fytie daughter Magdalena one piece of eight." • Administration of Adam Brouwer's estate was granted on 15 April 1693 for the estate of Adam Brewer, late of Brooklyn, granted by Gov. Benjamin Fletcher to his widow, Magdalena Brewer. (2) Richard D. Brewer, Scott Kraus and William B. Bogardus, "DNA Analysis: Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, Elias Brouwer of New Jersey, and John Brewer of Ohio," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 138, No. 4 (October 2007), pp. 245-249: MANY BROUWER, BROWER, AND BREWER FAMILIES claim descent from Adam Brouwer Berckhoven of Brooklyn, who died in 1693. He was the highest-profile immigrant of the surname, because his son Jacobus/Jacob married a granddaughter of Anneke Jans Bogardus. Many suits were filed against Trinity Church in New York by alleged descendants of Anneke Jans Bogardus, particularly in the early twentieth century. The extensive family trees constructed by families hoping to demonstrate descent that would qualify for a (mythical) inheritance circulated widely for decades and are still accepted by many family researchers today. However, there was more than one Brouwer/Brower/Brewer family of the seventeenth century living in the same general geographic location (New Netherland/New York), as pointed out in 1936 in this journal by John Reynolds Totten. He segregated these early Brouwers into eleven distinctive families, most of whom he described as "contemporaneous Brouwer family groups of the time of Adam1 Brouwer Berckhoven, which groups were at the same time seemingly alien to his blood." In many families, there are often doubts, conjectures, and misleading claims regarding any particular line of descent. With the recent advent of readily available Y-chromosome DNA testing and the coordination of the Brewer Surname DNA Project, it has become possible to establish the validity or falseness of some Brouwer/ Brewer lineage claims. DNA testing can he of use both in eliminating false conjectures of ancestral relationships and in pointing the way to new family connections. This study accomplishes both. In particular, we look at two eighteenth-century individuals, said to be in the fifth generation from Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, through different sons. • Elias Brouwer (1740-1812) of the Town of Kortright, Delaware County, New York. This descent has been said to be: 1. Adam Brouwer Berckhoven (ca. 1620-1693) m. Magdelena Jacobs Verdon 2. Jacobus Brouwer (b. ca. 1655/6 d. before 30 April 1707) m. Anna Bogardus 3. Jacob Brouwer (bp. 1684) m. Petronella De La Montagne 4. Abraham Brouwer (bp. 1717) m. Sarah Stephenson (unproved) 5. Elias Brouwer/Brower/Brewer (1741-1812) m. Phebe Lucas • John Brewer (1733-1809) of Adams County, Ohio. This descent has been said to be: 1. Adam Brouwer Berckhoven (ca. 1620-1693) m. Magdelena Jacobs Verdon 2. Pieter Adams Brouwer (bp. 1646) New York m. Petronella Uldricks Clein 3. Uldrick Brouwer (b. New York) m. (1st) Hester De Voe 4. Abraham Uldricks Brouwer (bp. 1701 New Jersey) m. Elizabeth Ackerman 5. John Brewer (bp. 1733 New Jersey) m. Elsie Dunbar or Lewis; Sarah Howell DESIGNING THE STUDY How could we validate or refute these claims? The Brewer Surname DNA Project included individuals who believed they could document descent in the male line from Elias Brouwer, John Brewer, or Adam Brouwer Berckhoven. This gave us the opportunity to compare Y-chromosome DNA signatures for descendants of the three men. The confidence that one has in matches (or nonmatches) between Y-chromosome DNA signatures is based on three factors: • How well structured the sample is. The greater the number of individuals tested, the higher the confidence level. The greater the diversity, the higher the confidence level. • The number of markers tested. • For the subjects tested, what percentage of the markers have matches (and, to some extent, near matches) in the number of repetitive sequences of the allele pattern called Short Tandem Repeats (STR). STR are handed down, father to son, usually unchanged from generation to generation. Occasionally there are random mutations that change an STR repeat by one or two (hence the attention to near matches among individuals). The Brewer Surname DNA Project includes three descendants of Elias (through one son and two sons of a different son); two descendants of John (through different sons); and nine descendants of Adam (through two great-great-grandsons of Peter, two great-great-grandsons of Jacobus, one through son Nicholae, and four with matching DNA samples, but who have not established a lineage). Of the descendants of Elias, all three had 37-marker tests. Of the descendants of John, both had 37-marker tests. Of the descendants of Adam, two had 12-marker tests, one had a 25-marker test, and the other six had a 37-marker or greater test. There were apparent mutations at five of the markers for descendants of Adam, four of the markers for descendants of Elias, and one marker for descendants of John. . . . THE RESULTS The . . . DNA signature of Adam Brouwer differs from that of both Elias Brouwer and John Brewer in 22 out of 37 markers. Differences in more than 6 markers out of 37 indicate that it is unlikely that there has been any common male-line ancestor within thousands of years. Conversely, the five samples for Elias or John failed to match on only 5 out of 37 markers, and all of those differed by only one STR (i.e., likely mutations in various lines from a common ancestor). Further evidence of the great genetic distance between Adam Brouwer and both Elias Brouwer and John Brewer is provided by comparing the haplogroups of their descendants. A haplogroup is defined as the group of all the male descendants of the single person who first showed a specific rare mutation on the Y-chromosome called a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP, pronounced snip), which may occur once in a period of tens of thousands of years. SNP tests taken to determine the haplogroup of the descendants of each of the three men show that the Adam Brouwer line belongs to haplogroup E3b, which is rather rare in Europe, and both the Elias Brouwer and John Brewer lines belong to the I1c haplogroup, signifying no common male-line ancestors with Adam's male-line ancestors in tens of thousands of years. IDENTIFYING THE WEAK LINK Once the falseness of a stated lineage is shown through DNA testing, the next step is to examine the genealogical evidence for the stated lineage to determine the point (or points) at which the flaw lies. The work done by Bogardus shows that for Elias, the false link is probably the connection of Elias Brouwer to Abraham Brouwer and Sarah Stephenson, for which there exists no substantiated genealogical documentation. For John, the false link is probably the connection between John Brewer and Abraham Uldricks Brouwer, which has no substantiated genealogical docurnentation. In other words, both men are left with their parents unidentified. WHO WAS THE COMMON ANCESTOR OF ELIAS AND JOHN BROUWER? Once the weak links are identified, attention can focus on searching for genealogical evidence to replace those links with valid ancestry. DNA provides clear evidence that Elias Brouwer and John Brewer are not related to Adam Brouwer. On the other hand, it points to something exciting (genealogically speaking) - the existence of a previously unexpected connection between Elias and John. Who, then, was this common ancestor of Elias and John? Unfortunately, nothing in their life histories pointed to a connection. The crucial step in reconstructing the lost ancestry of Elias was the recognition by Mr. Kraus of the appearance of Elias and his wife, Phebe Lucas, as well as other family members, in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed churches in Readington, Hunterdon County, and Harlingen, Somerset County, New Jersey. In these records, but heretofore unrecognized, were the parents of Elias (now correctly identified as Elias): Elias Brouwer and Helena Willemse. Their identification led directly to identifying his paternal grandparents, Derck Brouwer and Hannah Dawes of Flatlands; his paternal great-grandparents, Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Jans of Flatlands; and his maternal great-grandfather, Elias Dawes of Gravesend, New Netherland. Thus, a male-line ancestor of Elias Brouwer was the seventeenth-century immigrant to New Netherland, Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, a blacksmith by trade. . . . Based on the close DNA match, John Brewer of Ohio shares at some point a common ancestor with Elias Brouwer (Elias, Derck, Jan) and with Jan Brouwer of Flatlands, whose DNA signature would also have been shared by his brothers and male cousins. Given the large number of early Brouwer/Brewer families identified by Totten, John Brewer could be a descendant of Jan through Pieter or Derck (the will of Hendrick indicates he died childless; no other sons have been found, but the possibility cannot be excluded with certainty), a descendant of a brother of Jan, or a descendant of a cousin of Jan. Further genealogical research is ongoing.
  Person ID	I19467	Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	Magdalena Jacobs VERDON,   b. Abt 1631, New Amsterdam, New Netherland [now New York City, New York County, NY] d. Aft 12 Aug 1698 (Age ~ 67 years)
  Marriage Banns	19 Mar 1645	Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam, New Netherland [now New York City, New York County, NY]
  Marriage	21 Mar 1645	Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam, New Netherland [now New York City, New York County, NY]
  Children	1. Pieter Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Bef 23 Sep 1646   d. Aft 1701 (Age > 56 years)   2. Matthys Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Bef 30 May 1649   d. Bef 29 Jul 1726 (Age < 77 years)   3. Willem Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Bef 5 Mar 1651   d. Aft 1713 (Age > 63 years)   4. Marretje Adamse BROUWER,   b. Bef 4 Jun 1653   d. Bef 1703 (Age < 49 years)   5. Jacob Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Abt 1655, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Bef 20 Dec 1706 (Age ~ 51 years)   6. Fytie Adamse BROUWER,   b. Bef 1660, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Aft 1709 (Age > 51 years)   7. Helena Adamse BROUWER,   b. Bef 31 Oct 1660   d. Aft 30 Mar 1701 (Age > 41 years)   8. Adam Adamsz BROUWER,   b. 18 May 1662   d. Bef 20 Dec 1706 (Age < 44 years)   9. Aeltje Adamse BROUWER,   b. Abt 1664, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Aft 22 Jan 1692 (Age ~ 28 years)   10. Anna Adamse BROUWER,   b. Abt 1666, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. 25 Feb 1748, Albany, Albany County, NY (Age ~ 82 years)   11. Abraham Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Bef 1667, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Aft 18 Feb 1739 (Age > 73 years)   12. Sara Adamse BROUWER,   b. Abt 1668, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Aft 29 Jan 1735 (Age ~ 67 years)   13. Rachel Adamse BROUWER,   b. Bef 1672, Gowanus, Kings County, NY d. Aft 27 Dec 1696 (Age > 25 years)   14. Nicholas Adamsz BROUWER,   b. Bef 16 Apr 1672   d. 1749, Westchester County, NY (Age > 76 years)   15. Daniel BROUWER,   b. Bef 7 May 1678
  Family ID	F9422	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024