Hannah Brauer
1761-1823
Born: New York, United States
Died: Barberton, Summit, Ohio, United States
The following is from a newspaper article written by Carol Cook in the Sun Banner Pride, Thursday, November 4, 1993, Page C2: HANNAH WAS A REMARKABLE WOMAN Mother Of 12 Rode Horseback, Drove Cows, Took Canoe On Her Way To Ohio This is a story about an adventuresome and courageous woman, who was one of the first women to settle in our town of Norton. Very little is ever written about the women who were our early settlers. Their life was indeed a rough one, and how they did what they did is beyond all my thinking. We think if we have a flat tire, our washing machine breaks, or our cable TV goes out we are in trouble. Let me tell you just a little bit about this woman of courage, my heroine, for sure she is the wind beneath my wings, because she made the way for me to have a better and easier life. Hannah Brouwer Van Hyning married Henry Van Hyning in Half Moon, NY in 1783. He had three sons at the time. He was a farmer. She was 22 years old. Hannah had eight children in Half Moon: Hannah, 1784; Thomas, 1788; Lean, 1789; Elizabeth, 1791; Thamor, 1793; Sally, 1795; Henry, 1797; and Andrew, 1800. When Andrew was just 3 years old, Henry sold the farm and told Hannah they were going to move west. In the spring of 1804 Henry (66) and Hannah (43) started out with 10 children, and two yoke of oxen pulling two wagons containing all their belongings. Hannah road horseback through the forest, driving three cows. They went west through New York to Buffalo, and from there to Erie, PA. In Erie, Henry built canoes, lashed them together and launched them on French Creek. He put most of the heavy things in the canoes and he took off. Hannah took the 10 children, three cows and two wagons, and continued overland to Pittsburgh, where she met up with Henry. Together they reloaded all their goods back on the wagon and left for Canfield. They arrived the last of August 1805. This trip took 18 months. Today we could drive this in about seven hours, or fly in about one hour. On November 22, 1805, Hannah gave birth to her ninth child, Sylvester. After he was born, Hannah stayed in Canfield and Henry left for Northampton Township to select and purchase land for a new home. After Henry returned, he hitched up his reams to two wagons, packed up Hannah and the kids and set out for Northampton. From Canfield, they traveled to Ravenna. They camped in Ravenna, and Henry went to Warren to pick up supplies. He bought a barrel of pork, barrel of flour, and a barrel of whiskey, as well as numerous other supplies necessary to a backwoods man. They left Ravenna and went westward to the Cuyahoga River, which they crossed at a point called "Brady Leap." From there on, Hannah and Henry had to cut a road for themselves to Northampton. On this trip, Hannah would take the milk left over in the morning after breaking camp, put it in a jug and place it in one of the wagons. By night, a nice chunk of butter, churned by the jolting motion of the wagon, had formed in the jug. When Hannah arrived in Northampton she found only two white families lived in the township. All around was dense forest, and Indians were numerous. In Northampton they settled down. Henry built a house and farmed his land... In 1814 they moved to Wolf Creek. On October 24, Henry purchased 150 acres for the sum of $500 from James Robinson. This land was in what was known as Wolf Creek Township, later to become Norton Township in 1818. Henry built his family a log cabin near what we know as Clarks Mill Road. Norton Township was organized in 1818, at an election, Henry was chosen as the first Justice of the Peace. Hannah is given credit for being a "doctor" to these early settlers. She drove her pair of Indian ponies to minister the folks far and near. Being a farmer's wife, mother to 12 children, she somehow found the time to help her fellow man in need. On September 14, 1823, Hannah died at the age of 62. She was laid to rest in Norton Center Cemetery... In "Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, Ohio", there is mention of Hannah's grandfather, _____ Bogardus, a missionary from Holland.