Adam Brouwer Berkhoven
1621-1691
Born: Hoorn, Hoorn, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Died: Gowanus, Kings, New York, United States
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1621-1691
Born: Hoorn, Hoorn, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Died: Gowanus, Kings, New York, United States
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,” soon to be published in <em>New Netherland Connections</em>).<br><br>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. <br><br>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.”<br><br>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 <u>www.familytreedna.com</u> (search for Brewer).<br><br>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).
Adam <span>Brouwer</span> was born on 18 January 1622, in Katwijk-in-Keu (South Holland) or in Germany. He immigrated in 1641 to Brazil, from Cologne, Germany, when he sailed in the ship Swol as a soldier for the West India Company. He immigrated circa 1642 to New Amsterdam. (When he took the oath of allegiance in Sept. 1687, as a resident of Breukelen, he made the statement that he had been in this country for 45 years). He is shown as living at New Amsterdam, New York, on 21 February 1645, on which date he bought a house and garden lot from Hendrick Jansen, blacksmith. On 21 February 1645, Adam gave his power of attorney in an attempt to collect money due him from the West India Company. He married Magdalena Jacobs Verdon in March 1645 at the New Amsterdam Reformed Church, New York City, New York, on the 19th or 21st of the month, depending on the source consulted. On 21 September 1646, Adam gave his power-of-attorney in a repeat attempt to get money owed him by the West India Company. He left a will dated 22 January 1691/92. Per the source (The Woodley-Bailey Family tree), there is a LOT more info on this family in Brower research notes and online records and biographies. Adam and Magdalena had at least 14 children, and the number of their descendents is enormous.