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  • Story: History Of Adam Berkhoven Brouwer

    <p>Adam Berchoven Brouwer sailed in 1641 to Brazil in the ship Swol as a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company. He came to New Amsterdam in 1642, where he bought on Feb. 21, 1645, a house and garden lot from Hendrick Jansen, a blacksmith. On the same day, he had given a power of attorney to collect money due him from the Dutch West India Company.</p><p>On Feb. 7, 1647, he received a patent for a lot on Manhattan, but he sold this again on Aug. 19, 1656, to Dirck Van Schelluyne. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Brooklyn, for in 1657, &quot;Adam Brouwer of Gowanus&quot; was taxed toward the support of the minister. His name and that of his wife are entered on the membership roll of the Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn.</p><p>Together with Isaac de Forest, Adam Brouwer built and operated at Gowanus, a flour mill. He became the sole owner, for he bought out de Forest&#39;s interest for 2,400 glds. payable in grain (i.e. wheat, rye, buckwheat and maize), the wheat and rye at 4 glds., buckwheat and maize at 2 glds. per skepel. The remaining 400 glds. were in wampum.</p><p>In May 1664, together with other inhabitants of Gowanus, Adam Brouwer petitioned the Governor and Council to have the canal between Red Hook and the mainland dredged, which petition was granted.</p><p>Adam Berchoven Brouwer, although a respectable citizen in good circumstances seems to have been rather fractious and troublesome at times. On November 12, 1668, he was ordered that to be allowed to keep his mill he must &quot;grind all persons without distinction or exception according to custom, first come to be first served under penality.&quot; This question came up again at a later date. He was also during some time at odds with the church. Finally, in his will, two sones and a daughter are cut off with one shilling for disobediance, but their children are to inherit their parent&#39;s share. He left legacies to the other children.</p><p>His widow, Magdalena, left her property to sons, sons-in-law, and daughters, August 28, 1698.</p>

  • Story: Adam Brower Berkhoven

    <ul><li>Adam <span>Brouwer</span> was probably born circa 1620 at Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.<sup>7,8</sup></li><li>He married Magdalena <span class="nps">Jacobs</span> <span class="ns">Verdon</span>, daughter of Jacob <span class="ns">Verdon</span> and Marie <span class="nps">Thomasdr</span> <span class="ns">Badie</span>, at Reformed Dutch Church, New Amsterdam.<sup>9,10</sup>, on 21 March 1645 (Banns 19 Mar 1645) &quot;Adam Brouwer, j.m. Van Ceulen, en Magdalena Verdon, j.d. Van N. Nederl<sup>t</sup>&quot;</li><li>Adam Brouwer died between 22 January 1692 and 21 March 1692 at Gowanus, Kings Co., New York. </li></ul><ul style="margin-: 0px"><li>Also known as Adam Brewer.<sup>11</sup></li><li>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&#39;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 &ldquo;New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer,&rdquo; <em>New Netherland Connections </em>vol. 13, no.4, 2008).<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, &quot;van Ceulen,&quot; 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, &quot;Adam Brouwer Berchoven.&quot; 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 &ldquo;Berckhoven,&rdquo; please the above referenced article, &ldquo;New Insight into the Origins of Adam Brouwer.&rdquo;<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&#39;s, &quot;Contributions to the History of the Early Settlers of Kings County, N.Y.&quot; (NYG&amp;BR 9(1878):126-9). Fifty-eight years then passed between T.G. Bergen&#39;s treatment of Adam Brouwer, and the publication of &quot;Brouwer (Brower-Brewer) Family Notes,&quot; by John Reynolds Totten in NYG&amp;BR 67(1936):103-10, 217-29. Bergen and Totten&#39;s work were not without errors and in 1938 William J. Hoffman published &quot;Brouwer Corrections&quot; (NYG&amp;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, &quot;Brouwer Beginnings: The First Three Generations of the Adam Brouwer Berchoven Family.&quot; It is to date the most complete published treatment of Adam Brouwer&#39;s family. The first significant research regarding Adam Brouwer to be published in the sixty years since &quot;Brouwer Beginnings,&rdquo; appeared in the NYG&amp;BR 138(2007):245-9. The article, &quot;DNA Analysis: Adam Brouwer Berckhoven, Elias Brouwer of New Jersey, and John Brewer of Ohio,&quot; 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&#39;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&#39;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 &quot;Gowanus Canal,&quot; which today borders the neighborhoods of Red Hook and South Brooklyn on the west and Gowanus/Park Slope on the east. &quot;Brouwer&#39;s Mill&quot; 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&#39;s children as a claim of a &quot;gift&quot; 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&#39;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&#39;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, &quot;all sons and sons-in-law of Adam Brouwer of Gowanus.&quot; The above named convey to Abraham Brouwer and Nicholas Brouwer, their two brothers in consideration of &pound;270, the plot on which the mill stands, and the Neck of land and meadows therunto belonging. On the same day, Adam&#39;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&#39;s sons, Abraham and Nicholas, together expanded the mill property and built a second mill, which was then referred to as the &quot;New Mill.&quot; In 1706 the two brothers signed an indenture certifying their joint ownership in the mill and other properties. In 1709 the &quot;New Mill&quot; was built, and by two indentures in 1710, the brothers decided to split the properties into separate ownership with Abraham possessing the &quot;Old Mill,&quot; and Nicholas, the &quot;New Mill.&quot; On 20 June 1712, Nicholas conveyed his mill property to his brother Abraham for the sum of &pound;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 &quot;Old Mill&quot; property, and by a separate conveyance sold to his son Abraham, the &quot;New Mill&quot; 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&#39;s doorstep. It was here, and at the neighboring &quot;Old Stone House,&quot; 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&#39;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&#39;s Mill became Freeke&#39;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).<sup>12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19</sup></li><li>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, &quot;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.<sup>20</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer is on the roster of soldiers who fought in the Manhattan Indian War from 21 Feb 1645 to 21 Sep 1646. His place of birth given as Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Ger. (date of birth not given).<sup>8</sup></li><li>On 21 Feb 1645, &quot;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.&quot; 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.<sup>21</sup></li><li>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.<sup>22</sup></li><li>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.<sup>23</sup></li><li>On 12 Feb 1652, Adam Brouwer, as plaintiff, filed suit against Machiel Janssen, demanding &quot;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.&quot; The council ordered Adam to prove that the defendant said so, or to pay the defendant&#39;s expenses.<sup>24</sup></li><li>On 26 Feb 1652, Adam Brouwer was ordered to pay &pound;43 to (___) Kristman.<sup>25</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer&#39;s lot in New Amsterdam was mentioned in a conveyance dated 15 Oct 1653.<sup>26</sup></li><li>Adam moved to Brooklyn, where in 1657, &quot;Adam Brouwer of Gowanus&quot; was taxed &pound;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&#39;s name and dated 29 Aug 1667. This was later crossed out. Apparently he had been suspected as having leanings towards the Catholic faith.<sup>2</sup></li><li>On 18 Dec 1658, a suit was initiated by Thomas Verdon before the Orphan Master&#39;s Court at City Hall, New Amsterdam, &quot;Mr. Paulus Van der Beek appears in the place of Tomas Verdon&#39;s son and is (directed), that when Tomas Verdon comes, he is to make a settlement of his wife&#39;s (Mary Badies&#39;s) estate.&quot; 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&#39;s Court and requested action in that Paulus Van der Beek should be ordered to let them have &quot;their father&#39;s property.&quot; A week later on 15 Feb 1663, their mother Marritie Tomas (Mary Badie) made her deposition before the Orphan Master&#39;s Court. The Orphan Master&#39;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 &quot;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&#39;s widow (Mary Badie), may be obliged to account for their paternal estate.&quot; This was followed on 10 May 1664 by a warrent to &quot;Sheriff Hegeman to put Adriaen, William, and Marietje Williamsen Bennet in possession of a portion of their late father&#39;s lands, pending their suit against Paulus van der Beecq, their stepfather.&quot;<sup>27,28</sup></li><li>He and Magdalena <span class="nps">Jacobs</span> <span class="ns">Verdon</span> were members of at Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, Breuckelen, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, on 12 September 1660.<sup>29</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer witnessed the baptism of Adam <span class="ns">Praa</span> , son of Pieter <span class="ns">Praa</span> and Catharina <span class="ns">Letie</span>, on 6 February 1661 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, Breuckelen, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwers &amp; Tryntie Hadders).<sup>30,31</sup></li><li>On 17 Feb 1661, Adam Brouwer, &quot;inhabitant of Goannis and there miller to the water mill,&quot; 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.<sup>32</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer witnessed the baptism of Abraham <span class="ns">Praa</span> , son of Pieter <span class="ns">Praa</span> and Catharina <span class="ns">Letie</span>, on 5 March 1662 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, Breuckelen, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwer and Maria Fredericks).<sup>33,34</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer witnessed the baptism of Dirck <span class="nps">Gerritszen</span> <span class="ns">Kroesen</span> , son of Gerrit <span class="nps">Dircksen</span> <span class="ns">Kroesen</span> and Neeltje <span class="ns">Jans</span>, on 23 July 1662 at Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, Breuckelen, Kings Co., Long Island, New York, (sponsors Adam Brouwer and Grietje Jans).<sup>35,36</sup></li><li>On 12 Nov 1668, &quot;An Order for Adam Brower of Breucklyn do grinde for all persons without Exception or distinction,&quot; 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 &quot;upon frivolous pretences.&quot; 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.<sup>37</sup></li><li>In 1669 a fine of five hundred guilders was levied on Adam Brower&#39;s estate.<sup>38</sup></li><li>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 having been bound over from the Court of Sessions held last at Gravesend. The matter was later referred back to the Court of Sessions.<sup>39,40</sup></li><li>On 18 Aug 1670, Adam Brower, among others, was granted a pass to travel aboard the ship <em>Fort Albany</em>, owned by Jacque Cousseau, bound for England and Amsterdam. He is also recorded on a list of persons aboard that same ship.<sup>41</sup></li><li>On 19 Nov 1670 the Court at New York found that a ten pound fine levied against Gerrit Croosen for assaulting Adam Brouwer&#39;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.<sup>42</sup></li><li>Two mentions regarding Adam Brouwer&#39;s mill property are recorded in Kings County Conveyances, Lib.2, with the date of 12 Sep 1698. The first on p.178, &quot;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.&quot; (signed) Averts. &quot;This above written testimony was sworn unto by Arent Everson before me.&quot; (Signed) Mathias Nicolls, Mayor. On the following page 179 appears, &quot;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&#39;s children.&quot; (The statement is not clear). Both sign 20 Aug 1667 in the presence of Peter Janse Schooll and Denys Isaack Van Sartervelt &quot;honest persons.&quot; John C. Buys signs by mark and Arent Evertsen is an extra witness for Dirck Janse.<sup>43</sup></li><li>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, 1 1/2 morgen of valley.<sup>3</sup></li><li>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 1/2 morgens of valley.<sup>44</sup></li><li>He witnessed the baptism of Adolph <span class="nps">Evertszen</span> <span class="ns">Van Gelder</span> , son of Evert <span class="ns">Hendricksen</span> and Fytie <span class="nps">Adamse</span> <span class="ns">Brouwer</span>, on 14 February 1677 at Reformed Dutch Church, New York City, (sponsors Adam Brouwer en s.h.v.).<sup>45</sup></li><li>On the 1678 list of &quot;Estates of the Inhabitants of Newtowne, Long Island&quot; 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.<sup>2</sup></li><li>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 &quot;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.&quot; Then on 10 Feb 1780, &quot;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.&quot;<sup>46</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer and Magdalena <span class="nps">Jacobs</span> <span class="ns">Verdon</span> 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 &quot;under censure.&quot;<sup>47</sup></li><li>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.<sup>48</sup></li><li>He and Magdalena <span class="nps">Jacobs</span> <span class="ns">Verdon</span> 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, &quot;by certifictate for N.York, 29 August 1707,&quot; which is then crossed out. Willem Brouwer and his wife Elisabeth appear next on the record.<sup>49</sup></li><li>Adam Brouwer took the Oath of Allegiance in September 1687 at Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, as &quot;Adam brouwer, 45 Jeare&quot; (45 years in this country).<sup>50</sup></li><li>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 &quot;Adam Brouwer Berkhoven inhabitant of ye town of Bruckland, being at present sick a body but fully having his knowledge.&quot; His witnesses are named as Henry Sleght, Cornelius Sebring and John Fredricks. Adam leaves his &quot;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.&quot; Adam Brower &quot;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.&quot; Adam names his children as Mathys, William, Adam, Abraham, Nicholas, daughter Mary, Fytie, Helena, Anna, Sara, Rachel, &quot;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.&quot; Adam makes special bequests to Adolphus son of William Brewer &quot;three pieces of eight&quot;; to &quot;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.&quot;<sup>51</sup></li><li>Administration of Adam Brouwer&#39;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</li></ul>

  • Story: History

    <font size="+1"><em>From:</em> &quot;Lilly Martin&quot; &lt;DisplayMail('&#115;&#99;&#115;&#45;&#110;&#101;&#116;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;','&#109;&#97;&#108;&#105;&#107;');malik@scs-net.org&gt; <br><em>Subject:</em> #1: Adam Brouwer Berchoven, immigrant to Manhattan, settled at Gowanus <br><em>Date:</em> Mon, 3 Oct 2005 11:35:35 -0700 </font><br>My ancestor was Adam Brouwer b. about 1621, who sometimes used the name<br> Berchoven added. His descendants mainly used Brower, but some retained the<br> Brouwer spelling and a few lines used the English variation of Brewer.<br> <br> It is thought that he was the son of Peter Brouwer, who was the First<br> President of the Dutch West Indies Company. If that is true, then Adam was<br> just a small boy when his father died in 1625 at Hoorn, Netherlands. It is<br> thought that Adam&#39;s mother was Helena Mey, d/o Adam Mey, Cape May, NJ having<br> been named for her brother, a navigator, Peter Cornelise Mey. If that is<br> correct, then Adam was named for his maternal grandfather, and also Adam<br> himself named his eldest son for his father&#39;s name (Pieter) and also named a<br> daughter for his mother (Helena). If the Dutch naming pattern is to be<br> considered, then this builds a good case for Adam Brouwer being the son of a<br> couple named Pieter and Helena.<br> <br> Adam Brouwer arrived in Manhattan from Cologne, Rhine Province, in 1642<br> aboard the ship &quot;Swol&quot;. He was a soldier for the Dutch West Indies Co. He<br> bought a house in Manhattan, from Hendrick Jansen, a Blacksmith, 2-21 or<br> 31, 1645. Because Jansen did not deed the house to him, he had to file suit<br> against him in May, 1645. Hendrick Jansen (aka Hendrick Janszen van<br> Jever(en)) and Adam Brouwer were both soldiers and were both in Brazil in<br> 1641. They knew each other prior to<br> arriving in Manhattan, Adam remained in Manhattan, but Hendrick later left<br> for the Delaware River, and later to Baltimore County, Maryland.<br> <br> On 2-7-1647 Adam bought a property located on the north side of Beaver st.,<br> east of Broadway, this patent came from the government and he sold this lot<br> on 8-19-1656 to Dirk Schilluyne, it was described as between Jan the Cooper<br> on the West and Egbert Woutersen on the East.<br> <br> Adam married Magdalena Verdon, d/o Jacob, on 3-21-1645, in Manhattan, at a<br> home that was used as a Tavern, and the marriage was performed by Reverand<br> Everardus Bogardus, who was the second husband of Anneke Jans. The marriage<br> was recorded by the Reformed Dutch Church.<br> <br> Adam Brouwer left Manhattan for Gowanus, located in Brooklyn, Kings Co., NY.<br> On 4-1-1654 Teunis Nyssen, a Farmer of Gowanus, sold to Adam Brouwer a piece<br> of land which Adam used to build his house upon. Jan Evert Bout held the<br> patent to the land in Gowanus were Adam built a Flour Mill about 1661..<br> Adam was in partnership with Isaac De Forest, he later bought out the<br> interest of Isaac. Adam was still leasing the land where his Mill was<br> located , from Jan Evertse Bout, on 7-6-1665. It wasn&#39;t until 1707 that<br> descendants of Adam Brouwer were finally given a deed to the land that the<br> Mill sat upon, by the heirs of Tuenis Nyssen and Jan Bout.<br> <br> The original Mill and houses were destroyed in part by<br> destruction by fire during the Revolutionary War, according to eyewitness<br> accounts that are part of the military war records of soldiers (see military<br> records of Christopher Brower).<br> <br> Adam Brouwer signed the Oath of Allegiance in 1687 at Brooklyn, stating he<br> had been in the country for 45 years.<br> <br> Adam Brouwer was the sole owner and operator of the Brower Mill from 1663 to<br> 1693. His Will was written 1-22-1691. The estate was admistrated by Gov.<br> Benjamin Fletcher 4-15-1693<br> He was buried in the Brooklyn Churchyard, he lies there with his wife<br> Magdalena Verdon, and her mother Mary Thomas Baddie, and her mother Alten<br> Braconie. It has been said that Mary Thomas Baddie was the wealthiest woman<br> in New Amsterdam.<br> <br> Adam Brouwer and his wife were members of the Dutch Church at Brooklyn in<br> 1677 and were censured later for leaning toward the Catholic faith. The Mill<br> was located near or at the water&#39;s edge, on the creek called Gowanus creek.<br> The Old Mill was located just North of Union, between Nevin and Bond. In<br> the Will of Adam Brouwer he does not specifically name one son to take over<br> the sole operation of the Mill. Adam gives his estate to his wife and<br> children, but specifically names 3 of his kids as disobiediant. His first<br> son Pieter and his second son Jacobus are both rebuked by their father in<br> his Will.<br> <br> Adam and Magdalena had 14 children. I will list the boys only, in birth<br> order, by rank of age: Pieter, Matthys, Willem, Jacobus , Adam, Abraham,<br> Nicholas.<br> I have named the SONS only because I am focused on the surname and<br> descendancy of the Brouwer/Brower line. I am actually also a descendant of<br> Annetje Brouwer, d/o Adam, m. Willem Hilton. So I do personally value the<br> daughter&#39;s of Adam Brouwer, the immigrant, but in this study I will only<br> name and discuss the sons of Adam.<br> <br> Under normal customs of the day, we might think that the Eldest son of Adam<br> the immigrant would naturally take over the operation of the Mill his father<br> had established in Gowanus. But that was not to happen. Pieter went off to<br> Albany, NY and married and settled there, and eventually followed his family<br> to New Jersey. In his father&#39;s will he is specifically given 3 shillings on<br> account of his disobiediance. We might guess the reason is that he did not<br> stay put in Gowanus and help Father run the Mill and his &#39;running off&#39; to<br> Northern NY was what angered and disappointed Adam. The old custom was for<br> the eldest boy to get the best of everything to offer, and the younger boys<br> to make their own way in life. That is not always the case, but many<br> families did observe that unspoken habit.<br> <br> Finally on August 12, 1698 the sons and son in laws of Adam Brouwer, deeded<br> the land that the Mill stood on, and the neck of land and meadows belonging<br> to it, to Abraham and Nicholas, the 2 youngest of the brothers.<br> <br> In this instance, the Father&#39;s Mill was eventually placed into the hands of<br> his 2 youngest sons, of a total of 7 sons. It must have been these 2<br> youngest brothers who stuck with the Mill and learned the tricks of the<br> trade and descided that they wanted to make the Milling business their<br> life&#39;s work.<br> <br> These 2 brothers, Abraham and Nicholas, were partners together in the daily<br> operation of the Mill, and they were also united by marriage, because they<br> both married sisters. This would make these 2 families tied even closer<br> together. I would imagine that they could have built one large home there<br> and all shared it together, or perhaps they built 2 homes not far from the<br> Mill. I have noticed the word &#39;houses&#39; used when talking about the Mill and<br> land there on Gowanus Creek.<br> <br> Jochem Caljer immigrated in 1640 to New Amsterdam. His son was Jeurian<br> Caljer, m. Elizabeth Van der Hoven. Jeurian was the father of Cornelia<br> Caljer who married Abraham Brouwer, and the father of Jannetje Caljer who<br> married Abraham&#39;s brother Nicholas Brouwer.<br> The Caljer name is sometimes seen as: Colyer, Collier.<br> <br> My next report will focus on Abraham Brouwer, s/o Adam. This is my<br> ancestor.<br> Best regards,<br> Lilly Martin, great great grandaughter of Emma Brower.<br>

  • Story: Adam Brouwer History

    <p>http://users.crocker.com/~jcamp/ab.html</p><p>Adam Brouwer sailed in 1641 to Brazil in the ship Swol as a soldier in<br>the service of the West India Company.&nbsp; He came to New Netherlands in<br>1642, for when he took the Oath of Allegiance in September 1687, being<br>then a resident of Brooklyn, he made the statement that he had been in<br>this country for 45 years.&nbsp; He settled first in New Amsterdam where he<br>bought a house and garden lot from Hendrick Jansen, blacksmith, on 21<br>February 1645.&nbsp; On that some day he had given a power-of-attorney to<br>collect money due him from the West India Company, which he repeated on<br>21 September 1646.&nbsp; At his wedding party on 21 March 1645, Domine<br>Bogardus criticized Director Keift.&nbsp; Together with Isaac de Forest, Adam<br>Brouwer built and operated at Gowanus a flour mill on land patented 8<br>July 1645, to Jan Evertse Bout.&nbsp; The will of Adam Brouwer Berchoven of<br>&quot;Bruckland&quot; was dated 22 January 1691/92.&nbsp; He left his wife Magdalena<br>his entire estate.&nbsp; Sons Pieter and Jacob, and daughter Aeltje were<br>&quot;cut off with a shilling for disobedience, but their children are to<br>inherit their parents&#39; share.&quot;&nbsp; He named his other children:&nbsp; Mathys,<br>William, Adam, Abraham, Nicholaes, Mary, Fytie, Helena, Anna, Sarah, and<br>Rachel.&nbsp; He left 3 pieces of eight to Adolphus, the son of William; and<br>1 piece of eight each to Magdalena, daughter of Matthys; Magdalena,<br>daughter of Pieter; Vrouwtje, daughter of Fytie; and Magdalena, daughter<br>of Mary.&nbsp; Executors were Barent van Tilburg and William Nazareth.<br>Witnesses were Henry Sleght, Cornelis Siebring, and John Fredericks.<br></p>

  • Story: Adam Brouwer - German Or Dutch

    <p><strong>Born: </strong>ca 1620<br><strong>Baptized: </strong></p><p><strong>Origin: </strong>Adam Brouwer Berchoven <em>seems</em> to have come from Cologne, Germany. According to Totten [Totten01 67:105], Adam Brouwer was described as &quot;a young man from Ceulen [Cologne]&quot; when he married Magdalena Jacobs Verdon. William Brower Bogardus (Anneke Jans and Everardus Bogardus Descendants Association, 1121 Linhof Rd., Wilmington, OH 45177-2917) has been working with Prof. Frijoff from the Amsterdam Free University on the question of Adam Brouwer&#39;s origin. Mr. Bogardus wrote in his Holiday Season 1997 &quot;Dear &#39;Cousin&#39;&quot; letter: &quot;Incidentally, for those who have been seeking the correct parents and ancestry of Adam Brouwer (<em>proof</em> of those already allegedly identified not having been presented)... there is a very high probability that Adam was not only from Cologne but also of German rather than Dutch origin. His birth name may have been &quot;Adolph&quot; and it is possible that the Berchoven name had nothing to do with his family&#39;s origin at all.&quot; </p><p><strong>Immigrated: </strong>First to Brazil in 1641, on the ship <em>Swol</em> (serving as a soldier for the Dutch West India Company), then to New Netherland in 1642. [Hoffman01 23:194] </p><p><strong>Occupation(s): </strong>Dutch West India Company soldier. With his business partner Isaac de Forest, built and operated a flour mill at Gowanus, Brooklyn, New York. [Hoffman01 23:195] </p><p><strong>Died: </strong>1693 <br><strong>Buried: </strong></p>

 
 
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