Searching for the Right Brewer Family

Oliver or Howell

As I have previously written, much that has been published about the Brewers before 1990s has errors in it and/or lacks documentation.  For years what has been believed about the Brewers is coming into question. Now we can use DNA to help with our family tree. 

Multiple DNA shared ancestor matches on Ancestry indicate that John Goad is my ancestor. At last count I had 40+ of these matches. The descendants of John Goad on these matches is different from what I believe to be my branch of his tree. In other words I descend from him through his daughter Ann. The other matches descend from his other children.

John Goad died in Bedford County Virginia in 1771. His granddaughter was Phana Risdin who married William Brewer in Wilkes County, North Carolina in 1781. John Goad's daughter, Ann married William Roysdon. (spelling of the last name changes frequently).

Once again DNA matches to William and Phana are present in my Ancestry circles. 

So, who was William Brewer's father?

For years it has been believed that Oliver was the father of this William. But records don't really support this. 

I am going to jump ahead to 1846 to find a possible answer to this question of parentage.

In 1846 Isaac Brewer appeared before the judge in Talladega County, Alabama. 

Isaac was seeking pension for his service in the American Revolutionary War. In the documents Isaac, under oath, made several declarations about his service. Below are some of the highlights that pertain to William Brewer. 

• At about four years of age his father carried him to Bedford County, Virginia where he resided about two years. 
• From there he removed to Chatham County, North Carolina until he was 24 or 25 years old. 
• He then moved to Georgia
• He removed to Blount Tennessee. 
• About eleven years ago, while residing in Tenn. he spoke to a gentleman by the name of Lowry about preparing papers to apply for pension. He had testimony from William Brewer who also served. 
• He was first taken to the war by his uncle John Brewer. 
• He remembers the names of persons who were in the same service with him.

his father, Howell Brewer

his Uncle Bill Brewer

his Uncle John Brewer

• His brother, Simon, born in 1775 gave testimony that he was old enough by the end of the war to recall something of his brothers services during the war.

In 1850 affidavit was given in Monroe County Tenn. by Mary Blankenship, daughter of William Brewer, that she is well acquainted with Isaac Brewer; that her father William Brewer was a pensioner. Isaac is a cousin of hers. That she recalls her father talking about the battle at Cane Creek in Orange County in which he, Isaac, was wounded. 

From these documents it seems that William Brewer was the brother of Howell Brewer Jr. and son of Howell Brewer Sr.

Or Oliver??

Oliver Brewer's will lists his children by name. There is a William Brewer in Oliver's will. Oliver's will was dated 1792 in Chatham County, North Carolina. (He does not have a son named John. Isaac Brewer's testimony gave his uncles as John and Bill)

Oliver shows up in Orange County records in 1762. Howell is in Orange County in 1755 but living alone.

There is a William Brewer married to Dorothy. His will was proven in 1833 in Orange County.

William Brewer, the Revolutionary War Soldier, stated in his pension records that he was born in Brunswick County, Virginia and moved as a small boy to Orange County, North Carolina. Also from these documents we get a birth date of around 1752.

A William Brewer received a land grant on 24 Sep 1779 in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

William Brewer married Phana Risdin on 19 Apr 1781 in Wilkes County, North Carolina.

In 1790 the Census has a Wm Brewer age; over 16 and 6 females living in Chatham County.

In Deed Book 9 of Orange County NC there is a deed between Mathew McCauley and William Brewer for a tract of land on Morgan Creek. (1801)

There is a William Brewer living in Chatham County in 1800. Census records show he was between 16 and 25 years old. There isn't a William Brewer in Chatham in the census records for 1810, 1820 or 1830.

There is a William Brewer in 1810 living in Orange County. On the census he is over 45 but seems to be living alone. This William's age does not match the age of the William Brewer in Chatham. 

A William Brewer shows up in 1804 in Tennessee tax records and 1800 in South Carolina. These records match William's testimony in his pension file.

Which man is the father of William Brewer?? 

There does not seem to be any one record that would say 100%. Until I read Isaac Brewer's pension file I thought it was Oliver. Now, I am not sure. What do you think???

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattie