Crispus Brewer (abt. 1630 - 1706)

Born about 1630 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Mary (Unknown) Brewer — married about 1652 in Boston, Suffolk, Province of Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 11 Dec 1706 at about age 76 in Lynn, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Chase Ashley [send private message] and Mary Ellen Stephens [send private message]

Biography

Date of Birth

Crispus' date of birth is uncertain. Based on the estimated date of birth of his first-born child (1653-1656), he was probably born sometime in 1625-1634, with about 1630 being a reasonable midpoint estimate.

Parentage

Crispus' parentage is uncertain. Based on the fact that the earliest record of Crispus is his oldest children's baptism in Boston in 1659 and the fact Mary Brewer, the daughter of Thomas Brewer of Roxbury, was married in Boston in 1656, it is plausible that he was Mary's brother and thus the son of Thomas Brewer of Roxbury. Slight additional support comes from the fact that Crispus named a son Thomas (perhaps after his father) and daughters Mary and Sarah (perhaps after his sisters, Thomas of Roxbury's daughter Mary (Brewer) Lane and probable daughter Sarah (Brewer) Webster). However, no hard evidence or compelling circumstancial evidence has been found that connects Crispus to Thomas Brewer of Roxbury, Thomas' daughter Mary (Brewer) Lane or Thomas' other probable children Sarah (Brewer) Webster and John Brewer of Ipswich.

Place of Birth

Crispus' place of birth is unknown. Based on Crispus' probable date of birth (1625-1634), it is most likely that he was born somewhare in England.

Marriage

Crispus married a woman named Mary. Her first name is established by the baptismal records of their children who were baptized in Boston and her death record in Lynn. Mary's maiden name has not been determined.^[1] She was not Mary Whitmore, as Mary Whitmore married John Brewer of Ipswich.^[2][1]

Crispus' and Mary's date of marriage is uncertain. Based on the estimated date of birth of their first-born child (sometime in 1653-1656), they were probably married sometime in 1652-1655, with the earlier date probably most likely.

Their place of marriage is unknown. Based on the location of baptism of their youngest children, it is reasonably likely that they were married in Boston.

Children

Crispus and Mary had the following children:

1. Mary, b. probably about 1653-1656, bpt. November 13, 1659 in Boston,^[3][4] m. November 18, 1674 John Richards in Lynn^[5]
2. Sarah, b. probably about 1655-1657, bpt. November 13, 1659 in Boston,^[3][4] m. March 12, 1677/8 Samuell Gravs in Lynn^[5]
3. Thomas, b. sometime in 1657-8, bpt. November 13, 1659 in Boston,^[3][4] m. December 4, 1682 Elizabeth Gravs in Lynn,^[5] d. October 8, 1702^[6]
4. Anna/Hannah, b. probably in fall of 1659, bpt. November 13, 1659 in Boston,^[3][4] m. February 2, 1681 Samuell Ingolls in Lynn^[5]
5. Elizabeth, bpt. December 9, 1660 in Boston,^[7][8] m. April 18, 1683 John Lewis Jr in Lynn^[5]
6. Abigaile, b. October 4, 1664 in Lynn^[9]
7. Rebecka, b. August 28, 1667 in Lynn,^[10] d. July 27, 1690 in Lynn^[6][11]

The reason why Crispus and Mary's first four children were baptized together on November 13, 1659 is that their mother, Mary, only became a member of the First Church of Boston (where they were baptized) on November 6, 1659.^[12] Since all the records relating to his family refer to Mary as a member but not Crispus,^[12][3][7] it is likely that Crispus himself was ever a member of the church.

Removal from Boston to Lynn

Based on the baptismal and birth records of their children, Crispus and his family moved from Boston to Lynn, Massachusetts sometime in between December 1660 and October 1664.

Wife's Death

Crispus' wife, Mary, died in Lynn on May 3, 1693.^[6][11]

Will; Death; Estate

In a brief profile for Crispus in a 1908 issue of The Essex Antiquarian, Perley stated that Crispus died between December 10, 1706 and February 10, 1706/7,^[13] which suggests that he made a will on the former date and that some estate proceedings occurred on the latter. No will or record of estate proceedings for Crispus, however, appear in the index for Essex County Probate Records on familysearch.org.

Crispus died in Lynn on December 11, 1706. The entry in the Lynn town records reads:

Crispus Brewer Departed this life the 11th of December 1706.^[6]

This record was abstracted in the death records in Volume 2 of the 1906 Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 as "Crispus, s. Thomas and Elizabeth, Dec. 11. 1706."^[11] However, this abstraction is certainly incorrect since (1) as shown above, there is nothing in the original record that suggests the Crispus who died on 1706 was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Brewer, and where no parents were mentioned in a death record, that indicated that the person who died was an adult, and (2) Perley's statement that Crispus' December 10, 1706 and February 10, 1706/7 confirms that the Crispus who died in 1706 was this profile's Crispus Brewer.

Chronology of Records

• 1666. Crispes Brewer was among those named to serve on the jury of trials at a Quarterly Court held in Salem in November 1666.^[14]
• 1672. Chrispus Brewer and Tho. Ivery were sworn as constables of Lynn at a Quarterly Court at Salem in June 1672.^[15]
• 1672. At a Quarterly Court at Salem in November 1672, Mr. Elizur Holioak and Crispus Brewer, his tenant, brought suit against Thomas Farrer for not allowing Brewer to make use of a highway to take his cattle across Farrer's property.^[16]
• 1673. Crispas Brewer was a member of a jury of inquest on July 8, 1673 regarding the body of a man lying on the beach in Mr. King's farm.^[17]
• 1678. Crispus Brewer and his son Thomas were among the inhabitants of Lynn who took the oath of allegiance to the King in 1678.^[18]

^{[6] [13] [7] [3] [12] [1] [2] [5] [11] [10] [9] [18] [8] [4] [17] [16] [15] [14]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Volume 1. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. p. 198. Link to page at americanancestors.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Vital Records of Ipswich, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Volume II. Marriages and Deaths. The Essex Institute, 1910. p. 56. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Volume 39. The Records of the First Church in Boston, 1630-1868. Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1961. p. 336. Link to page at colonialsociety.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} A Report of the Record Comissioners Containing Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, 1630-1699. 1883. p. 72. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Volume II - Marriages and Deaths. The Essex Institute, 1906. p. 72. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} "Record of Births and Deaths in the Town of Lynn. Vol. II." Historical Collections of the Essex Institute. Vol. VI. The Essex Institute, 1864. pp. 77-78. Link to pages at hathitrust.org.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Volume 39. The Records of the First Church in Boston, 1630-1868. Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1961. p. 337. Link to page at colonialsociety.org.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} A Report of the Record Comissioners Containing Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, 1630-1699. 1883. p. 77. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Volume I - Births. The Essex Institute, 1905. p. 74. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-44ZQ : 29 November 2018), Rebecka Brewer, 28 Aug 1667; citing Birth, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011200.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3} Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849. Volume II - Marriages and Deaths. The Essex Institute, 1906. p. 440. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Volume 39. The Records of the First Church in Boston, 1630-1868. Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1961. p. 58. Link to page at colonialsociety.org.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} "Notes." The Essex Antiquarian. Volume XII. 1908. p. 45. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume III 1662-1667. The Essex Institute, 1913. p. 367. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume V 1672-1674. The Essex Institute, 1916. p. 108. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume V 1672-1674. The Essex Institute, 1916. p. 106. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume V 1672-1674. The Essex Institute, 1916. p. 251. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume VII 1678-1680. The Essex Institute, 1919. p. 158. Link to page at hathitrust.org.

See also:

• The Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Lynn Historical Society, Pages, 1,056, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1897, Internet Archive (https://www.gengophers.com/book.html#/book/26685?page=881&given=Chrispus&surname=Brewer); Subject: Local history; Description 1897-1908, in no. 12; 1909-1913, in no. 17; 16