Burwell Brewer (1730 - 1799)

Born 1730 in Brunswick, Virginia

Descendants

Died 1799 at about age 69 in Wilkes, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cynthia Curtis [send private message]

Biography

2022 research breakthrough using dna: David Brewer, a Co-Administrator of the Brewer DNA Project, who is focused on the "Lanier-Brewer" group within the project, as recently made available to members of the project a paper titled, "The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer." This is a 237 page paper with over 800 footnotes citing records. The paper is not "finished," to quote David, but is being made available in it's current form for review and comment. Those who are not members of the Brewer DNA Project can contact David through the Project's main page. The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer Long thought to be a son of George Brewer of Brunswick Co., Virginia, David concludes that this assumption regarding Burwell Brewer is not correct and that Burwell is more likely a son of William Brewer of Martin Brandon Parish in Prince George County, Virginia.

Some researchers think there was only one son by this second marriage of Geo. Brewer and Alice Burwell (?). However this Burwell Brewer may or not be their unnamed son. See the paper by David Brewer of the "Lanier-Brewer" group within the Brewer DNA Project: The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer.

Burwell Brewer b.1730 d. 1799 Wilkes Co., GA, married Elizabeth Patrick d. 1800. This couple married in NC and then went to Georgia.

Burwell Brewer, or Burrell (as it was always pronounced), was given a Major's grant of land, as were some of his relatives and in-laws. From County Histories, more than several would qualify for Patriotic Service in the Revolution. 640 acres for each.

Lt. William Brewer, Revolutionary Patriot, son of Burwell, received 250 acres.

Children of Burwell Brewer & Elizabeth Patrick:

1. Patrick Brewer (Life ended in a duel)
2. Sarah Brewer married ------------Sojourner
3. Adelia Brewer (Delilah) m a Bird or Boyd Lived to be very old
4. James Brewer. James died young leaving 2 or 3 small children, including Burrell Brewer. A Burrell Brewer is found in Wayne Co., TN in later years.
5. William Brewer b. about 1758 SC; died Aft. 1818 in Oglethorpe Co., GA; m. (1) Eliz. Holman (2) Sarah Doggett
6. John Brewer b. 1752 and lived in SC and Ga
7. Agnes Brewer b 22 June 1776, d 23 Oct 1869 married Geo. Washington Paschal is buried by the side of her husband in the cemetery on the hill overlooking Auraria, Lumpkin Co., GA.
8. Elizabeth married John Paschal, nephew of George Paschal above
9. Rebecca Brewer married ____Lewis. Had a large family in Burke Co., GA
10. Nancy Brewer married George Brittain 1800 in Oglethorpe Co., GA.
11. Susannah Brewer married (1) Alex Bolling (2) his brother Henry Bolling
12. Burrell Brewer, the youngest. Sol. in War of 1812. His life ended in a duel in Louisiana.

Burwell Brewer was born Abt. 1730 in Surrey Co., VA (Source: Compendium of Am. Genealogy, p. 792 and Dict. of Am. Cong. 1775-1927. Much info regarding this unit is not proven, taken from various family sources, undocumented.), and died 1799 in Wilkes Co., GA (Source: Southern Kin by Grace Morrow Bryan). He married Elizabeth Patrick Abt. 1750 in North Carolina (Source: (1) Compendium of Am. Gen., p. 729., (2) Biog. Dict. of Am. Cong. 1775-1927.), daughter of Paul Patrick and Agnes Millikan. She was born Abt. 1732 in Prob. Brunswick Co., VA, and died 1800 in Wilkes Co., GA (Source: Ninety Four Years, 1871 by George Washington Paschall).

Notes for Burwell Brewer:

Some researchers think there was only one son by this second marriage of Geo. Brewer and Alice Burwell. However, in the George Brewer, Sr. will it mentions "our young children" indicating more than one.

"Burwell 'Burrell' Brewer had left his native state of VA by 1778 when land entries for him are found in Wilkes Co., NC.</b> He, a William Brewer and a George Brewer were in the 1782 Tax List in that county. Burrell's land was on Naked Creek, William's on Big Sandy Creek and George's on the south side of the Yadkin River. In 1784 the Burrell Brewers, his Patrick in-laws, and George Brewer went to Georgia, settling on Long Creek, then in Wilkes Co., but now in Oglethorpe County. The family scattered to surrounding counties. These people were Whigs, of the useful kind, who were generally on the warpath throughout the revolutionary struggle. Their time was given to their country, their property neglected; and, like many others, after the peace was proclaimed they felt the necessity of commencing life anew.

Georgia was then the inviting field, and Wilkes county the frontier. The "old patriarch, [Elizabeth Patrick's father] with his nine sons, his son-in-law Burrell Brewer, with a house full of children, and other relatives gathered their herds, loaded their wagons with their household goods, and in 1784, they transferred themselves to middle Georgia. They settled on Long Creek, then in Wilkes County, now in Oglethorpe County, near the present town of Lexington. There they laid their "head-rights". That is, they entered and obtained 640 acres of land for each family."

Burrell Brewer's land was on a little stream which, in after years, bore his name "Brewer Creek" Here the newcomers erected log houses and opened fields. Burrell was the central figure in the immigrant group. He selected a high hill for his opening in the forest. The Indians were troublesome; so, the settlers built a "blockhouse" or fort. It took the name Fort Brewer, and was located ten miles below what is called "the Cherokee Corner", now the dividing line between Oglethorpe and Clark Counties. The Indians had agreed not to come below this line. But there were forays and threats to the blockhouse. The inhabitants had little security after the battle of Jack's Creek. A treaty was signed to remove the Indians beyond the Oconee River. Burrell Brewer appears to have been a prosperous farmer.

There were born thirteen children to the Burrell Brewer family. One died at age four. He and his wife reared five sons and seven daughters, though he did not live to see all of them grown and married. He died in March 1799, and some of the children had not reached the age of majority. His widow remained on the farm and was assisted in the care of the family by her daughter Agnes. But she survived her husband by only one year. They were members of the Baptist church. (Mars Hill?)

March 1799 - Estate Administration, William Brewer Admin, Book F. Folio 7, p. 65, also Bk G. Folio 31 - slow settlement. Nancy married George Brittain July 23, 1800 and George received 1 bed and furniture.

The girls got beds and furniture. George Britain rec. 1 bed and furniture, Sam Bolling - 1 bed and furniture, Agnes Brewer 1 bed and furniture, Rebecca Brewer, 1 bed and furniture, Tilley Boyd - 1 bed and furniture, Betsy Brewer - 1 bed and furniture.

Notes for further research:

George Brewer

George Brewer was married to Nancy Bird and his will records his wife as Nancy and living children as: Mary Woodyard, Elizabeth Gilly Brewer, Sally Coleman, Anny (Anna) Gayle and son Micajah.

Grandsons: George W. Woodyard (b. 1812), William H. Coleman, George M. Brewer and John Gayle (son of Levin Gayle, brother of the future Gov. John Gayle). The will was signed 5 October 1821 and recorded November 3, 1840.

The Diary of his son-in-law, Walter W. Woodyard, born 1778 Prince William Co., VA, reflects that George and Nancy Brewer had a son George Brewer, Jr. (died prior to 1821) and that Micajah Brewer was known as the Beau Brummel of St. Stephen's

"Gaines Reminiscences", by George Strother Gaines [Indian Factor of old St. Stephens] reprinted in AHQ (Fall and Winter, 1964) mentions the Brewers, Major Frank Boykin, a Revolutionary officer (Georgia) Thomas Bassett, the Bowlings and the Callers. All distinguished families of the era (the Bassett, Boykin, Bowling families also rooted in Virginia).

Two articles, written by Miriam Brewer Richardson, published in the Montgomery Advertiser quoted entries of the ancient diary of Walter Ward Woodyard. Quoting from the article, "Proud Old St. Stephens:" "The ancient diary contains the names of many individuals and families prominent in that distant day, among whom are George S. Gaines, factor at St. Stephens, Ann Gaines, Sarah Gaines, presumably his daughters, George Brewer, rich land-and slaveowner; George Brewer, Jr., Micajah Brewer, a Beau Brummel of old St. Stephens; John Bates, Hiram Mounger and his wife, Ann Mounger, Levin Gayle, brother of John Gayle, afterwards seventh Governor of Alabama, who married beautiful Anna Brewer, daughter of George Brewer, Sr., Daniel Coleman, who married Sarah Brewer, Cornels, a mixed-breed Indian who lived in the forks of the rivers, Francis S. Bassett, William Brewer, Cellia Brewer, John Brewer, B. B. Brewer, Robert Bowling and his wife, Barbara Bowling, William Bowling, Eli Bowling, Sterling Boykin, Francis Lawson, William McConnell, R. P. Carney, John Phillips, John Harris, Isaac Barr, Cornelius Sullivan, John W. Pitman and Isaac Baker. All names which have played a part in the history of Washington County and the Southwest, many of whose descendants now reside in Alabama."

M. B. Richardson, in her article "Washington's Picturesque Personalities" again quotes the ancient diary of Walter W. Woodyard: "John Richardson was a ginright who came from Georgia and bought land near St. Stephens. He was a planter on a large scale and fought against the Indians as did most of the early settlers. John Richardson left a large family and many of Washington's present day citizens are descended from him. His namesake son, Johon Richardson, Jr., married Orra Roberts, a descendant of Cornelius Sullivan (Orra Roberts was niece of Cornelius rather than descendant), and their descendants reside at the Richardson community on the Richardson Road which connects Chatom with the Mobile highway."^[1]

Burnell was born in 1730. He passed away in 1799. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/r/e/Denzel-Brewer-Texas/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0212.html
2. ↑ Unsourced family tree handed down to Chad Russell.

• http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BANKSTON/2012-03/1332102735

• http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/donna/picturebook/210f.htm

Taken from the book “Southern Kinsmen”, published C1977. By Grace Morrow Bryan

Notes;

Elizabeth Patrick's parents Mr Patrick & Miss Milligan (Scotch ancestry) packed up their stuff in 1784, brought their nine sons, one daughter, son in law Burwell Brewer & his brother George Brewer to Wilkes (now Oglethorpe Co GA). The only brother of Elizabeth Patrick Brewer named in the book is Milligan Patrick.

Agnes Brewer Paschall was born in 1776 in North Carolina in the "narrows of the Yadkin", the daughter of Burrell Brewer (whose father came from England(???) & Elizabeth Patrick (whose father came from Ireland).

http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/brewer/8765/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PVPgiBkirh3N1dxBb0IyD3SdAg7NLvQL/edit

The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer

Posted: 17 Jun 2022 03:26 AM PDT (This is from Chris Chester)

David Brewer, a Co-Administrator of the Brewer DNA Project, who is focused on the "Lanier-Brewer" group within the project, as recently made available to members of the project a paper titled, "The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer." He has placed it online using Google Docx and has allowed me to provide a link via this post to others who may have an interest. This is a 237 page paper with over 800 footnotes citing records. The paper is not "finished," to quote David, but is being made available in it's current form for review and comment. Those who are not members of the Brewer DNA Project can contact David through the Project's main page.

The Origins and Family Connections of Burwell Brewer

Long thought to be a son of George Brewer of Brunswick Co., Virginia, David concludes that this assumption regarding Burwell Brewer is not correct and that Burwell is more likely a son of William Brewer of Martin Brandon Parish in Prince George County, Virginia.

From David Brewer's post to the Brewer DNA Project's Activity Feed:

"The paper is long, and it has a lot of record cites. My objective is to put as much relevant information as possible about this group in one document. As more data is published online with the passage of time, other researchers will be able to build on this information and correct errors of fact and speculation. The paper also includes a lot of information about other Brewer and allied families present in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Mississippi Territory. For example, there is a lengthy discussion about a man named William Brewer from Lancaster County, South Carolina, who I believe was the son of George Brewer Jr., of Brunswick County, Georgia. The paper also discusses Burrell Brewer of Chesterfield County, South Carolina, a likely close relative of William Brewer of Lancaster County, Those men often have been mistaken for descendants of Burwell Brewer, but the paper explains why I believe, instead, that they were descendants of George Brewer of Brunswick County."

I will say no more and leave it up to interested readers to review the document in it's entirety at the above link, and ask those with insight or comments to contact David Brewer directly. The Brewer DNA Project is a Y-DNA project and I would urge any descendants of any of the numerous BREWER families whose origins trace back to the American Southeast during the colonial period to consider contacting and joining the project by taking a Y-DNA test.

BGB 721