Descendants of WILLIAM and ABIGAIL BREWSTER

1790 - First Census of the United States, Orange County, New Cornwall Town, page 146: BREWSTER, WILLIAM 1M 16+; 1M -16; 4F. From these numbers, we can assume that he has one son and three daughters.

SOURCE-Census
1800 Federal Census, Romulus, (then in Cayuga County), NY, page 534 (Index shows BRESTER, WILLIAM). WILLIAM BREWSTER's family consists of himself b.1755-1784; 2M & 2F b.1784-1790; 2M & 1F b.1790-1800; and his wife b.1755-1784. Although there is really no way to tell if this WILLIAM is the same who is son of HENRY SR., is it a mere coincidence that JESSE, son of HENRY SR. is enumerated on page 532 of this same Census--also in Romulus? Further "circumstantial" evidence is presented below: See Military Bounty Lands.

SOURCE-Census
1810 Federal Census, Onondaga County, NY, page 3: WILLIAM BREWSTER's family is enumerated there as follows: 3M & 3F b.1800-10; 1M b.1794-1800; 1M & 1F b.1784-1794; and 1M 45+ [WILLIAM]; and 1F b. 1765-1784 [ABIGAIL, his wife].

SOURCE-Residences
"History of Seneca Co., New York, 1786-1876", Philadelphia: 1876, page 150, "The record shows that WILLIAM BREWSTER and DANIEL SAYRE, the former in the central part, on the old road, and the latter in the northern part, on the lake road, were settlers on Lot 73, in the year 1801. Both of these men sold to JOHN FINTON in 1805. WALTER CARSON bought a fifty-acre field on the west side from BREWSTER. Opposite GREEN, on the west side, lived WILLIAM BREWSTER. JOSHUA TUTTLE was on the central portion, and STEPHEN REEDER, a mason, lived nearby." and page 153: "In 1795, the town-meeting was held at the house of James McKnight, on April 7. Of new officials, there were WILLIAM BREWSTER, Assessor..." These references are to the town of Romulus, NY. It appears that the County boundaries kept changing. In 1794, Romulus was in Onondaga County; in 1800 it is in Cayuga County, and later in Seneca County!
In 1815, WILLIAM and ABIGAIL and their family were in Oppenheim, Montgomery County, NY, where he wrote his Will. They then returned to Manlius, Onondaga County, by 1820, where he died.

SOURCE: Jury List, Romulus, Seneca County, NY, 1804: WILLIAM BREWSTER, among others. Jury list of 1805 shows that WILLIAM BREWSTER was removed from the list, along with others.

SOURCE: Research by a descendant of HENRY BREWSTER, SR. through his son, MATHEW, indicates that "in Liber B of Mortgages in the records of the County Clerk, Orange County, New York, at Goshen (page 402) is shown the sale of iron tools by HENRY BREWSTER, JR., and WILLIAM BREWSTER to JOHN ALSOP, and on page 403 the mortgage of land by HENRY BREWSTER, JR. and WILLIAM BREWSTER of New Cornwall, ironmasters, and MARTHA and ABIGAIL, their wives. Both papers are dated 14 May 1791 and filed years later." Perhaps this was a family business, or business that only HENRY, JR. and WILLIAM BREWSTER owned.

Barbara Smith Buys, B.A., M.A., C.A.L.S., American History and Genealogy, specializing in the Hudson Valley, in a letter dated 28-MAR-1977, indicates "While researching for another client a reference to a WILLIAM BREWSTER was noted in Revolutionary Soldiers Resident or Dying in Onondaga County, N.Y. prepared by the Rev. W. M. Beauchamp for the Onondaga Historical Society, p. 36 and it may be that this is the same WILLIAM who was in business with HENRY, JR. The reference reads as follows (ABIGAIL, wife of WILLIAM BREWSTER, d. 1-10-1839, 70y. and WILLIAM BREWSTER d. 6-30-1820, 60y.)" [Jamesville NY has been written in the margin of the letter]. Onondaga County is not far from Romulus; and Jamesville is just West of Manlius, near Syracuse.

"The Balloting Book and Other Documents Relating to Military Bounty Lands in the State of New York" (1825), cites that NATHAN BREWSTER is listed as receiving the patent land grant on behalf of a Patentee named Captain JAMES GREGG. JAMES GREGG was entitled to lot 45 in the original Township of Manlius, Onondaga County, NY. Captain JAMES GREGG was also entitled to lot #51 in the original Township of Romulus, Seneca County, NY. NATHAN then sold the bounty land in Seneca County right away to a WILLIAM BREWSTER, who was undoubtedly his brother, who lived there from at least 1795 through 1805 before relocating to Manlius, Onondaga County, NY, by 1810. NATHAN BREWSTER also received the land grant patent on behalf of a patentee named RICHARD GORMAN who was listed as dead. RICHARD GORMAN was balloted to receive lot #94 in the original Township of Fabius, Onondaga County, NY.
Additional information from the Seneca County Clerk's Office: WILLIAM and ABIGAIL had Lot 73 in the Town of Romulus from 1794. They were living in Manlius Town, Onondaga County, NY, by 1806.
Also, William BRUSTER and James BRUISTER were witnesses for a Jonathan Rogers land sale there in 1802. John Sayre served as the Notary.

WILLIAM BREWSTER wrote his Will 4-SEP-1815 in the Town of Oppenheim, Montgomery County, NY. In his Will he named his wife Abigail; sons MORRIS T.; ISAAC W.; JONAS C.; WILLIAM R.; CHARLES G.; and HARVEY; daughter JULIA, wife of SAMUEL H. WORDEN who was named Executor; and daughter MYRA. Early Census records showed other females who were probably daughters; however, it would appear that they had died by 1815. WILLIAM's Will was approved and allowed 31-AUG-1820 in the Town of Manlius, Onondaga County, NY. To view his Will in its entirety, WILLIAM's Will

More About WILLIAM BREWSTER: BURIAL: Jamesville Cemetery, Dewitt, Onondaga, NY

SOURCE: Orange County Letters of Administration, Liber A, page 10: "BARNABUS HORTON, JR. of Goshen, Feb 23, 1788. To widow RACHEL HORTON and son-in-law WILLIAM BREWSTER both of Goshen." Is this WILLIAM BREWSTER who m. ABIGAIL and she is ABIGAIL HORTON, daughter of BARNABAS HORTON, JR. and his wife RACHAEL?

1820 Federal Census, Manlius, Onondaga County, NY, p. 88: In ABIGAIL BREWSTER's household there is ABIGAIL, 45+ b. bef 1775; 2M b. 1804-1810; 1M & 1F b. 1810-1820. These appear to be the younger children referred to in WILLIAM's Will in 1815. Her neighbor is MORRIS G.[sic] BREWSTER (not shown in the Census Index). See the record of MORRIS T. BREWSTER.

From the 1830 Federal Census, it appears that ABIGAIL was living with her son, ISAAC W. BREWSTER, in the Town of Manlius, Onondaga County, NY.

More About ABIGAIL HORTON: BURIAL: Jamesville Cemetery, Dewitt, Onondaga, NY

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