Events
Date of Birth: 28 March 1810.
Date of Baptism: 28 March 1810.
Place of Baptism: Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England.
His date of birth is given in his baptism record.
Date of Burial: 10 August 1882.
Place of Burial: Immingham, Lincolnshire, England.
The parish register records the burial.
Relationships
Father: George Brewster.
Mother: Mary Craigs.
See the Commentary section.
Spouse: Mary England (1806 - 1840). Married 14 May 1832 in Normanby le Wold, Lincolnshire.
The marriage is recorded in the Normanby le Wold parish register.
Spouse: Susan Dann (born about 1810 in Crosby, Lincolnshire). Married in 22 June 1856 in Market Rasen.
The marriage is recorded in the Stamford Mercury of 4 July 1856 (p. 3).
Children (by Mary England):
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Anne Brewster (born about 1832 in Normanby le Wold, Lincolnshire).
Mary Brewster (born 1 February 1833 and baptized 4 February in the Osgodby Roman Catholic Mission, Lincolnshire).
Thomas Brewster (born 17 March 1834 and baptized 19 March in the Osgodby Mission - died 1907) married Sarah Hemmerson in 1857.
William Brewster (born 10 November 1836 and baptized 30 November in the Osgodby Mission - buried 23 January 1837 in Normanby le Wold, Lincolnshire.
Francis Willoughby Brewster (born 6 May 1838 and baptized 4 June in the Osgodby Mission - died 1842).
Elizabeth Brewster (born 3 July 1839, baptized 21 July 1839 at the Market Rasen Roman Catholic chapel).
George Brewster (born 9 September 1840 and baptized 24 September in the Osgodby Mission - died 30 October 1888) married Jeannetta Greaves 13 April 1865 in Innisfil, Simcoe, Canada West.
Evidence
Francis Brewster’s baptism registration (1810, Market Rasen Roman Catholic Chapel)
March the 28.th 1810 then was baptized, Francis, the son of George Brewster & Mary Craigs, his wife, (Born this 28.th inst) God Father Jesse Champney God Mother Winefrid Hunt.
Francis Brewster - Mary England marriage registration (Normanby le Wold)
Francis Brewster of this Parish and Mary England of this Parish were married in this Church by [blank] with Consent of [blank] this Fourteenth Day of May in the Year One thousand eight hundred and Thirty Two; By me Richard Atkinson, Rector
This Marriage was solemnized between us Mary England Francis Bruster
In the Presence of Mary Good Robert Child
Baptisms of children in the Osgodby Catholic Mission:
The following two baptisms are on a page with this note at the top:
N.B. I came to the Osgodby Mission, May 1.st 1836; I could no where find any baptisms registered by Rev.d L. Bilbert, till the year 1833, The following baptisms I found on a loose piece of paper, written in Mr. Gilberts’ hand writing (as Mr. Arthur Young did, does & can testify) but the baptisms do not bear Mr. Gilberts Signature - John Abbot. Also witness my signature Thomas Arthur Young
1833 - Mary, the daughter of Francis Willaby Brewster and Mary his wife, born on the 1.st February and on the 4.th baptized by me.
1834
Thomas, the son of Francis & Mary Brewster was born on the 17th of March 1834, and on the 19th baptized by me.
Die 10. Novembris 1836 natus et die 30. Novembris 1838 baptizatus fuit Gulielmus Brewster, filius Francisci et Mariae Brewster (olim ) conjugum. Matrina fuit Elizabethe Barrett - à me Joanne Abbott Misso Ap.o
Die 6. Maii 1838 natus et die 4 Junii 1838 baptizatus fuit Franciscus Willoughby Brewster, filius Francisci et Mariae Brewster (olim ) conjugum. Matrina fuit Elizabeth Barrett per procuratricem Elizaba Daynes à me Joanne Abbot Miss.o Ap.o
1840
Name: Georgius Brewster
Georgius natus fuit nono die septembris 1840 & bapzatus 24.o die Parentes Franciscus Brewster & Mari England
Sponsas: Joanes Tearn & Eliza Teach
Francis Brewster - Susan Dann marriage from the Stamford Mercury of 4 July 1856 (p. 3):
At Market Rasen, in the Catholic chapel, on the 22d ult., (by the Rev. T. Clarke,) Francis Brewster, to Susan Dann, both of Normanby on the Wold
1841 census (Normanby on the Wold, Lincolnshire)
Francis Bruster, 30, Ag. lab. Y. [“Y” means born in Lincolnshire]
Anne do. , 8, Y.
Thomas do., 7, Y.
Francis do., 3, Y.
Elizabeth do., 2, Y.
George do., 1, Y.
Elizabeth do., 20, F.S., Y.
1851 census (Normanby, Lincolnshire)
Francis Brewster, Head, Mar, 42, Ag. Lab., [born Lincolnshire] Rasen
Elizabeth do, Daur, 11, Scholar, [born Lincolnshire] Normanby
George do, Son, 10, Ag. Lab., [born Lincolnshire] do
John do, Brother, 23, Ag. Lab., [born Lincolnshire] Rasen
Susan Dann, Servant, U, 40, Housekeeper, [born Lincolnshire] Crosby
Betsy do, Visitor, U, 16, Servant, [born] Hesanton, Yorkshire
1861 census (Normanby, Lincolnshire)
Francis Brewster, Head, Marr. 52, Ag. Lab., [born Lincolnshire] Market Rasen
Susan do., Wife, 51, [born Lincolnshire] Crosby
1871 census (Normanby le Wold, Lincolnshire)
Frank Brewster, Head, Widr., 62, Ag. Lab., [born] Normanby le Wold [Lincolnshire]
Elizabeth do., Daur., Unm, 32, ---, [born] Normanby le Wold [Lincolnshire]
1876 Kelly's Directory (Lincolnshire, sub Immingham)
Brewster Francis, grazier
1881 census (Roxton Wood, Immingham, Lincolnshire)
Francis Breuster, Head, Widr, 73, Woodmans Lab, [born Lincolnshire] Mt Rasen
Elizabeth do, Daur, Unm, 37, House Keeper, [born Lincolnshire] Normanby le-Wold
Francis Brewster’s burial registration (1882, Immingham)
Name: Francis Brewster
Abode: Immingham
When buried: 10th Augt
Age. 76
By whom the Ceremony was performed: Chas B Lea Curate of St James Grimsby
Commentary
Francis’s parentage:
Censuses given this information about Francis’s age and place of birth:
1841: 30, Lincolnshire [Ages in this census were rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5.]
1851: 42, Lincolnshire Rasen
1861: 52, Lincolnshire Market Rasen
1871: 62, Normanby le Wold Lincolnshire
1881: 73, Lincolnshire Mt Rasen
Francis’s burial registration indicates that he was aged 76 at death.
Francis was married and his children were baptized in Roman Catholic chapels or missions.
Taken together, the evidence above allows us to identify Francis’s 1810 baptism registration in the Roman Catholic chapel at Market Rasen. His parents are identified there as George Brewster and Mary Craigs. Indirect evidence that this baptism is correct is that George had an uncle named Francis Willoughby Brewster. George Brewster and Mary Craigs are recorded as the parents of several other children baptized in the chapel.
There is also DNA evidence that Francis was the son of George Brewster and Mary Craigs. I am a paper-trail descendant of Francis, and I share DNA with a paper-trail descendant Francis’s brother John (18 cM over 1 segment).
The evidence for Francis’s parentage is sufficient.
References
“AncestryDNA ThruLines for George Brewster database report", AncestryDNA. Accessed 24 February 2025.
Francis Brewster baptism registration (28 March 1810), Register of Births and Baptisms at the Roman Catholic Chapel in the parish of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire from 1765 to 1840. PRO RG4/ Piece 1318/ Folio 18; digital image thegenealogist.co.uk (accessed 29 March 2014).
Francis Brewster - Mary England marriage registration, Marriages in the Parish of Normanby le Wold. page 6, no. 16. digital image Findmypast.co.uk (accessed 29 March 2014).
GRO marriage index, June 1856, Caistor, Volume 7a, page 1207.
Francis Brewster burial registration no. 360. Burials in the Parish of Immingham in the County of Lincoln, page 45; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (accessed 29 March 2014).
Francis Bruster household, 1841 census of England, Caistor, Normanby on the Wold; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (http://Findmypast.co.uk : accessed 29 March 2014), citing HO107, piece 641, book/folio 7/4, page 5.
Francis Brewster household, 1851 census of England, Lincolnshire, Caistor, Thoresway; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (http://Findmypast.co.uk : accessed 29 March 2014), citing HO107, piece 2114, folio 321, page 11.
Francis Brewster household, 1861 census of England, Lincolnshire, Normanby; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (http://Findmypast.co.uk : accessed 29 March 2014), citing HO107, piece 2393, folio 138, page 12.
Frank Brewster household, 1871 census of England. Lincolnshire, Caistor; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (http://Findmypast.co.uk : accessed 29 March 2014), citing HO107, piece 3422, folio 88, page 11.
Francis Breuster household, 1881 census of England. Lincolnshire, Immingham; digital image Findmypast.co.uk (http://Findmypast.co.uk : accessed 29 March 2014), citing HO107, piece 3275, folio 105, page 8.
"Married" in The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford, Mercury. Friday, July 4, 1856.
Osgodby, Catholic Chapel registers, 1799-1840 [digital images on Ancestry.com, accessed 23 January 2016]. Originals: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths surrendered to the Non-parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857. Records of the General Register Office, Government Social Survey Department, and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, Registrar General (RG) 4. The National Archives, Kew, England. Piece 1320.