Frisian Archives search

4.0  Frisian Genealogical Archives Search 

NOTE- when searching names in the archives before 1811, the name Brouwer is often spelled Brouer in the Netherlands! Other variations are  Brouwers, De Brouwer, Brauwers, De Brauwer, and Debrauwer.

4.2 Hoorn:  Wibo G. Boswijk is the Y-DNA project Administrator of the Frisian Waddenproject, which I will discuss in more detail in section 5.0 “DNA Assessment”.  He is also a genealogist and has been indispensable in providing assistance to me in the search for possible ancestors of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands in Frisia. Coincidentally, his wife not only descends from a Pieter Cornelis Brouwer from North Friesland in her fathers line, but from a Jan Dircks Brouwer (b. 1643) from Hoorn. So together we were able to explore many genealogical avenues of interest to both of us relating to the Brouwer families in Friesland and Noord Holland.  The Westfries Archief at Hoorn is the center for historical information for the eastern part of West-Friesland (their web site is athttp://www.westfriesarchief.nl/10001/1/home.html  where you can select English as your language of choice for search instructions but all the results will be in Dutch). The following are results from the on line archive of Hoorn Baptisms (1593-1603) http://www.den-braber.nl/vpnd/nh/hoorn_dtb_doop.html  and Hoorn marriages (1582-1619) http://www.den-braber.nl/vpnd/nh/hoorn_dtbtr.html   I am including them here for two principle reasons -- one is that they are lengthy to download, being digital images of the original handwritten records, and second, they are difficult to read, being written in an old Dutch script that you are unlikely to be able to interpret -- so for the record these represent the only Brouwer names from Hoorn around 1600 that you would find, if you were capable of reading them and they may contain clues to early 17th century Brouwer progenitors -- just not necessarily the ancestors of our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands -- but we don’t know yet for sure and I don’t want to lose them.

In the Hoorn marriage records is a Jan Jans Brouwer who married in 1583.  It is possible that this Jans Jans Brouwer is the father of the Captan Jan Jansen Brouwer who appeared in New Netherland on Peter Minuit’s council in 1626 and 1630 as was discussed earlier.

Op huijden den xen (10th) Aprilis 1583 soe sijn Jan Jansz brouwer ende Dieu Jansdr getrout voor Garbrant Heijnsz ende Vrerick Geritsz schepenen

On this day the 10th of April 1583 so are Jan Jansson Brouwer and Dieu Jansdaughter married (standing) before Garbrant Heijnsson and Vrerick Geritsson, aldermen.  (Dieu Jansdr seems to remarry June 19th 1594 or it is another woman with the same name)

Ten voorsz dage (…January 1600) zijn Jacob Jansz Brouwer ende Dieuwer Claesdr beijden van Hoorn nae doorgaen drie kerckelijcke proclamatien, den schepenen vorene schreven bewust, in den huwelijcken state vergadert ende hebben hare troubeloften gedaen voor Jacob Gerritsz Seijlmacker ende Jan Sijmonsz Soutmaet, schepenen

On the same day (… January 1600) are Jacob Jansson Brouwer and Dieuwer Claes daughter both of Hoorn after passing of three church proclamations, the aldermen aforesaid, gathered in matrimonial state and have done their marital vows for Jacob Gerritsson Seijlmacker and Jan Sijmonsson Soutmaet, alderman

The only Hoorn Brouwer baptismal records found are

a)Dirck Willems Brouwer who baptized his children Willem (Apr. 4th 1600 p. 129), Geertgen (Nov. 25th 1601), and Pieter (March 18th 1603).  

b)Jan Jansz Brouwer baptized children Lisbet (Jan 1594), Geertgen (Oct 1595), Willem (Jan 1597), and Geertgen (July 1599). 

c) Pieter Franssen Brouwer baptized Bartelmeus (Mar 1603).  The record images follow:

Den 27 den Januarij (1594):  Lijsbet      Jan Jansz Brouwer van Hoorn

Den 19den October (1595):  Geertgen          Jan Willemsz Brouwer van Hoorn

Den 19den Januarij (1597): Willem               Jan Willemsz Brouwer   van Hoorn

Den 29 Julij (1599):  Geertgen        Jan Willemsz Brouwer   van Hoorn

Den 4 aprilis (1600):  Willem            Dick Willemsz Brouwer     van Hoorn

Den 18 (March 1603): Pieter  Tijmensz          Dirck Willemsz Brouwer  van Hoorn

Den 9 Martij (1603): Bartelmeus              Pieter Franssen Brouwer     van Hoorn

The posted archived Hoorn Baptisms are limited to (1593-1603) and Hoorn marriages to (1582-1619), however, all the baptism and marriage records are indexed, they just haven’t yet been uploaded to the internet. So I wrote them via e-mail:  info@westfriesarchief.nl and asked if one of their researchers could access the indexes to tell me if there existed any record of marriage of a Jan Brouwer to wife Jannetje Jans Brouwer around 1650 to 1655 and if there was any baptism record of their daughter, Jannetje Jans Brouwer, between 1651 to 1657.  Heer Jaap Koon of the Westfries Archief kindly did the search for me and answered he was sorry to report that there was no information found for Jan Brouwer, his wife Jannetje or his daughter Jannetje Jans Brouwer. Disappointing result, and in my opinion, this closes the window on Hoorn as a hometown for Jan Brouwer of Flatlands for now.

4.3 Enkhuizen,

A seaport on the Zuydersea, halfway between Amsterdam and  Texel, just north of Hoorn, Enkhuizen was just as important as Hoorn to the 17th century trade in Asia and America and I hoped to find something there. But between 1648 and 1657 no marriage of a Jan Jans with a Jannetje Jans. At least 50 Jan Jans's (without a family name) marry in that period in Enkhuizen but none to a bride with the equally common name of Jannetje Jans. So for the time being we can skip Enkhuizen as a hometown from the list too.

There was, however, an interesting link found at: http://www.genealogieonline.nl/enkhuizer-regentengeslachten/I709.php  that refers to a Jan Dircksz Brouwer (bc1550) from a regents family of the city of Enkhuizen:  “Jan Brouwer heeft Ao. 1572 neffens sijn broeder en oom hem manlijk gequeten in het inhouden van 't vlieboot met aamunitie van oorlogh en de Spaans gezinde burgers voor 't stadhuys te verdrijven om alzoo de stadt van de Spaansche dwingelandij te verlossen als Meteren verhaalt. - zie Historie van Enkhuizen 1747 - Brandt”

Jan Brouwer has in the year 1572, together with his brother and his uncle, shown his bravery by capturing the Vlieboot (=boat of Vlieland) with war ammunitions and sent away civilians in favor of the Spanish from the city hall in this way freeing the city from Spanish occupation; as written by Meteren - see history of Enkhizen 1747.

Not only do the common names Jan and Dirck show up in this particular Brouwer family, but the name Ellert (Allert) Brouwer is there too, and all of these are names found in a Brouwer family found in Vlieland (see next section below, Province of Friesland) where we investigate a hypothetical family line starting from Jan Brouwer (1570) as the first generation and review the possibility that our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands may fit in as a member of the 3rd generation (from 1620).  

Was it possible that this Jan Dircksz Brouwer is related to skipper Jan Jansen Brouwer of New Amsterdam, and if so, might it show a connection between Captain Jan Brouwer and our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands? From the site linked above for Jan Dircksz Brouwer (1572) we find that this Brouwer family is descended from of a bastard of the noble van Egmond family. The hypothetical family line descended from Jan Brouwer (1570)  mentioned above, includes a Willem Willemsz Brouwer of Vlieland who is a Burgemeester, which fits in with a regent family as do sea captains. With this supposition in mind, Wibo G. Boswijk contacted the author of the article, a Mr. Van Loosen. Unfortunately, he assured us that  the Brouwers of Enkhuizen (bastard of Egmond) are not related to Captain Jan Jansen Brouwer of Nieuw Amsterdam.  However, he did provide a link to an article about the founding of the church in the New World in which Jan Jansen Brouwer from Hoorn is captain for the Dutch West India Compagny (WIC).

http://books.google.nl/books?id=nzJy6i4Hx1UC&pg=PA229&lpg=PA229&dq=jan+jansz+brouwer+nieuw+amsterdam&source=bl&ots=Adwg6wMP0j&sig=eA6q4sxN8kvzSHHkZb7nOEVkb7Q&hl=nl&ei=7svdS7z6EtKKOIz3hbgH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CCcQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=jan%20jansz%20brouwer%20nieuw%20amsterdam&f=false

In the article it is said Jan Jans Brouwer of Hoorn was a friend of Johan van Foreest (important member of the protestant church of Hoorn and stimulator of the colony) and was member of the council of Peter Minuit, as all captains were. He was guardian over Foreest's son during his study in Leiden. Later on Captain Brouwer is mentioned as taking care of transatlantic correspondence between referent Michaelis and the church in Hoorn. Recall that we earlier found that Jan Jansen Brouwer, a member of Director Pieter Minuit’s council in New Amsterdam in 1626 and 1630, had been praised in a letter written by Rev. Jonas Michaelius August 8, 1628.

As mentioned earlier, Wibo’s wife not only descends from a Pieter Cornelis Brouwer of North Friesland in her fathers line but from a Jan Dircks Brouwer (b. 1643) from Hoorn too. Such common names and similar families mask the relationships we are trying to disentangle in order to locate the origins of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands.  As I will discuss later, it is only through DNA that we will find a definitive answer, if ever. But it is necessary to establish potential genealogical relationships as well, so the historical records search is a requisite, if frustrating, component of the quest.  Remember, it is my purpose to record dead-ends as well as leads in this search.

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Children of Jan and Jannetje Jans Brouwer in birth order:

• • • i.Jannetje Jansz  ~1656  (assume named for Mother’s mother)

    • ii.Johannes/ Jan bp. 26 May 1658 as Jan, child of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Jans (1st son assumed named for father’s father)

    • iii.Pieter  bp. 20 Oct 1660 as Pieter child of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Jans (2d son assumed named for mothers father)

    • iv.Henricus bp. 14 Nov 1663 as Henricus child of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje died as child (3rd son named from fathers family, maybe paternal great grandfather)

    • v.Hendrick, bp. 14 Jan 1665 as Hendrick child of Jan Brouwer and Jannetje Jans (name repeated after death of young brother)

    • vi.Derck b. ~ 1666 (effectively 4th son, named from Mother’s family maybe maternal great grandfather)

    • vii.Maghtel b. ~ 1674 ( 2d daughter named for father’s mother)

Based on the information on Jan’s family provided above,  Mr. Wibo G. Boswijk kindly constructed for me a more useful, Hypothetical (or straw man) pedigree using the Vlieland Brouwer marriage and birth records, dates, and 17th century naming traditions, and making an attempt to fit our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands into it. The point being we can then look at some of the family names and see if they could be related to the known names and associations of the New Amsterdam (Flatland) Brouwers in America.   The straw man pedigree follows. Our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands is placed into Generation III (see III-A)

Generation II

(from 1590 until 1652)

II-A    (?) Jan Jans Brouwer, maybe son of Jan Brouwer (I), was born about 1590.

Jan was married to Nn. Nn was born about 1590.

Of Jan and Nn one child is known:

1    Jan Jans Brouwer was born about 1620, see III-A.

II-B    Dirk Jans Brouwer, son of Jan Brouwer (I), was born about 1590, died after 1647. Dirk was at least 57 years.

mentioned as witness of baptism grandchildren in 1642 and 1647

Dirk was married to Jantje Claesdr. Jantje was born about 1590.

mentioned as witness baptism of grandchild 1649, 1652, 1655, 1657, 1658

Of Dirk and Jantje four children are known:

1    Ellert Dircks Brouwer was born about 1620, see III-B.

2    Jan Dirks Brouwer was born about 1620, see III-C.

3    Cornelis Dircks Brouwer was born about 1620.

4    Breghje Dircks Brouwer was born about 1620.

II-C    Willem Jans Brouwer, son of Jan Brouwer (I), was born about 1590.

Willem was married to Tijtke Goijckes. Tijtke was born about 1590.

Of Willem and Tijtke two children are known:

1    Willem Willems Brouwer was born about 1620, see III-D.

2    Cornelis Willems Brouwer was born about 1620, see III-E.

Generation III

(from 1620)

III-A    (?) Jan Jans Brouwer, son of Nn (II-A) or Jan Jans Brouwer, living at Nieuw Amsterdam, was born about 1620.

Jan was married to Jannetje Jans. Jannetje was born about 1620.

Of Jan and Jannetje seven children are known:

1    Jannetje Jans Brouwer was born about 1656.

2    Jan Jans Brouwer also named Johannes Jans Brouwer was born in 1658.

3    Pieter Jans Brouwer was born in 1660.

4    Henricus Brouwer was born in 1663, died before 1665. Henricus was at most 2 years.

5    Hendrick Brouwer was born in 1665.

6    Dirck Brouwer was born in 1666.

7    Magteld Brouwer was born in 1674.

III-B    Ellert Dircks Brouwer, son of Jantje Claesdr (II-B) or Dirk Jans Brouwer, was born about 1620.

Ellert was married to Marijtje Frans, child of Frans Esaus van Heussen and Trijn Cornelis. Marijtje was born about 1620.

Of Ellert and Marijtje six children are known:

1    Jannetje Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1647.

2    Trijntje Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1649.

3    Pieter Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1652.

4    Aeltjen Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1658.

5    Pieter Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1660.

6    Cornelis Ellerts Brouwer was born in 1664.

III-C    Jan Dirks Brouwer, son of Jantje Claesdr (II-B) or Dirk Jans Brouwer, was born about 1620.

Jan was married (1) to Antje Jans. Antje was born about 1620, died before 1661. Antje was at most 41 years.

Of Jan and Antje two children are known:

1    Pietertje Jans Brouwer was born in 1655.

2    Dirck Jans Brouwer was born in 1657.

Jan was married (2) to Trijn Cornelis. Trijn was born about 1620.

Of Jan and Trijn four children are known: [RDB NOTE the will shows Trintje Cornelis, widow of Jans Dirks Brouwer was the mother of Jannetje Jans, wife of Dirck Janz Brouwer. -- and Cornelius Jansz Brouwer, former mayor of Vlieland, was a brother of Dirk Jansz Brouwer. 

3    Claas Jans Brouwer was born in 1663.

4    Aeltjen Jans Brouwer was born in 1668.

5    Claes Jans Brouwer was born in 1677.

6    Jannetje Jans Brouwer was born in 1678.

III-D    Willem Willems Brouwer, son of Tijtke Goijckes (II-C) or Willem Jans Brouwer, burgemeester, was born about 1620.

Willem was married to Trijn Cornelis. Trijn was born about 1620.

Of Willem and Trijn seven children are known:

1    Willem Willems Brouwer was born in 1648.

2    Jacob Willems Brouwer was born in 1653.

3    Teunis Willems Brouwer was born in 1655.

4    Dirck Willems Brouwer was born in 1657.

5    Arent Willems Brouwer was born in 1660.

6    Jan Willems Brouwer was born in 1662.

7    Pieter Willems Brouwer was born in 1665.

III-E    Cornelis Willems Brouwer, son of Tijtke Goijckes (II-C) or Willem Jans Brouwer, was born about 1620.

Cornelis was married to Wijcke Jans. Wijcke was born about 1620.

Of Cornelis and Wijcke one child is known:

1    Lijsbet Cornelis Brouwer was born in 1653.

This HYPOTHETICAL family line does indeed open up some possibilities to consider. Possibilities that I had overlooked or ignored because they didn't seem relevant at the time (several years ago).  There are potential connections, but they may all be coincidence and matching of names may only disappear later when proper research into them is done.  However, until then, they provide avenues to explore.  The following is very rough glance at some of the possible connections in New Netherland that the line suggests. I suggest they be taken with a large grain of salt until they are looked at more thoroughly. Families from the same region of the old country often migrated together or additional family members followed after the first arrivals established a foothold in a new area.  

Among some of the earliest research done on the Brouwer families in New Netherland was that documented in a paper written by a John R. Totten in 1936 in which he investigated the various Brouwer families of New Netherland.  He provided a summary of the Brouwers in a chronological order of arrival in New Netherland beginning with:

    1)  Jan Jansen Brouwer 1626 and 1630 who was the ships Captain Brouwer from, as we have discovered, Hoorn, Netherlands, and a member of  Peter Minuit's Council. We have discussed him under section 2.1 and under 4.3 Enkhuizen while looking at Jans Dircksz Brouwer.

    2) Adam Brouwer 1642 who has been investigated thoroughly and the Brewer-Surname project has compiled the Y-DNA results of 17 of his living descendants who have taken the DNA test. From the results he is absolutely unrelated to Jan Brouwer of Flatlands.

    3) Phiip Hendrickse Brouwer in 1655 -- he was in what became Albany New York , was by occupation a brewer, married to Elsie Tjerk and died apparently childless in 1664. The early Schenectady historian, Johnathon Perason suggested that he was a brother of Willem Brouwer (see 4. below), but with no claim of any proof. IF he was, and IF Willem is related to Jan Brouwer of Flatlands then the source of naming sons in Willem and Jan’s family Hendrick might have Philip’s father as source. 

• • • 4) Willem Brouwer, 1655, he died in 1663. As we saw there is a ship passenger list recording “De Waegh” -- Sailed from Amsterdam June 7, 1655. Arrived at New Amsterdam August 13, 1655:  Included one William Brouwer, wife and 3 children. Recently found in the Amsterdam baptism archives is a reference to William Brouwer and Elizabet Drinckvelt who baptized their son Hendrick  on 9 May 1652 before they emigrated to New Amsterdam in 1655.  I do think this is the same Willem Brouwer (given the wife and son’s name)-- and indicates he was from Amsterdam.  There is a record of the marriage of a son Hendrick Brouwer and Marritje Pietersz Bosboom, a widow. They baptized a son Johannes and the sponsors were Gysbert Marselis and Rebbeca Claasz. (Notice that the hypothetical family pedigree proposed has several Claas Brouwers that could be Rebbeca’s father). In 1706 they baptized a son Henrik.

    • 5)Jan Brouwer 1656 or perhaps earlier -- this is our Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. As I submitted earlier, the 4th and 5th son of Jan and Jannetje of Flatlands were named Hendricus (died in childhood) and Hendrick. I could not find any reason to name a child Hendrick, but IF Jan and Willem are related, then perhaps they are both honoring a common relative by the name of Hendrick.

    • 5)Lyntie Brouwer 1656 arrived on the  “Vergulde Bever” (Guilded Beaver) -- Sailed from Amsterdam December 20, 1656. Left Texel 25 Dec 1656.   Arrived in New Amsterdam 19 March 1657 Nothing further is known of her. Lyntie Brouwer could possibly be related to Johannes, but she is really an unknown and no town or country of origin is provided.

    • 5) Jan Brouwer and brother aboard the  De Statyn (In the Stetin). Sailed from Amsterdam September 27, 1663; Arrived at New Amsterdam January, 1664.  Nothing further known of them.  However, IF some of the Brouwers from Vlieland that is listed in the pedigree did indeed emigrate to New Amsterdam then we have enough children named Jan to be the Jan and brother mentioned.  Perhaps following in the footsteps of their older brothers.

    • 5)Totten then lists Derck (or Dirk) Brouwer 1694 -- we know now that this is the sixth child, fifth son, of Jan Brouwer of Flatlands. He married a Hannah (Annatje) Daws and had a son Elias Brouwer who married a Lena (Helena) Willemse in New Jersey.  Further, I noticed that in early records it is stated that in September of 1694, the month before he married Hannah, Derck Brouwer and Cornelis Willimse, both of Gravesend, bought two allotments (about 50 acres each): Lot Numbers 8 and 12.  Perhaps this was a Cornelis Willemse Brouwer and in Long Island he simply dropped the name Brouwer. I had no reason to suspect earlier that Derck and Cornelis might be related, but in fact it is possible, since following the HYPOTHETICAL  family tree Cornelius could be his uncle, a brother of Jan Brouwer.  That is IF the Cornelius found in the Vlieland archives actually left Vlieland and sailed for New Amsterdam. That is one of the checks that must be made. Do the records show him remaining in the Netherlands after 1694?

I mentioned that Derck's son Elias Brouwer (named after his mother's father Elias Daws, an Englishman) married Lena Williamse. Elias’ uncle Johannes Brouwer (first son of Jan and Jannetje Brouwer of Flatlands) married Sara Willemse, and Sara’s sister, Hanna Willemse, married Marten Pieterse Wycoff (as his second wife) in Flatlands, 1683. The sponsors of the 1st child of this couple, b. 1684, and named Grietje, was witnessed by Pieter klaaz Wykoff and his wife Grietje Van Neste. The 2d child, b. 1685, named Maria, was witnessed by Cors Willemsen and Maria Davids (?Davidsen, Davies,?). The 3d daughter of this couple was named Sara -- and was witnessed by Johannes Brouwer and Sara Willemse. Gerrit Van Ness lived next door to Elias Brewer (the son of Elias and Lena Brouwer) and his wife Phebe Lucas ( in Cambridge, Albany Co., NY in 1790 census--3 males >16, 3 males <16, 5 females}.   The Van Nest family is originally from the Netherlands. The name is variously spelled in colonial records as van Ess, van Ness, van Nest, and van Neste. The pioneer in America, Pieter Van Nest, b. about 1625, in Ameland Island, Friesland, the Netherlands resided prior to his emigration, in Nes, one of three villages on the island of Ameland, of Friesland.  He emigrated from Nes, Ameland Island, Friesland, the Netherlands, leaving 1647; Settled in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  The mother of Lena Willemse ( Elias Brouwer’s wife), was Marytje Van Neste born in Breuklen, Long Island and bpt. 1 Jun 1678 in New Amsterdam. She was the daughter of Peter Pieterszen Van Neste. Ameland is the island just north of Vlieland.  If the Brouwers are from Vlieland, and the Pieterszen family from Nes and since both located nearby in Long Island, New Netherland it would make sense that they would share a common bond and intermingle.

Let me add, the sons of  Derck2 Brouwer are:

         Jan3 ca. bp. 9 June 1695 Flatbush, Kings Co., NY. m. Aegje Sprong 

        Elias3    b. ca. 1697 Flushing, Queens Co., NY m. Lena Willemse

        Derick3  b. ca. 1699  Flatbush, Queens Co., NY

       Pieter3   b. ca. 1700  Jamaica, Queens Co., NY m. Susanna Tietsoort

        Jacob3  b. ca. 1702 Jamaica, Queens Co., NY  m. Marike [--?--]

I have had no  previous rationale for naming this child Jacob,  the HYPOTHETICAL line indicates a son of Willem Willems Brouwer is Jacob Willems Brouwer who would be a cousin of Derck and maybe related to Lena Williamse.  Finally, there seems to be more than enough potential connections to Brouwer, Williamse, and Friesland, Netherlands to make me think we may cautiously consider that we may be onto something. Though it will take a LOT more research, and I have been misled by the common names before.   The best way to get a solid handle on this conjecture is through DNA.  For that reason, I have explored what is currently available in terms of DNA data available in the Netherlands. (Go to Section 5.0 Genetic Genealogy)

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