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Shots it the dark are appreciated. 1850 William Brewer of Sumter Co., AL, (date of death, place of death) was born about 1774, and his wife, Mary, was born about 1778, so they are too young to be the William Brewer of the Rowan Co., NC 1790 census, (ages 16 and 12 respectively). However, all clues gratefully accepted.
Since I have relatively little firm information, I have been trying to work the puzzle from both ends, backwards from Alabama and forward from NC. I have also worked from the assumption that Wyche is a family name, (although it could equally be a family friend.) This led me quickly to the marriage of 1760 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA, and Abigail Wyche, son of 1744 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA.
My primary source for information about this family is Marvin T. Broyhilll’s “The Brewer Families of Colonial Virginia 1626-1776.” Several lines of inquiry suggest that the Alabama Brewer families are descended from 1744 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA. In Register fashion, he would be designated as George1 Brewer. Mr. Broyhill lists what is known about the children of George1 Brewer, who were born to two wives: Sarah Lanier and Alice Burwell. In my summary of the relevant information, I will use both the date/place of death notation and the Register notation to try and keep everyone sorted out.
George1 Brewer (1744 Brunswick Co., VA) had by Sarah Lanier: William2, Oliver 2, Henry2, Nathan2, Lanier2, George2, Nicholas2, John2, and Howell2. By Alice Burwell, he had his “younger children” probably including Burwell2, Joseph 2, and Boyce2. According to Mr. Broyhill’s summary, there is no other record of Nathan2, George2 (1760 Brunswick Co., VA) and Nicholas remained in VA, and five sons moved to NC. Oliver2 and Henry2 moved to Chatham Co., NC, John2 (1780 Southampton Co., VA), Howell2 wandered, and Lanier2 was in Moore Co. 1777 and emigrated to TN, and Burwell2 moved to GA.
Regarding William2 (George1) Brewer, Mr. Broyhill notes the following deeds of interest (all in Brunswick Co., VA): 2 Feb 1743/4 William Brewer and wife Susanna sold 235 acres on the south side of Sturgeon Creek to Henry Williams for £27, and 1759 William Brewer and wife Susannah sold 292 acres on Pigeon Roost Creek to Samuel White of Amelia Co., VA, for £260.
Wilkes Co., NC deed books show the following: DB A1:80 [24 Sep 1779] Grant to William Brewer 345 acres Big Sandy Creek near old mill place, and then DB A1:349 [25 Jan 1782] Indenture between William Brewer and William McClearey £80, 345 ac. the boundary of which will appear on the grant. Wit: Thomas (x) Laurence & John Hamon. Signed William (x) Brewer and Susanner (x) Brewer. [Absher, Mrs. W. O. Wilkes County, North Carolina, Deed Book A1, B1, C1, D1 (1778-1805.) (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1989.)]
Wilkes Co., NC Court Minutes show: [27 Apr 1786] John Brown, Esq., Thos. Holeman, Sr., Spilsby Trible, Benj. Elledge, Jacob Nichols, Wm. Trible, Joseph Patterson, John McClane, Patrick Hamrick, Perren Cardwell, Elisha Dyer, Benj. Branham, Chesley Cockram, WILLIAM BREWER, & John Hamby road jury up Yadkin River from fork in road above Wilkes C. H. to Beaver Creek; [25 July 1786] John Hamby overseer of road from Waggon ford near T. Holemans to branch near Roger Bishops instead WILLIAM BREWER.; [27 June 1787] WILLIAM BREWER to serve as juror. [Absher, Mrs. W. O. Wilkes County Court Minutes, Vol. 2, (1785-1788). (Easley SC: Southern Historical Press, 1988.)]
Other records, (from the same sources,) show that Burwell Brewer passed through the area, but does not appear to have settled long, and George Brewer was in the area for about the same length of time as William, but lost his land to the Sheriff for court disputes. William Brewer is the only one who sold land, and whose wife’s name is therefore on record. Looking at the land prices in the deeds, it appears that William and Susanna Brewer sold out at the peak of a boom. Broyhill notes that William and Susanna Brewer did the same thing in Brunswick Co., VA almost 30 years earlier. I think these deed records support the notion that William2 Brewer and his wife, Susannah, removed from Brunswick Co. VA to Wilkes Co., NC, sometime between 1759 and 1779, although it is possible he had stops in between.
The marriage records of Wilkes Co., NC show William Brewer and Phana Risdin took out a bond 19 Apr 1781, with William Cocram (Cockerham?) as bondsman. [Holcomb, Brent H. Marriages of Wilkes County, North Carolina (1778-1868). (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983.)] The Cockerham name does show up in conjunction with the Brewer name in other deed records, and it seems likely they also came from Brunswick Co., VA.
The land records, then, show William and Susanna Brewer, George Brewer, and Burwell Brewer in Wilkes Co., NC in 1781 William Brewer married Phana Risdin. And also show that Susanna, wife of William2 Brewer, was still alive in January 1782. My conclusion, then, is that this William, whom I will call William3, was the son of the other three men. The question becomes, then, which one? If we accept that William and Burwell are both sons of 1744 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA, it is reasonable to assume that George is also of the family. However, the data of Broyhill cited earlier, show that George2 Brewer, brother of William2 and Burwell2 Brewer, died 1760 Brunswick Co., VA.
Again, according to Broyhill, William Brewer died 1799 Washington Co., TN, leaving his wife Susannah an 11 year tenancy in 70 acres of land, after which it was to be divided among his three children: James Brewer, Sarah Mattingly, and William Brewer. (Washington Co., TN, WB B:147, 17 March 1799/2 April 1799) Broyhill also suggests that William and George Brewer of Wilkes Co., NC are, in fact, William3 (George2, George 1) and his brother George3 (George2, George1) Brewer.
The family of Burwell2 Brewer has been documented in a book (which I have not read) [Paschal, George W. “Ninety Four Years, 1776-1869, Agnes Paschal. (1871. Repr. 1974.] This source says that Burwell2 Brewer was born 1730 and died 1799 Wilkes Co., GA. [B. C. Brewer. Brewers of North Carolina. 25 Aug 2001. Located on http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com (db. :6541278)] He had a son named William, who may be 1818 William Brewer of Oglethorpe Co., GA, but his wives are reported to be Elizabeth Holman and Sarah Doggett. {Wilkes Co., GA Deed Book GG:461, 8 Feb 1790, Burwell Brewer and wife Elizabeth to Charles Waddle, 105 ac. on Staffold’s Fork of Long Creek, being part of 100 ac. granted 1788 to said Brewer; witnesses: Wm. McCree and Wm. Patrick. Wilkes Co., GA DB II:515, 12 Sep 1791, William Brewer & Elizabeth, his wife, to Francis Calloway, £15 50 ac. on Long Creek, part of 300 acres granted to George Darden, Jr., 2 Oct 1788 deeded by Darden to Brewer. (s) William Brewer, Elizabeth (x) Brewer; wit. Jacob (x) Woolhight. [Davidson, Grace G. “Early Records of Georgia, Vol. 1 (Wilkes County). (Vidalia, GA: S. E. Lucas, repr. 1968)]}
The last possibility is George Brewer, whose name also appears in connection with John Brewer. 1760 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA had many sons, including John3, George3 and William3. John is identified by Broyhill as 1826 John Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA. William3 (George2, George 1) Brewer was thought to have been b. ca. 1738, and according to a deed of 6 May 1773 had a wife named Anne. George3 (George2, George1) Brewer does not appear in the VA records, and Broyhill knew little definite about him. However, his extensive research in the Chatham Co., NC records, suggests that the George Brewer present in Wilkes Co., NC in the early 1780’s is quite likely this George. His date of birth is estimated as 1743, so it is possible, but it does not seem probable, that he would have a son William being married in 1781, Wilkes Co., NC.
This is a long-winded, and circumstantial, argument, but it seems likely to me that the William Brewer who married Phana Risdin in Wilkes Co., NC, 1781, can be identified as William3 (William2, George1) Brewer, son of 1799 William Brewer of Washington Co., TN. I cannot exclude the possibility, though, that he is William3 (George2, George1) Brewer. It seems to me likely that William and Phana (Risdin) Brewer would have moved to TN along with William and Susanna Brewer, whereas the available evidence indicates that George3 Brewer and Burwell2 Brewer moved to Wilkes, ultimately Oglethorpe Co., GA. Of course, I continue to hope some evidence develops that allows me to link Wyche5 (William4, William3, George2, George1) Brewer, (1878 Wyche Brewer of Scott Co., MS, son of 1850 William Brewer of Sumter Co., AL, possible son of William Brewer, son of 1760 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA, and wife Abigail Wyche, son of 1744 George Brewer of Brunswick Co., VA, and wife Sarah Lanier.)
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