Descendants of Elizabeth Caroline Brewer

Elizabeth Caroline Brewer (1855-before 1910) was the daughter of Wiley Brewer and the wife of James C. Potts (1851-1925).  Elizabeth was born in Chatham County, NC, moved to Alexander County, NC, and eventually to Watauga County, NC.  Some members of the family migrated to Avery County, NC and eastern Tennessee.  We have no photos of Elizabeth Caroline, but her first born child, Minnie Bertha Potts (1877-1955), is pictured below on the right.  Minnie married Henry Walter Tate (1863-1945).  Hattie Lena Potts (1880-1952) also was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Potts.  She is pictured below on the left.  Hattie married Roby Lee Townsend (1883-1971).  

James Walter Potts (1885-1959) was the son of James and Elizabeth Potts.  He married Etta Mae Brinkley.

We honor our most senior living descendants.  James Dale Treadway (born 1933) is the great grandson of Elizabeth Caroline Brewer Potts, grandson of Minnie Bertha Potts Tate, and son of Mary Lenora Tate Treadway (1899-1944).  Jim served his country with a career in the US Army and retired as a Colonel.

The Terrell Brewer Family of Chatham County, North Carolina

Our family migrated from Virginia to Chatham/Orange County, North Carolina in the late 1700s.  From the 1830s to 1860s, branches of our family moved to Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alexander County, NC.  But many members stayed and flourished in Chatham County.  Below is a Brewer family home in Chatham County.  The house was built about 1895 and was owned by the descendants of Terrell Brewer, Jr. and Ada Alice Phillips Brewer. 

Terrell Brewer, Jr.'s father was Terrell Brewer, Sr.  Terrell, Sr. (1828- before 1870) married Mary Brewer, the daughter of Jeremiah Brewer likely a relative of Benjamin Brewer.  Terrell, Sr. was the brother of our Wiley Brewer.  Wiley and Terrell, Sr. both fought in the Civil War.

Next door to the Brewer homestead above was Brewer's Grocery and Grill until the 1960s when it burned.  Today Brewer's Grill, owned by Raymond Brewer, is located about six miles away in Bear Creek, Chatham County. We dined at Brewer's Grill in December 2013.  Today a Brewer's Grocery is in Mooresville, NC and in the 1940s Brewer's Garage was located in Florida--both owned by members of our family.  You can see pictures of these businesses on this blog.

The Fall Creek Baptist Church, established in 1799, in Bennett, Chatham County plays a big part in our family's history.  Terrell Brewer, Jr.'s house, no longer standing, originally was across the street from this church.

You seldom see pictures of cemeteries on this blog, but the cemetery behind the Fall Creek Baptist Church is special.  At least 57 of the stones bear the surname of Brewer, more than any other we've found in this nation.  We can be sure many with other surnames in the cemetery are from related families.  We're identifying those markers now.  The neighboring pasture seems to add to the peace.

Ira Caswell Brewer (1866-1939), shown first below, was the son of Terrell Brewer, Sr. and Mary Brewer.  His wife was Betty Alexander (1879-1947), shown second below.  

Telemicus Colon "TC" Brewer (born 1919) is the son of Ira Caswell Brewer (1866-1939) and grandson of Terrell and Mary Brewer.  TC likely is the oldest surviving descendant of our Benjamin Brewer (1802-1853).  Pictured with TC is Kristle Craven Nance.  Kristle, the niece of TC by marriage, is a descendant of George Brewer (about 1800-1847).  Shown second below is TC as a child.  We believe Benjamin and George were either brothers or cousins.  We've discovered many interconnections within our family, but there are more to discover.

TC Brewer, celebrating his 100th birthday, is shown below with his daughter, Brenda Cole Brewer Arrington.  To our knowledge TC is the only descendant of Terrell Brewer to have reached the century mark.

Norman Everett Brewer, Lieutenant, US Navy (1925-1949) was a pilot in the US Navy.  He served his nation in World War II and in the years following the war.  Click on the following newspaper article to expand it for easier reading.

Some of Our North Carolina Brewers Migrated to Kentucky and Missouri

An older brother of our Wiley Brewer, Ambrose Brewer, was born in 1826 in Chatham County, North Carolina.  He married Elizabeth Foster before 1850.  They planned to settle in the midsections of the US, perhaps Kansas, but Ambrose died in 1860.  His passing is noted in an impressive article in the Raleigh Weekly Standard edition of Nov 21, 1860.  Ambrose's and Elizabeth's last child, appropriately named Ambrose Elizabeth Brewer (1861-1921), was born in Chatham County four months after his father passed away.  Despite her husband's death, Elizabeth and as many as ten of her children made the trip west anyway in the early 1860s.  It must have been quite an adventure. Their wagon had problems in Floyd County, Kentucky so the family settled there and never ventured farther west.  Later they migrated to Pike County, Kentucky.  You can read that story in the Family Stories section below.  

After living in Pike County and sometime between 1900 and 1910, Ambrose Elizabeth Brewer (the youngest offspring and the last to be born in Chatham County, NC) and his family boarded rafts, traveled down the Big Sandy River, and settled in Cass County, Missouri.  Below is a 1908 photo of that family.  Our information about our Kentucky and Missouri relatives continues to grow.

Elizabeth Foster Brewer (1828-1901) was a remarkable woman and the matriarch of our family in Kentucky and Missouri.  Her photo is below.  What motivated the family to move west?  Most likely it was to provide a better life for the family, and that often involved land.  Although the family never made it to Kansas, the following excerpt, from the online site Kansapedia, may provide some insight:  “The Homestead Act was one way settlers acquired land in Kansas and other parts of the west.  It was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862.  Under the provisions of the Homestead Act, settlers  could claim 160 acres of public land.  They paid a small filing fee and then had two options for getting title to the land.  If they lived on the 160 acres for five continuous years, built a residence and grew crops, they could then file for their deed for the property.  The second option was to purchase the land from the government for $1.25 per acre after living on the land for six months, building a home, and starting to grow crops. The head of the household of any citizen or a person intending to become a citizen (immigrants) were eligible to claim land under the Homestead Act.”

Benny Richard "Dickie" Brewer (1931-2014).  Dickie was the great grandson of Ambrose Brewer.  Ambrose spent his entire life in Chatham County, NC.  Dickie was a member of the third generation of Brewers who spent their entire lives in Kentucky. Dickie was instrumental in helping us connect with our cousins in that state.  He is pictured here at his 82nd birthday.

James "Jimmie" Boyce Brewer (b. 1926) and his wife Joan Summers Brewer (b. 1928) celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.  Jimmie is the great grandson of Ambrose Brewer whose family migrated from North Carolina to Kentucky in the early 1860s.  

2013 Brewer Reunion

We enjoyed visiting with family members at our annual reunion held in Statesville on June 1, 2013.  Below are pictures of the members attending:

Descendant of Thomas Benjamin Wiley Brewer:  Nancy Dianne Brewer Sloop.

Descendants of James Robert Brewer:  Mark Stephen Huffman and Bristol Irene Brewer Huffman.

Descendants of Dewey Samuel Brewer, Sr:  Identities may come later.

Descendant of Orlando Roy Brewer:  Sandra Deanna Schleicher Brewer (wife) and William Preston Brewer, Sr.

Descendant of Joe Sephus Brewer, Sr.:  Mike Kent Brewer, Sr. and Pauline Jane Hinson Brewer (wife).

Brewer's Grocery Owned by James Robert Brewer. Plus Bristol Irene Brewer Huffman, one of our most senior family members

This photo was taken in the 1940s in front of Brewer's Grocery, owned by James Robert Brewer (1886-1956), in Mooresville, NC.  James' family is discussed later in this blog.  Pictured here are Bristol Irene Brewer Huffman (born 1927) on the left and Josie Cochran.  Bristol Irene is the daughter of James Robert. See her picture today on Page 2. Josie is not a direct member of our Brewer family, but we're happy to present her picture.  James Robert cut a door in the master bedroom of his home and built the store connected to the side of the house.

Stories from Our Ancestors

The various genealogy reports about our family are useful and interesting, but most of us also enjoy reading stories.  One of our family members, Susan Johnston Moore, volunteered to periodically provide narratives based on the research into our family. You can read our first story about the life of Lucretia Stout Brewer by clicking each link (in gray or blue) below.  Check this blog in the future as more stories are added.  If you're aware of an interesting story about our family, let us know, and we would be glad to help publish it here.

Family Snapshot: Lucretia Stout Brewer

Ora Una Brewer Connolly Family Stories:  Audio recording originally was transcribed by Sandy Brewer in 1981.  It was converted to digital text by Nancy Brewer Sloop.  The story is written just as Ora stated it.  Where clarification is needed, brackets [ ] are used.

James Paul Brewer's Early Military Service.  This details James Paul Brewer's service during and immediately after World War II in the Naval Reserves and US Navy.  He later continued to serve in the Merchant Marines and earned the rank of Captain.

A Trip to Pikeville, Kentucky.  A branch of our ancestors settled here in the 1860s.  Nancy Brewer Sloop recently made a trip to Pikeville.  Here is the story.

The US Navy Service of Wayne Joseph Brewer (1926-2004).  Wayne had an exciting naval career both during World War II and in the years after the war.  Susan Moore captured his service in this story.