Doctor Francis Brewster, II

Note: Jamestown qualified ancestor
https://www.jamestowne.org/guilds.html

Francis Brewster

• Birth: circa 1599 Bristol, Gloucester, England
• Death: December 30, 1647 (48) died at sea
• Son of Francis Brewster and Elizabeth Snelling
• Husband of Lucretia

Dr. Francis Brewster, of New Haven, Connecticut, son of Francis Brewster, d. presumably lost on the Lambertons's ship the "Phanton Ship" ca. 1646/47; An inventory of his estate was taken 30 Dec. 1647; m. Lucretia "Lucy" (Unknown). Dr. Francis Brewster was a chirurgeon, the modern day equivalent of a barber-surgeon. Lucretia Brewster m 2nd between 10 Mar 1646/7 and 7 Dec 1647 to Thomas Pell.

On 12 Mar 1614/15 Francis Brewster was placed as an apprentice to Edward Harris of Bristol, England to study for seven years as a barber surgeon. Prior to being placed as a apprentice, he was a buttermaker in the Castle of Bristol.

He completed his apprenticeship in March 1622. On 23 Aug 1626 he received a lease of the Castle of Bristol from King Charles I, for a period of 80 years if John Brewster, Gillian Brewster and Nathaniel Brewster so long live.

Biography

Francis Brewster, Jr.

Francis BREWSTER , Jr. was born in 1598 in Bristol. Somerset, England, the son of Francis BREWSTER (b: 1573 in Bristol, Somerset, England) and Elizabeth SNELLING (b: 1560). He Came to New London, CT in 1640. He was married to Lucretia JONES in England.

"Francis was the first Brewster to come to America, He was one of the original settlers of the New Haven Colony and was a barber surgeon who was originally from Bristol, England. His wife was Lucy and in the colony wealth census of 1638, his household numbered 9 members which probably included servants. The family estate of 1,000 pounds sterling was a great deal of money. Mark Simmons has determined 4 children to date, leaving 3 undetermined. Francis was a planter in the New World. In February 1646 a ship constructed during the winter, under the direction of Capt. Lamberton, left New Haven loaded with furs, crops, and other New World materials for England, but was never heard from again. There was a sizable passenger list including Francis Brewster. Lucy subsequently married Dr. Thomas Pell and moved to New Jersey. Two of Francis' daughters testified at the New Haven witch trials."

Children of Francis Brewster and Lucretia:

1. Nathaniel BREWSTER , Reverend b: 1628 in England
2. Joseph BREWSTER b: 12 OCT 1628
3. Elizabeth BREWSTER b: 1630 in England (Our ancestor).
4. Mary BREWSTER b: 1633 Source: "One World Tree"

THE PHANTOM SHIP By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tell of Francis Brewster's death ship. In Mather's Magnalia Christi, Of the old colonial time, May be found in prose the legend That is here set down in rhyme.

A ship sailed from New Haven, And the keen and frosty airs, That filled her sails in parting Were heavy with good men's prayers.

"O Lord! If it be thy pleasure"- Thus prayed the old divine- "To bury our friends in the ocean, Take them, for they are thine!"

But Master Lamberton muttered, And under his breath said he, "This ship is so crank and walty I fear our grave she will be!"

And the ships that came from England When the winter months were gone, Brought no tidings of this vessel! Nor of Master Lamberton.

This put the people to praying That the Lord would let them hear What in his greater wisdom He had done to friends so dear.

And at last our prayers were answered: It was in the month of June An hour before sunset Of a windy afternoon.

When, steadily steering landward, A ship was seen below, And they knew it was Lamberton, Master, Who sailed so long ago.

On she came with a cloud of canvas, Right against the wind that blew, Until the eye could distinguish The faces of the crew.

Then fell her straining top mast, Hanging tangled in the shrouds, And her sails were loosened and lifted, And blown away like clouds.

And the masts, with all their rigging, Fell slowly, one by one, And the hulk dilated and vanished, As a sea-mist in the sun!

And the people who saw thus marvel Each said unto his friend, That this was the mould of their vessel, And thus her tragic end.

And the pastor of the village Gave thanks to God in Prayer, That, to quiet their troubled spirits, He had sent this Ship of Air.

Francis Brewster property in Mr. Newman’s Quarter

Source: Great Migration Newsletter, Vol. 13, p. 20. (2004) “Focus on New Haven Land.”

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Francis Brewster in Nancy Miller Thompson Smith's 2015 book The Genealogy of the Rash and Hammer Families:

DR. FRANCIS BREWSTER (1572)
Born: ca. 1600
Where: Bristol, Gloucester, England
Father: Francis Brewster (3144)
Mother: unknown (3145)
Married: 5 September 1624
Where: Christchurch, Bristol, Gloucester, England
Wife: Lucy ______ (1573)
Died: Before March 1646
Where Lost at sea in 1646 on a ship known as Lamberton's ship or the Phantom ship
LUCY (LUCRETIA) ______ (1573)
Born: ca. 1602
Where: Bristol, Gloucester, England (probably)
Parents: unknown
Married: (1) 5 September 1624
Husband: Dr. Francis Brewster (1572)
Married: (2) Before 1 February 1648
Husband: Dr. Thomas Pell
Died: 21 September 1669 (date of will)
30 September 1669 (probate of will)
Where: Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut
Died: 1664/1669 (age 64)
Where: Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut.

Children:
1. Rev. Nathaniel Brewster (786) ca. 1624
2. Joseph Brewster 12 Oct. 1628 (bapt.)
3. Mary Brewster ca. 1633
4. Elizabeth Brewster ca. 1635

Dr. Francis Brewster was born in the Castle of Bristol, in Bristol, Gloucester, England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). He was the son of Francis Brewster who was the collector of rents for Sir John Stafford. Francis Brewster was credited with an estate valued at 1000 pounds. It is said that Governor Theophilus Eston was the only person in the colony who was wealthier. The name of the wife of the elder Francis Brewster is unknown, and only three of his children have been identified: John Brewster, born ca. 1597; (Dr.) Francis Brewster, born ca. 1600; and a daughter, Gillian Brewster, baptized April 2, 1602. The early parish marriage registers for over a dozen diocese in the Bristol diocese are extant for the period in which we are interested. St. Philip and St. Jacob are near to ‘the castle’ where the elder Francis lived, and they did offer some baptismal entries: "1602. Gillian Brewster d. Francis Brewster bapt. 2 Apr.; 1628; Joseph s of Fraunces Trustar in the Castle bapt. 12 Oct. 1628; 1630; Richd Brustar & Ales Whithead [married] 8 Apr. 1632; Rebecca Brustar d. Richard Brustar bapt. 20 Dec. dwelling within the gate". Gillian was the daughter of Francis Brewster the elder; and Joseph was a son of Dr. Francis Brewster. Although Richard Brewster lived in the Castle, it has not been proven that he was a son of the elder Francis." (Jacobus, Donald Lines, The American Genealogist, Vol. 12-14, Picton Press, Camden, Maine, 1989, pp. 8, 10, 12)
The Castle of Bristol was located on the south-east of Bristol, where the rivers did not encompass the city. It was built by Robert, the illegitimate son of King Henry I who acceded the throne in 1100. It was a large and strong castle with high ramparts, a wall, bulwarks and towers that were built for its defense. It was included in the County of Gloucester. The Castle was attached to the King’s Royal Barton, and was a dower for the queen for some five hundred years. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who acceded the throne in 1558, Sir John Stafford, knight, was rewarded constableship of Bristol Castle in 1602 as a reward for his valor. Francis Brewster the elder was the resident steward for "The Castle". He paid the lease revenues to Charles I, who was granting charters to obtain revenue without grants from the Parliament. Francis Brewster was still steward of the Castle when Sir Stafford, who did not live in the Castle, died on September 28, 1624. Few relics of its building now remain. Street names designate certain portions of its locality, and a few underground cellars, arched doorways, and dark dungeons trace its principal buildings. In Bristol Past and Present, by J. F. Nicholls and John Taylor, Volume 1, page 75, is a picture of the Great Dungeon Tower of Bristol Castle, and on page 76 there is a ground plan of the Castle which shows St. Peter’s Church on one side and St. Philip’s on another; and on page 78 is a picture of the water gate to the Castle." (ibid., Jacobus, pp. 12, 13.)
On August 23, 1626, Francis Brewster the elder received a lease of the Castle of Bristol from King Charles I, for eighty years if John Brewster, Gillian Brewster and Nathaniel Brewster so long lived. It was customary at that time for a property to be leased for the lifetime of three additional living people. It is certain that he had two children, John and Gillian, prior to the time he signed the lease, the Nathaniel Brewster was his grandson. Francis Brewster had assigned the lease, evidently in trust to Henry Willoughby and Willoughby later assigned it to John Brewster. This was clearly a private arrangement by which the lease came directly to John Brewster at the death of Francis without probate.
From April 1630 to October 16, 1632 leases of tenements in the Castle were made in the joint names of Francis Brewster and his son, John Brewster. After 1632 they were only signed by John Brewster. "It appears that the elder Francis died between September 27 and October 16, 1632." (ibid.)
The city of Bristol was anxious to gain jurisdiction over the Castle from the King’s Royal Barton who protected it for upward of five hundred years, and on "October 1, 1634, John Brewster surrendered to the City, for 520 pounds, his lease for the remaining term. From the amount paid, it may be deduced that the Brewsters had improved the property. John Brewster called himself ‘gentleman’ in this document, specified that he was ‘one of the sons’ of Francis Brewster, yeoman, deceased, and stated that Gillian was already dead; it is clear that Nathaniel was still living." (ibid., Jacobus, p. 18, 19)
The father of Dr. Francis Brewster is proven in the Bristol Apprenticeships, 04352 (4) folio 106. On March 12, 1614, his father, Francis Brewster, of the Castle of Bristol, files his son, Francis, as an apprentice to Edward Harris of Bristol, barber surgeon, and Joan his wife to study for seven years to be a chirurgeon or a barber surgeon. If he was apprenticed at fourteen, which was the usual age to be apprenticed, then he was born in 1600. He completed his studies in March of 1622. (ibid.)
"That he did complete his Apprenticeship, and was admitted to the guild is shown by a later record, from Apprentices 1626-36, page 79: John Anthonie son of Thomas Anthonie of Bridgwater merchant places himself as apprentice to Francis Brewster of city of Bristol, barber Chirurgeon, and Lucie his wife, for 8 years." (ibid., pp. 9, 10)
Dr. Francis Bruster married Lucy in or about 1622.
Dr. Francis and Lucy Bruster with their children relocated to Traley, Limerick, Ireland. It is unknown how long they resided there. This is proven in answer to a debt owed to a merchant of Bristol. His response and payment of the debt is as follows: "Be it knowne unto all men by theis presents that I Francis Brewster late of Traley in the County of Limerick in the Kingdome of Ireland nowe Quilla Piack in New England Chirurgion doe bind myself my heirs Executors and Administrators to pay unto Thomas Shewell of the Citty of Bristoll draper the full summe of thirty three pounds Currant money..." The above record proves conclusively that Francis Brewster of New Haven was the Bristol Chirurgion, whose apprenticeship record shows that he was a son of Francis Brewster of the Castle of Bristol.
The name of the ship or the date the Brewster family arrived in Massachusetts has not been determined. They were documented in Massachusetts, and Dr. Brewster must have enrolled his son, Nathaniel, in Harvard before he settled in New Haven, Connecticut, with the party of Eaton and Davenport in 1638. Lucy and his children appear with him in New Haven, Connecticut, records. They were among the first inhabitants of New Haven which was known then as Quilla Piack, an Indian name. There were nine persons in Dr. Brewster’s household when he arrived in the Colonies. He was a merchant, a man of large estate, and was respectfully dignified with the prefix "Mr.", and his wife as "Mrs." His wife’s first name was Lucy, as verified previously. How many of his children came with him is not known. A son, Joseph, who was baptized in Bristol, probably returned to England. It is possible that there were other children who came to the colonies, or remained in England.
There was a Sir Francis Brewster, knight, merchant and ship owner of Dublin, who had a ship wrecked near New London about 1671. There is no proof of kinship, but he may have been a son of Dr. Francis Brewster. He was an Alderman of Dublin, dubbed Knight bachelor 8 July 1670. He was sufficiently notable to have a paragraph in the Dictionary of National Biography, which gives nothing about his ancestry. "Sir Francis Brewster contributed for the poor of St. John Parish, Easter 1687. In view of a settlement of the Ludlows in Dublin, the fact that Dr. Francis Brewster had lived in Tralee, Ireland, before coming to New England, and [Rev.] Nathaniel Brewster’s visits to Dublin, it is at least curious to find this Sir Francis Brewster located there, - a merchant whose ships traded with New England. We do not care to carry conjecture too far, but it is not impossible that Sir Francis was another son of Dr. Francis of New Haven." (ibid., Jacobus pp. 19,20.)
"There is one other clue in New Haven Colony Records, Vol I, p. 173) to the origin of Francis Brewster: one Bamfield Bell was reproved for singing profane songs, etc., Nov. 4, 1645, and punishment having been ordered, ‘Mrs. Brewster intreated the Court that the execution of the sentence may be respited till her husband came home, because he is her husbands kinsman.’ ..Young Bell does not appear further, and probably returned to England. Joseph Brewster, son of Francis, who testified against his kinsman in this case, does not appear again, and probably returned to England." (ibid.)
It is thought that Dr. Francis Brewster was a passenger on Captain Lamberton ship called Phantom Ship when it was lost at sea in 1646. It was said to have been seen by the anxious inhabitants as a ghost ship. He had an investment of 50 pounds in the ill-fated ship which was built in New Haven. The inventory of Francis Brewster’s estate was taken December 30, 1647, and it came to 555.6.2 pounds. "On February 1, 1648, Mr. Thomas Pell brought in and delivered to the courte an inventorie of his wives estate, left by her late husband, Mr. Francis Brewster, which was read and delivered to the secretarie to be recorded." (New Haven Colony Red., 1-362)
"Mrs. Brewster" had a prominent place (the third seat) in the meeting-house on March 10, 1646, and married Dr. Thomas Pell between that date and December 7, 1647. They relocated to Fairfield, Connecticut; two of Lucy’s daughters, Elizabeth and Mary were with them. No adult sons of Lucy were found at that time in this country. "In 1654, Mrs. Pell and her daughters, Elizabeth and Mary were witnesses in that cause celebre," the Staples suit against Mr. Ludlow, the girls being then apparently not much if at all over twenty.
A series of documents is found in Aspinwall Notarial Records, (pages 245-248): "Tho. Pell of New Haven did constitute Nathaniel Brewster of Walberswick in the Count of Suffolke in the Domin. of Eng. his true & lawful Att. granting him power to aske &c: of John Cadle of the City of Bristoll pewter...for payment of this obligation which was due to Francis Brewster through assignment." It should also be noted that Dr. Thomas Pell who married the widow of Dr. Francis Brewster appointed [Rev.] Nathaniel Brewster [then in England] his attorney to collect a debt that was owing to Francis. (op. cit., Jacobus, Vol. 12-14, pp. 8, 207, 208.)
Dr. Pell, who had no children of his own, named his wife Lucy, a nephew, John Pell, the only son of his brother, John Pell, a Doctor of Divinely in England. He left to Abigail Burr, his step-granddaughter and the wife of Daniel Burr, the best bed, silver spoons, etc. To Daniel Burr all my horses and colts in New England and New York, excepting mares and mare colts. He names a son French [a step-son-in-law], who married Lucy’s daughter, Mary, and her son, Nathaniel French. He names Elizabeth White, Mary White, and Nathaniel White. He remembers servants and forgives four poor men their debts. Daniel Burr and John Banks to be Executors.
Elizabeth Brewster married a Mr. White, and had children, Mary and Nathaniel. This Nathaniel White was probably the one who lived in Eastchester, New York in 1684, and died there in October of 1690, leaving children William and Sarah. Mary Brewster married a French, and had a son, Nathaniel French.
The valuable legacy to Abigail Burr was therefore to the granddaughter of Dr. Pell’s wife. The Burrs lived in Fairfield, and Mrs. Abigail Brewster Burr may have been helpful there to her grandmother and to her step-grand-father, Thomas Pell, which would explain the valuable legacy given to her and her husband. (ibid., Jacobus, p. 209) Abigail’s parents were Rev. Nathaniel and Abigail Reynes Brewster.
The Rev. Nathaniel Brewster has been mistakenly identified as the son of Jonathan Brewster, and the grandson of William Brewster, a Mayflower passenger. It has been affirmed that he was an older son of Dr. Francis Brewster, a man of means and social standing, who could educate a son through college. No proof of kinship between the two Brewster families has been found.

end of entry about Francis Brewster in Nancy Miller Thompson Smith's 2015 book The Genealogy of the Rash and Hammer Families

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In Nancy's last paragraph in the above entry, she asserts Francis and his son Nathaniel are NOT related to Brewsters who were on the Mayflower. According to Geni, though, descendants of Francis' great-great-uncle William Brewster, of Hatfield WERE Mayflower passengers. See Elder William Brewster, "Mayflower" Passenger and Love Brewster, "Mayflower" Passenger.

References

1. “The Family of Rev. Nathaniel Brewster” by D.L. Jacobus. The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) < AmericanAncestors > Volume 13 (1936). Page 154-163.
2. Colonial families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut, being the ancestry & kindred of Herbert Furman Seversmith., vol.1. | HathiTrust Digital Library. Page 358. < Hathitrust >
3. Great Migration Newsletter, V.1-20.(Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018.) Vol. 13, p. 20. (2004) “Focus on New Haven Land.” < AmericanAncestors > “…. Thomas Pell having married the widow sometime in 1647.”
4. American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) about Francis Brewster Name: Francis Brewster Volume: 18 Page Number: 247 Reference: Brewster gen., des. of Will. Brewster of the "Mayflower". By Emma C. Brewster Jones. New York, 1908. (2v.):+
5. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Francis Brewster Name: Francis Brewster Year: 1620-1650 Place: New Haven, Connecticut Source Publication Code: 275 Primary Immigrant: Brewster, Francis Annotation: Comprehensive listing of early immigrants, in various arrangements to assist the researcher. Pages 1-189 contain passenger lists; pages 193-295 are indexes. Source Bibliography: BANKS, CHARLES EDWARD. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650. Edited, indexed and published by Elijah Ellsworth Brownell. Philadelphia: Bertram Press, 1937. 295p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1957. Repr. 1987. Page: 56
6. http://www.leesgenes.com/owen/3brewster.htm
7. http://genforum.genealogy.com/brewster/messages/1995.html