Ernest James Brewer and his Family
An illustrated timeline
Charlotte Carl-Mitchell
It might seem strange that I
would write a history of Ernest J. Brewer who was the second
husband of my great aunt, Mary Perkins and who abandoned her
and their daughter Mary leading to a divorce in 1913. But
Ernest had a major impact in the life of my grandmother,
Mary’s sister, Mercy Perkins Ramsey. Mercy lived with Ernest
and Mary while not at school and visited them frequently. She
worried constantly about her sister’s physical, emotional and
financial health and safety while married to Ernest. Mercy
married my grandfather in Ernest and Mary's home in 1908, but
my grandmother clearly didn’t like or trust Ernest. Her
opinion was proved correct in light of his later behavior.
Because he abandoned the family and Mary seldom spoke of him,
he became a shadowy figure, a man of mystery. This history is
an attempt to solve that mystery.
In addition to documentation
found in my files and online, I’ve had the help of Grant M., a
descendant of Ernest’s brother, Robert Brewer, and Nancy R., a
descendant of two of Ernest’s mother’s ancestors.
1879 - Ernest James Brewer
was born on 24 Sept 1879 in Barnharts Island, St. Lawrence
County, New York to Robert and Electa Barnhart Brewer.
Ernest’s father was born in
England in 1849. Bob Kay shared a story told to him by his
mother, Ernest's daughter, Mary Brewer Dauler Kay: "Ernest
James Brewer was the son of Albert and Electa Brewer of
Ottawa, Canada. At one time Albert was the head accountant for
the Bank of England. There was a scandal of some kind and
Albert took the blame, even though he was not at fault. As a
reward for being the fall guy, he was given free passage to
Canada by "Sir Wolfrum," the bank president." From my
research, Ernest's father was Robert Brewer, but it's possible
his middle name was Albert. I haven't been able to verify the
story of the scandal.
Ernest's mother, Electa Jane Barnhart (sometimes spelled
Barnhardt) was born on Barnhart Island, St. Lawrence County,
New York in 1851. She was baptized in 1851 in Trinity Anglican
Church, Cornwall (Stormont County), Ontario, Canada. She was
the daughter of Daniel Barnhart (1820-1883) and Lucretia
Electa (1825-1898).
Daniel and Lucretia had seven other known children: Daniel, George,
Grace Caroline, Albert Augustus, Ada, William and Alice
Armstrong Barnhart.
Electa’s father, Daniel
Barnhart was the son of William George Barnhart (1780-1870
often referred to as the first settler on Barnhart Island) and
Mary Gray/Grey Abt (1781-1863).
William George and Mary Gray had 10 other known
children: Amerilla, William George, Olive/Olivia, Asaph John,
David Grey, Caroline, Alpheus, Emma Marie, Mary Jane and
Esther Barnhart. William George Barnhart was the son of George
Barnhart and his wife Catherine Sharpstone. Nancy R is a
descendant of George and Catherine's daughter Hannah Barnhart.
This description of Barnhart
Island is from “History of St.Lawrence Co., New York by H.N.
Robinson,
“This beautiful island lies
near the head of St. Francis lake, very near the Canadian
shore, and much of it north of the 45° of north latitude. From
its situation it was regarded as English soil, and its
inhabitants were treated as British subjects until after the
treaty of Ghent, when the island was assigned to the United
States as an offset for the half of Grand island, at the
outlet of Lake Ontario, which in justice would have been
divided. It is about three miles long, with an irregular shape
and width, containing about two thousand acres, and was named
after George Barnhart, of Cornwall, Canada, who, in 1795,
leased it for nine hundred and ninety-nine years of the St.
Regis Indians, at a rental of thirty dollars per year. Ten
years later the Indians became dissatisfied, and insisted
An
article entitled "Former Residents Tell of Happy Days Spent On
Barnhart Island" by Alex Mullin says, "The story of Barnhart
Island begins with one of the most ironical tricks of history.
The Barnharts, though originally from Holland, received their
land as a grant from the King as some slight measure of
compensation for their valuable services in the war of the
American Revolution. Apart from this grant, they had lost all
they had. The treaty of Ghent, after the war of 1812, resulted,
for one thing, in the appointment of commissioners who played a
game of musical chairs with the islands in the St. Lawrence
River, and Barnhart Island went to the United States. It is said
that the British commissioner was determined to hold Wolfe
Island off Kingston at the cost of any council-table concession.
The Barnharts, in 1822, did not feel impelled to quit the United
States again since they were shuffled back into that country
through no choosing of theirs."
In the article on Barnhart's Island, a former resident
remembered that Electa Barnhart was a teacher there before she
married Robert Brewer.
Electa Barnhart and Robert
Brewer married in 1872 in Trinity Anglican Church, Cornwall
(Stormont) Ontario. They lived in Ottawa and later in Potsdam,
New York City and Cleveland.
From Nancy R, I discovered that the 1900 census for the
Brewer family stated that 13 children were born to them and 6
were living. Of those 13, Nancy knew of these 10:
Robert Barnhart Waddington
Brewer 1873-1951
Unnamed Brewer 1874-1874
John Tilden Brewer 1877-1878
Ernest
James Brewer 1879-
Oliver King Brewer 1882
Wilfred Nutting Brewer
1884-1941
Horace Abbott Brewer 1887
Unnamed Brewer 1889-1889
Joshua Tilden Brewer 1891
Alice Brewer 1893-1950
A record in Cuyahoga County,
Ohio for a marriage between an Ernest J. Brewer and a Nellie I
Tunstall on 9 Sep 1913, noted his parents were Robert Brewer
and Electa Barnhardt. On the form Ernest’s place of birth was
spelled Barnhardts, NY, like his mother’s maiden name but
different from the island spelling.
According to a 1942 WWII
registration card for Ernest James Brewer, he was born on Sept
24, 1879 in Barnharts Island, New York. Since he filled out
the card himself, the birth year is probably correct. The
birth date has been consistently Sept 24 though the 1900
census said 1878.
According to city directories
Electa Brewer ran a boarding house at 555 E 154th in New York
City in 1889 and 1891. But the family must have moved to
Canada sometime in 1891.
The 1900 US census notes that
Robert immigrated to the US in 1892, but the 1910 census says
1870. The 1892 date might come from their moving to Canada in
1891 and then back to the US in 1892. The 1870 date might be
more accurate for Robert coming from his birthplace in
England.
1891 - Ernest was living
with his parents and siblings in Ottawa City, Ontario,
Canada
According to Grant M., Ernest
had an older brother, Robert Waddington B. Brewer.
Documentation for Robert W being part of the family comes from
the 1891 census for Ontario, Canada. Robert W is listed as the
oldest child of Robert and Electa Brewer. The family was living in Ottawa
City, Ontario at that time. Robert Sr was noted as born in
England and his wife, Electa in the US. It's interesting
that the name of the island where Ernest says he was born is
close to her mother's maiden name. In the 1891 Canadian census
in Robert and Electa Brewer's household there is a Lucretia
Barnhart, 65, born ca 1826 in Quebec. She was listed as a
lodger but might have been related to Electa, but her name
lacked the d in Barnhart and was spelled like the island.
In 1894 Electa was back
running a boarding house, this one at 655 K 154th in New York
City.
1900 - Ernest was living with
his parents and younger siblings in Potsdam, NY and working
as a telegraph operator.
In the 1900 census, an Ernest
J. Brewer was living with his parents, Robert and Electa
Brewer and his siblings Oliver, Wilfred, Horace, and Alice E.
in Potsdam township, St. Lawrence, New York. According to the
census, Ernest was born Sep 1878 in New York and was working
as a telegraph operator. His father was born in England and
his mother in New York. Robert Brewer's occupation was listed
as secretary manufacturing.
1902 - Ernest was living in
Waco and working as a telephone operator.
In the 1902 city directory for
Waco, TX there is an Ernest J. Brewer who was a telephone
operator at the Waco Cotton & Grain Co. The citation said
‘bds Hotel Royal’ which might mean boards at the hotel.
Mary Perkins married Gus
Teissedre in Aug 1902 but the marriage must not have lasted
very long. In public records, Mary was Teissedre on 25 May 1903 but
by 7 Mar 1904 was listed as Mary Perkins. Mary Kay thought her
parents married around 1904 and a later record supports that.
It was definitely before 1906 from comments in Mercy Perkins'
letters.
1904 - Ernest and Mary
Perkins marry on 15 Sept 1904, possibly in Waco, TX.
A photo Mary Kay believed
is of her parents, Ernest and Mary Brewer
In the 1930 US census, Ernest
was noted as being 25 at the time of his first marriage. Since
he was born in 1879, that would mean he married the first time
in 1904. Nancy Runions says the marriage took place on 15 Sep
1904.
In a letter Mercy Perkins
wrote Murray Ramsey on 21 Feb 1906, she said the previous
Thanksgiving 1905, she’d gone down to Temple to help her
sister break up housekeeping. Mary and Ernest must have been
living in Temple. Mercy said ‘The folks will probably keep
house again in the Spring.’
In Apr 1907, Mercy wrote
Murray about both Ernest and Mary looking ill. But they also
wanted money. At first Mercy didn’t say she’d help them, but
fear for her sister’s health convinced her to ask her
guardian, Mr. Johnson for money. Ernest seemed to always want
Mary’s and Mercy’s money to squander. Mercy loaned Mary money
so they could get out of Texas to escape EJ's creditors.
In a letter Little Mary wrote
Mercy Ramsey Carl on 17 Nov 1984, she said she didn’t know
when or where Mary and Ernest married. She did say she knew
that Mary had a still born daughter born on the ranch. Ernest
wrote Mercy Perkins in Feb 1908 a 12 page angry screed
directed at her for perceived slights. He called her insulting
names, complaining that Charles had cut Mary out of his will
and that he 'was controlled by a dirty old prostitute.' Mary would have
been married to Gus when her brother Charles died in Oct 1902,
but it was Ernest
who threw the fit about the will. He admits that when he was
in Texas he wasn't a good man, hanging out with disreputable
people, mistreating his wife, spending his money on booze and
speculation. He goes on to say, "All that is over now ... We
are very happy in our new home and if our baby lives - and we
are not afraid this time - we will be perfectly contented."
His comment about not being afraid this time that the baby
would live must be referring to the stillborn baby. The baby
Mary was carrying was Little Mary, born in Cleveland on 9 Jun
1908.
1908 - Mary Perkins Barnhardt Brewer was born on 9 Jun 1908 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ernest was a telephone operator and the family lived at 1393 E 110th NE.
In July 1908 Mercy told Murray
about Mary’s nightmares about their parents, that she would
dream she was at the funeral of one and the other would be
chasing her with an ax. Mary also said she saw a frightening
man’s face looking in the window at her when she was staying
at the ranch after moving to Texas. She intimated that was the
reason she married so young, to get away from the ranch and
that face.
In the 1908 city directory for
Cleveland, OH there is an Ernest J. Brewer who was a telephone
operator. His residence was 1393 E 110th NE.
This undated photo shows Mary
Perkins Brewer at the piano. The man on the right may be
Ernest J Brewer since he played the violin. The man on the
left may be Ernest’s older brother Robert W B Brewer who was a
musician in an orchestra.
On 18 July 1908 Mercy was
helping Mary with her new baby and with their getting ready to
skip out on their creditors again, this time from Ohio to
Kentucky. In Sept 1908, Ernest wrote another letter to Mercy
graciously inviting her and Murray to get married in
Covington, KY where Ernest, Mary and Little Mary were living
at the time. M & M did marry there on 24 Sept 1908,
Ernest's birthday. Mercy later said she should have married in
Austin where her husband's family was, but Mary was her only
sister and because she'd recently given birth and couldn't
travel, Mercy wanted to be married where Mary was.
1908 - Ernest, Mary and
Little Mary were living in Covington, Kentucky and hosted
the wedding of Mercy Perkins and Murray Ramsey on 24 Sept
1908.
1909
- The Brewers
must have moved back to Cleveland.
A photo of Mary Barnhardt Perkins
Brewer taken in 1909 and the note on the back of the photo
The
1909 Cleveland city directory lists Ernest as living at 10826
Orville Ave, NE.
1910
- The Brewers were living with Robert and Electa Brewer in
Cleveland.
In the 1910 US census for the
Cleveland Ward 26, Cuyahoga, Ohio, Ernest, Mary and Little
Mary were living with Ernest's parents at 1337 East 110th
Street. Ernest
J. Brewer, 29, is listed with an estimated birth date of 1881
in New York. His wife was Mary P. Brewer, 27 so born abt 1883
in Illinois. Their daughter, Mary P. B. Brewer was 1 10/12, so
born abt 1908. The head of the household was Robert Brewer,
56, born abt 1854 in England, Robert's parents were also born
in England. He immigrated in 1870. Robert’s wife was Electa J,
54, was born abt 1856 in New York. Her father was born in New
York and her mother in Canada English. Also in the household
were Wilfred N, 24, Horace A, 22 and Alice E. F. Brewer, 17.
Robert was the manager of a dairy company.
This photo was taken around
1909 or 1910 and shows Ernest and Little Mary in the front
seat and Mae Mercer and Mary Perkins Brewer in the back.
In
1911, Ernest is still a telephone operator and was listed as
living at 10615 Orville Ave, Cleveland.
1912 – Ernest’s father died in Cleveland at the age of 63.
Robert
Brewer died on 9 Dec 1912 and is buried in the Lake View
Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio in Section 2 Lot 362-A.
1913
- Mary Perkins Brewer was granted a divorce from Ernest
James Brewer in March 1913 in Cleveland.
Around this time, Ernest must have abandoned his wife and child because in March 1913 Mary was granted a divorce because of Ernest's 'gross neglect of duty." Little Mary was four years old. Bob Kay told me in 2006, “I got some records from Cleveland where they were divorced. The divorce papers are pretty ugly, granting my grandmother a divorce by reason of cruelty (physical abuse and threatening to "kill the young child" -- that would be my mother -- so obviously I didn't share that with her. Her only memory of him is when she was very young, standing in the hallway, and listening to EJ beg my grandmother to take him back and her saying over and over again, "no."
1913
- Ernest married Nellie I Tunstall on 9 Sep 1913 in
Cleveland.
The notice above ran in the 10 Sept 1913 Cleveland Leader. It incorrectly spelled Nellie’s name Trumball instead of Tunstall.
Ernest
didn't wait long to re-marry. There is a record in Cuyahoga
County, Ohio for a marriage between an Ernest J. Brewer and a
Nellie I Tunstall on 9 Sep 1913. The marriage was solemnized
by a Justice of the Peace. Ernest’s occupation was salesman.
Mary had married Cyrus Dauler on 3 Jul 1913 in Cleveland.
1913
- Ernest was a stock broker in Cleveland.
This ad was published in
the 9 Nov 1913 Cleveland Leader newspaper.
According to a 1914 city directory, Ernest’s mother, Electa Brewer was still living in Cleveland.
Ernest’s WWI draft card, dated
12 Sept 1918, noted he was a stock brocker for F. S Sprague
and Co, in Cleveland. His wife was Nellie Elizabeth? Brewer.
He was born on Sept 24, 1878 or 1979 (hard to read). He was
medium height, slender build, with blue eyes and brown hair.
In the 1920 US census for
Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, there is an Ernst (not Ernest)
J Brewer married to a Nellie Brewer. He was 41 so born ca 1879
in New York. The only problem is that his father was listed as
being from NY and his mother fron Eng, but EJ’s parentage is
vice versa. There could have been a mistake in which info was
put in which column. This Ernest J was a broker in a bank. The
Nellie Brewer would fit the marriage record to Nellie
Tunstall.
Also in the 1920 US census for
Cleveland, Mary and Cyrus Dauler, their three children and May
(or Mary) Linten, a maid, were listed on the same page as
Robert B Brewer and his family. The Daulers lived on E 109th
St and the Robert Brewers lived on 110th St. Cyrus was noted
as an electrical engineer. Robert was a musician in an
orchestra.
In 1921, Electa was listed as a music teacher in the Cleveland city directory. Musical ability seemed to run in the family. Ernest played the violin and one of his brothers played in a symphony, possibly in Cleveland.
In the 1922 Cleveland City
directory there's a listing for a Nellena Brewer (Nellena
School of Dancing) r1357 W 59th. In researching the family of
Nellie Tunstall Brewer I found an obituary for her brother,
Albert R. Tunstall who died in 1975. It noted that he had a
surviving sister, Nellena, but didn't list her last name. This
dancing school may indicate that Nellie and Ernest were
divorced and she had to support herself.
Electa J. Brewer died on 28 Apr 1929 and is buried by her husband in the Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, Section 2 Lot 362-A. There is a Electa James Brewer who died on 28 Apr 1929 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The James could be a typo for Jane. According to the 1930 US census, Electa’s daughter Alice lived in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Electa could have been living with her or visiting her when she died.
1930 – Ernest is living in Brooklyn, New York with his third wife.
The 1930 US census shows that
Ernest was living in Brooklyn, NY and married to his third
wife, Eura J. A sister-in-law, Mary Graves was living with
them so since she was single, it’s probable that Eura’s maiden
name was Graves. Ernest
was the head of the household and paying $85 a month to rent
his home on Ridge Blvd. He was 50 and Eura was 34 and from
Kentucky. Her age at her first marriage was 21 and since she
was now 34, this must have been a second marriage for her
because she couldn't have been married to EJ for 13 years. He
was married to Nellie in the 1920 census. Ernest had reverted
to his original occupation, telegraph operator but in a
brokerage company.
1940 – Ernie Brewer is a telegraph operator at Peace Haven in Oakdale, New York.
According to the 1940 US
census for Islip Town, Suffolk, New York, Ernest Brewer was
60, divorced and working as a telegraph operator for Mr. James
B. Schafer at Peace Haven in Oakdale. According to a blog at http://fitzstroh.blogspot.com/2008/12/one-of-strangest-chapters-in-history-of.html,
“One of the strangest chapters in the history of Oakdale
concerns one man’s experiment in eternal life. Back in 1940,
newspapers including the New York Times, were reporting on the
sensational story of a cult leader residing in Oakdale who had
adopted a baby girl in order to test his recipe for
immortality. He believed that if a person is fed only positive
thoughts and wholesome foods beginning in infancy that person
could live forever. James B. Schafer, leader of the Royal
Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians, adopted "Baby Jean" from
a New York City waitress. In 1938, a couple of years before
the adoption, Schafer purchased the old Oakdale Vanderbilt
estate, now Dowling College. He named his estate Peace Haven.
The membership fee for living at Peace Haven was $100 in 1938,
but later that was increased to $300. Those who participated
in the program were forbidden to have meat, coffee, spices,
alcohol or tobacco. Schafer lectured to his followers on
themes such as positive thinking and how to obtain maximum
wealth and health. When he adopted Jean, several members
showered this youngest member with extravagant gifts, such as
a diamond and pearl ring. Schafer was gaining notoriety
through the many newspaper accounts of his "Baby Jean"
experiment, but about a year later Jean’s birth mother
requested and received her child back. Membership in the Royal
Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians dwindled and the Peace
Haven property was sold in foreclosure. Schafer was convicted
of stealing $9,000 from a former member and he was sentenced
to Sing-Sing prison.”
Ernie Brewer at Peace Haven
from “Oakdale” by Diane Holiday and Chris Kretz, 2010
1942 – Ernest is living in Brooklyn with the fourth Mrs. Brewer.
There is a1942 WWII draft
registration card for Ernest James Brewer who was born on Sept
24, 1879 in Barnharts Island, New York. He was living in
Brooklyn, Kings, NY and working at Hamershlag, Borg & Co
bank at 39 Broadway, New York City. His wife was listed as
Mrs. E. J. Brewer. Since he’d been divorced according to the
1940 census, he must have married a fourth time, but the form
only lists her as Mrs. E. J. Brewer. His employer, Hamershlag
is still in business and is one of the oldest,
continuously-operating banks in the United States.
1951 – According to Nancy
R, Ernest’s request was noted in an article in the Massena
Observer that was published on Monday, June 4, 1951:
"Cornwall--Are there any
Barnharts left on Barnhart Island? J. J. Sones, president of Cornwall's
Board of Trade would like to know. Mr. Sones wants to answer a letter from
Ernest J. Brewer of Brooklyn, N. Y., whose mother was a
Barnhart and was born on the island in 1852. After her marriage,
she lived in Ottawa and later in Potsdam and Cleveland. Mr. Brewer wants to
come, back for a visit and to have a look around the island,
if he can figure a way to get there. He also wants to meet any of his
maternal relatives who may still be on the island. 'After nearly 69
years away from my native land, the Maple Leaf and the Union
Jack are not forgotten, and I am looking forward eagerly to a
reunion with them and to the pleasure of having my wife see my
country and meet you friendly, courteous Canadians,' writes
Mr. Brewer. On
behalf of Cornwall, Mr. Sones wants to live up to the
reputation. But
he's having trouble finding anyone with connections on
Barnhart Inland, which is an American possession just across
the rapids from Sheik Island."
Mary Brewer Dauler Kay said, "In Ernest's later years he owned a
fishing camp on an island in the St. Lawrence River, between
Canada and the U.S., and was reported to have had as a guest
there President Hoover, who was a fishing enthusiast." Neither
Bob Kay nor I have been able to verify this claim.
1957 – Ernest is mentioned in his brother Horace’s obituary.
An obituary for Ernest’s
brother Horace Brewer was published in the Dec 28, 1957 Plain
Dealer newspaper, Cleveland, OH, p 24. Ernest is listed as
being "of Brooklyn, New York.” There was no mention of a wife.
In Dec 1957, Ernest would have been 78 years old.
I've not yet discovered when Ernest died or where he is buried.
Those are the two final questions I'd like to answer to complete
my research. I hope someone reading this may be able to point me
in the right direction to find those last two details on the
life of a complicated man.
A gallery of identified and possible
photos of Ernest James Brewer
Ernest circa 1904
ca 1909 or 1910
before 1913
1939
Information on Ernest’s
siblings:
According to Grant M., Robert
Waddington Barnhart Brewer was married for a brief while
to his great grandmother, Isabella Moodie Black. The family history
said that Robert W. was a German musician who cheated on
Isabella and when she found out she dumped him. The German
part seems to be a mistake, but his mistreatment of his wife
seems to fit the pattern that Ernest followed. Robert W B also
had a daughter with his long suffering wife. Shirley Barnhardt
Brewer was born on 28 Aug 1892 in Carleton, Ontario, Canada.
She was married twice, to Thomas Stanley Harris and Joseph
Allan McQuade with whom she had a daughter who was the mother
of Grant and his two sisters. Robert W B would have been 18
when he married Isabella. The Waddington in his name may have
some connection to Waddington, New York, a small community
located along the St. Lawrence river marking New York’s border
with Canada.
This photo may be of Robert
Waddington Barnhart Brewer, 19 Jun 1873 - 16 June 1951.
In the 1920 US census for
Cleveland, Robert and Florence had added a daughter, Florence,
7. In the 1927 Cleveland city directory, Robt B Brewer is now
listed as a music teacher. In the 1930 US census, Robert and
Florence are still living in Cleveland with Hollis, 27,
Richard, 21 and Florence, 18. The oldest son, Robert J Brewer
must have moved out on his own. The 1940 US census for East
Cleveland lists a Robert B Brewer, 66 so born around 1874 in
Canada Irish (!) living with his 45 year old wife, Margaret.
Robert must have married for a third and last time. He died on
16 June 1951 and is buried at Section 43 Lot 1397-G in the
Lake View cemetery in Cleveland, where his parents are also
interred. In that same section is a Margaret G Brewer, d 10
Feb 1963.
Oliver King Brewer was born on 30 Apr 1882 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In the 1910 US census for Cleveland, he was married to Mabel A. Brewer and had two children, Doris E, 7 and Daniel W, 4. They’d been married for 9 years so wed ca 1901. He was the manager of a glass company and she was a storekeeper. In another census, he was an auto mechanic and during WWII he worked for the Thompson Aircraft Products company. In a letter Mercy wrote Murray she talked about Oliver Brewer, saying he had a wife and children. "He is the one who is not right. He drove strike breakers to work." The 1900 census said Oliver was a hack driver. His daughter, Doris Electa Brewer was 16 and according to the marriage license, widowed when she married George J. Phillips in 1918. Her mother’s name was noted as Mabel Bruce. Oliver was 38 when he married Christina Schmidt, 28 on 8 Dec 1921 in Ontario. According to the 1953 Cleveland city directory, Oliver K and Christine E Brewer lived at 5023 Dalton Ave. Oliver K Brewer died on 19 Sep 1954 and is buried, like his parents and brother Robert, in the Lake View cemetery in Cleveland, Section 43 Lot 816-0.
Wilfred Nutting Brewer, according to Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1913, was born 4 Dec 1884 in Carleton, Ontario, Canada. In 1904 he was a clerk living at 7 Shady Side Terrace in Cleveland. He was listed as Wilfred Nutting Brewer, IV from Cleveland in the 1910 Case Western Reserve yearbook. In the 1910 US census for Cleveland, he was living with his parents, his brother Horace, sister Alice and brother Ernest, Mary and Little Mary. In 1915 he was an electrical engineer living at 1335 E 110th NE, Cleveland. On 23 Sep 1916 he married Minnie A Smith in Cleveland. She was born in South Wales. She is called Mary A in later documents but since both Minnie and Mary were both born in Wales and married to Wilfred N Brewer, they are probably the same person, Minnie being a diminutive of Mary. According to his WWI draft registration card, he was born on 4 Dec 1885. He was short with a slender build, gray eyes and brown hair. Wilfred and Mary had one son, Edward P Brewer b ca 1922, d. 11 Sep 1975 in Canton, Ohio. In the 1930 census he was still an electrical engineer but by 1940 there wasn’t an occupation listed. Perhaps he was ill because Wilfred N Brewer died 20 May 1941 in Cleveland.
Horace Abbott Brewer was born in Carleton, Ontario, Canada on 19 Mar 1887. In his WWI draft registration card, 5 Jun 1917, he was single and a candidate in the ROTC, working for the US Govt at Ft Harrison. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. In Ohio Military Men, 1917-18, he was noted to have enlisted 7 Sep 1917 and served in Machine Gun Company 331 Infantry to 19 Sept 1917; 308 Tns & Military Police 83 Division to 2 Oct 1918; 2 Battalion Army Candidate School France to 6 Nov 1918; 109 Battalion Military Police Corps to Discharge Regimental Sergeant Major Nov --/17. American Expeditionary Forces 14 June 1918 to 11 March 1919. Honorable discharge 25 March 1919. The 1920 US census for Cleveland notes that Horace, age 32 had immigrated to the US in 1893 and became a naturalized citizen in 1908. He was married to Clara, age 27. Horace was a grading contractor. In the 1930 US census for Cleveland Horace was listed as having immigrated to the US in 1905. He and Clara had four children, William C, Ruth M, Alice E and Margaret J. He was a commercial traveler for Solder & Welding Products.
Alice E. F. Brewer was born in Potsdam, New York
in Apr 1893. In 1900 she was still living in Potsdam, Saint
Lawrence, New York. In 1910, she was living with her family in
Cleveland, Ohio. In a letter written by Mercy to Murray in
1911, she commented on seeing Alice and Doc. I thought that
referred to her husband, but Alice didn’t marry until 1916 so
Doc might not have been George. On 10 Jun 1916 she married
George R Olson, 1888-1951, born in Evanston, IL. His
occupation was listed a salesman. In the 1920 census, George
Olson and his wife, Alice were living with his brother,
Bernard in Chicago, IL.
George and Alice had a son, Robert G Olson, 2 1/2. George was a
cutlery salesman. In the 1930 census, George and Alice were
living in Minneapolis with their sons, Robert G, 12, twins
Donald and David B, 6 and Arthur B, 4. George was a hardware
salesman. They could have lived there the previous year. That
would explain why Electa Brewer died in Hennepin County in
1929. She could have been living with or visiting Alice at the
time of her death. By the 1940 US census, Alice
and George were living with twins Donald and David B, 16, and
Arthur B, 14. in Edina, Hennepin, MN. George was again cutlery
salesman. The oldest son, Robert G, must have been living on
his own. Alice E Brewer Olson died on 6 Oct 1950. She’s buried
at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN, Section 10, Lot 252B,
Grave 3.
Her youngest son, Arthur’s
obituary said, “Arthur B. Olson, age 83 of Minneapolis, born
November 10, 1925 to George and Alice Olson in Minneapolis,
passed away January 14, 2009. Retired Physicist/
Engineer/Inventor with Ceridian. Preceded in death by wife,
Lorene. Arthur is survived by children, Arlice (Doug Westin)
Olson, Bernie (Jude) Olson, Carolyn (Jim) Nelson and Jillene
(Alan) Rupp; 8 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; brothers,
Robert, David and Donald Olson and other family and friends.”
He was buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Section 10,
Lot 252B, Grave 5.
If you have information on any of the people discussed in this
timeline, please contact Charlotte Carl-Mitchell at ccm@tic.com.