Michael Brey
From MouserAncestry
Brauer is the German word for a brewer. Michael Brey may have come from a family connected to the brewing arts. When "Brauer" is pronounced with the German gutteral "uer" ending, English speaking record keepers would have heard Brier, Bry, Bryer and Brey , all variant spellings for the family name.
Michael Brey was born 14 April, 1773 somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania. He would have lived in a German community there, and yet his family would have been aware of the news out of Philadelphia, the U.S. capitol between 1790 and 1800. They lived through the Revolutionary War, and with no particular ties to England may have found the cause of the Revolutionaries appealing, even though the German communities tended to live somewhat apart because of language and customs. One, possibly two, of Michael Brey's children are listed as having infants baptized, in the records of Emmaus Moravian Church, Lehigh Co. PA. The Moravians were known to avoid political involvements. At present nothing is known of Michael's parents and other family in the area. By the early 1800's there were several Brey men living in southern Northampton County, which in 1812 would become Lehigh County.
Michael met and married a woman named Maria, who had been born in Germany. They appear to have been married by 1789-1793. In about 1794 they had a daughter named Hattie. [She was apparently born with some degree of retardation. She was still living with her aging parents in 1850 and was noted in the census to be an "idiot". ]
In the 1800 census, Michael and wife were living in Upper Milford township, Northampton County, with two young children, a boy and a girl under age ten. Hattie would have been about six years old. The son may have been older or younger, being born between 1790 and 1800. (This son may be Samuel Brey of the Emmaus church records.)
(Click here to read the full biography of Michael Brey)
| Date | Location | Notes | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 14 Apr 1773 | expect Lehigh (Northampton) Co., PA or Montgomery Co. PA | [13] | |
| Marriage | expect by 1793-1794 1st child b. ~1794 |
To Maria [Unknown] born in Germany |
[9][11][12] | |
| Death | 8 Jun 1859 | [13][16] | ||
| Burial | expect St. Paul's Lutheran, Clarion County, PA no gravestone found |
[13][14] |
Immediate family in my direct ancestry
Generation 5 Generation 6 Generation 7
+-- [unknown]
| (????-????)
+-- Michael Brey --+
| (1773-1859) |
Elizabeth Brey --+ +-- [unknown]
(1808-1899) | (????-????)
+-- Maria [Unknown]
(????-????)
Sources: [11][12][15]
Children
Children with [Maria Unknown]:
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Birthplace | Spouse | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hattie Brey | F | ~1794 | Lehigh County, PA | -never married- | "idiot" per 1850 census; living with parents at age 56 |
[2][3][4][7] |
| son Brey: possibly Samuel Brey |
M | 1795-1800 | expect Lehigh Co. PA | (Samuel Brey m. Elisabeth Schaefer) | [2][3][4][17] | |
| dau Brey | F | 1800 after census taken | [3][4] | |||
| dau Brey | F | 1805-1810 | [4] | |||
| dau Brey | F | 1805-1810 | [4] | |||
| Elizabeth Brey | F | 1 Mar 1808 | Lehigh County, PA | Jacob Beals | [4][15][16] | |
| dau Brey | F | 1810 -1820 | [4] | |||
| Harriet Brey | F | 1816 | Lehigh County, PA | Samuel Shaner | [4] |
Places of Residence
| Location | Dates | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Milford Twp., Northampton (now Lehigh) Co., PA | including 1800-1806 | [2][9] | |
| Whitehall Twp., Northampton (now Lehigh) Co., PA | including 1810-1812 | [3][10] | |
| Lower Macungie Twp., Lehigh Co., PA | 1812 - 1821 | [4][11] | |
| Venango Co., PA | arrived 1839, through 1841 | [6][15][16] | |
| Clarion Co., PA | 1841 -1859 | [7][13][15] |
Sources
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of original |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1800 United States Federal Census, Upper Milford Twp., Northampton Co., PA. No census date given. Page 1, column 2, line 3 lists Michael Brey as the head of a household with people of the following ages: 1 male <10 years of age, 1 male 26-44, 1 females less than 10, and one female 26-44. In the same column is the family of Conrad Brey (line 10)with 2 males 10-16, 3 males 16-26 and 1 male >45, 2 females 10-16, 2 females 16-26 and 1 female >45. Also there is the family of George Brey (line 16) with 1 male <10 years of age, 1 male 26-44, 1 females less than 10, and one female 26-44. Michael Brey should be 27 in 1800. |  |
| 3 | 1810 United States Federal Census, Whitehall Twp., Northampton Co., PA, No census date given. Page 4, column 2, line 1 lists Michael Brey as the head of a household with people of the following ages: 1 male 10-15 years of age, 1 male 26-44, 1 male 45+, 3 females less than 10, 2 females 10-15, and one female 26-44. Margin notes in the census suggest that the place of residence was actually Upper Saucon and not Whitehall Twp., but ancestry.com lists the entry under Whitehall. |  |
| 4 | 1820 United States Federal Census, Macungie Twp, Lehigh Co, PA, page 2. Family of Michael Brey: 1 male 16-25, 1 male >44, 2 females <10, 3 females 10-15, 2 females 16-25, 1 female >44; 2 persons engaged in agriculture. Note: this census indicates presence of 8 children. Besides the son age 16-25, the 2 daughters age 16-25 would include Hattie, the 3 daughters age 10-15 would include Elizabeth, the 2 daughters age under 10 would include Harriet. There are 4 daughters whose names are not known to us. |
 |
| 5 | 1830 United States Federal Census, Could not find Michael Brey in full page search of Lehigh (Macungie and Upper Milford), Montgomery (Upper Hanover) and Venango (Elk, Beaver, Richland). | |
| 6 | 1840 United States Federal Census, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA, Page 3. Family headed by Michael Bry (1 male 60-70, 1 female 40-50, 1 female 60-70). Census is not dated. |  |
| 7 | 1850 United States Federal Census, Beaver Twp., Clarion Co., PA, Page 33, dwelling no. 1831. Michael Brae, male age 76,occupation illegible, possibly "none", born PA; Maria Brae, female age 78, born Germany; Hatty Brae, female age 56, born PA, "idiot". Next door, dwelling no. 1382. are the family of Jacob Beals (wife is Elizabeth Brey Beals).This census is dated 24 Sep 1850. | 
|
| 8 | Church records for St. Paul's Lutheran Church, also known as the Blue church, Upper Saucon Twp., Lehigh Co., PA. Michael Brey is listed as sponsor at the baptism of Absalom Arnold born 5 February 1802 in Lehigh County, baptized 7 April 1802. The parents were Frederick Arnold (born before 1783) and Deborah Ziegler(born before 1786). "from a web source ID:1062369", forwarded by email | |
| 9 | 1806 Deed A Draught of a Tract of Land situated in Uppermilford Township, Northampton County. It being the greatest part of 25 acres & All of (6 p.C.) which Andrew Giering Conveys unto his Son John Giering who sold 2 ac. 70 perches strict thereof unto Michael Brey. The residuary Contains twenty two ac. & one Hundred & twelve Perches & the usual Allowance formerly partly surveyed April the 30th 1805 & Drawn April 22nd 1806. John Krauss
Note: in a different script, between the map and the above text, is written: John Gehring sold .......out of the above tract unto Henry Daubert....his Deed is Dated May 27, 1810. |
 |
| 10 | Tax list "In 1812, when Lehigh County was organized, the following were the taxable citizens of what is now Upper and Lower Milford townships:...Adam Brey, George Brey, Michael Brey, Philip Brey.." This list is preceded by a 1781 tax roll for Milford townships; the Brey men did not appear on the earlier list. From History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon by Alfred Mathews & Austin Hungerford, 1884 | |
| 11 | 1813 Deed Lower Macungie Twp., Lehigh Co. PA ...George Adam Klein and Christina his wife by their Indenture bearing the date the sixth Day of April Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirteen for the consideration therein mentioned did grant and confirm the same unto Michael Brey, and the said Michael Brey and Maria his wife by their Indenture, bearing the date the twenty second Day of February Anno Domini One thousand eight hundred and twenty one for the consideration therein mentioned did grant and confirm the same unto Philip Klein and the said Philip Kline and Margaret his wife... |
    |
| 12 | Church records for Jordan Reformed Congregation, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1765-1858, lists Michael Brey and Maria Brey as sponsors for the baptism of Clarissa Lehr born 15 July 1827, baptized 3 August 1827. Parents David Lehr and Maria Lehr. MyFamily.com, Inc., 2000. Records transcribed from LDS Family History Library microfilm copies of church records; see teh Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) for FHL #1671314 | |
| 13 | Church records for St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Churches 1913 - 1960, RD 2 Knox, Pennsylvania by Raymond E. Hollenbach and John B. Dengler. Location Beaver Twp., Clarion County, PA Death record for Michael Brey in German, with translation. "Michael Brey was born on April 14, 1773 and died on June 8, 1859 at the very old age of 86 years, 1 month and 16 days, and he was buried in Salem." No mention is made in these church records of his wife Maria or children. The reference to his burial site as Salem could refer to Salem township, but more likely to the borough of Salem, now called Lamartine. | |
| 14 | Cemetery search, Oct 2006 and June. 2007 by Nancy Beals Walls & Elizabeth W. Williams. Michael Brey's death record in Records of St. Paul's Lutheran & Reformed Church says he was buried in "Salem". Two cemeteries near the Salem (Lamartine) crossroads are Salem Lutheran cemetery, and the Salem Reformed UCC Church cemetery. No gravestone has been located at either of these, and he is not mentioned in the records of the cemetery association for Salem Lutheran. The cemetery for St. Paul's Lutheran & Reformed Churches at Wentlings Corners, Beaver Twp., Clarion Co.(where his death was recorded) also has no stone markers for Michael Brey or wife Maria. | |
| 15 | Personal correspondence from Nancy Beals Walls, who quotes a "blue book about the first settlers of Clarion County, which became lost/stolen from the Clarion County Library"; title not recorded. In this book was this information (the double name spelling must be Nancy's editing; other parts of the wording make it appear to be an extraction of data rather than an exact transcript):
Elizabeth Brye/Brier b. 1 Mar. 1808, daughter of Michael Brey/Brier, farmer, Democrat, Lutheran, arrived Venango County 1839; resided Clarion County 1841. Elizabeth was originally of Lehigh County | |
| 16 | Book: History of Clarion County PA 1887, pg iii, states that Michael Brey/Brye/Brier arrived in Venango County in 1839 and died in 1859. His daughter Elizabeth (1808-1899) married Jacob Beals (1806-1890). | |
| 17 | Baptismal Records, Emmaus Moravian Church, Lehigh Co PA.
|
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Source notes
- The 1830 PA census has been searched page by page on the ancestry.com site by E. B. Williams for the townships of Macungie, Lower Milford, Saucon and Whitehall in Lehigh County; Upper Hanover in Montgomery County; Elk, Beaver & Richland in Venango Co. No record for a Michael Brey (or spelling variants) as head of household was found.
- The 1790 PA census was searched by the ancestry.com search engine for Macungie Twp., Northampton Co. No record found for Michael Brey (or spelling variants) was found. He would have been age 17; probably living with parents, or as farm hand in other household.
- Samuel Brey appears as a witness or godparent at the birth of Elisabeth Brey Beals' son Samuel, Emmaus Moravian Church, Lehigh Co. PA in 1831. Sallie Ann Brey apprears, daughter of Samuel Brey and wife Elisabeth Schaefer, in 1826 baptismal records of Emmaus Moravian Ch., Lehigh Co. PA. Conjecture: Samuel is possibly a brother of Elisabeth Brey, though we have no record of him among the children of Michael Brey. Or it is possible that Samuel Brey was an uncle of Elizabeth Brey, a younger brother of Michael Brey.
- Michael Brey died in 1859. His wife Maria and daughter Hatty ("idiot" per census) were both in the home in 1850. By 1860, no census evidence of any of them found in Clarion Co. PA or surrounding counties.
Conjecture
- Posted by "Paula" on Genealogy.com's Brey Family Genealogy Forum (http://genforum.genealogy.com/brey/messages/30.html):
Johann Michael Brey married Maria Arnold. He was the son of Johann Conrad Brey & Maria Magdalena Klein. Johann Conrad Brey was the son of Hans George Brey & Maria Catharina ___.
- Brey records exist in Lehigh and Montgomery counties. Relationship to these individuals not yet established.
(Click here to read additional research notes)
- A Collection of Thirty Thousand Names ... by Israel Daniel Rupp,Genealogical Publ. Co., Baltimore 1965, p. 169-170
" Oct. 20, 1744. On the ship "Phoenix", was one Joh. Peter Breyvogel. No known relationship , but the name seems a possible precursor to shortened or Anglicized Brey or Vogele. This is the same ship on which Johannes Klein arrived; both Johannes Klein & Michael Brey resided in Macungie Twp., Lehigh Co. PA
Research
The material in this section is for research leads only. We do not wish to imply any connection to our family at present, nor suggest its use without additional confirmation.
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of original |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | 1790 United States Federal Census, Upper Milford Twp., Northampton Co., PA, Page 4. No census date given. line 7 lists Conrad Brey with 3 males >16, 3 males <16 and 2 females. This census page is not dated. Michael Brey should be 17 in 1790 and probably living with his parents. There is no corroborating evidence that Michael and Conrad Brey are related. |  |
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