Revision as of 17:57, 29 July 2007

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 a somewhat apart because of language and customs. 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.

(Click here to read the full biography of Michael Brey)

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:

Children

Children with [Maria Unknown]:

Places of Residence

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
1	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.
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	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.
5	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
6	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.
7	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
8	1813 Deed ...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... Click here to read full transcript & source
9	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
10	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. Note: the reference to his burial site as Salem could refer to Salem township, but more likely to the borough of Salem, now called Lamartine. Two cemeteries near the Lamartine crossroads are Salem Lutheran, and the 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.

Source notes

Conjecture

• 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

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