I have decided to write a book on Isaac Brewer’s life, along with transcriptions of supporting documents including my full transcription of his pension application as well as all affidavits and letters therein. Though it is now over 200 pages, this project is FAR from complete and so is nowhere near ready for publication, but I wanted to post here what I have so far in case it might be of help to others of Isaac’s descendants in their genealogical research. Eventually I plan to make it available on amazon so that relatives can have access to it in the more professional eBook and paperback formats, along with my historical fiction novels ➚ that I already have for sale there.
Isaac’s book is separated into sections by chronology and geographical locations, and also includes a multitude of historical background information. During the Summer of 2015 I plan to fly down to the southeastern States to do further research and, after that, I will have photos to include of various areas in which he lived, and hopefully transcriptions of additional documents.
Since this file, though yet incomplete, is too extensive to paste directly, I will include it in PDF format below. Feel free to download it for personal genealogical use, but please understand that it is copyrighted and, therefore, posting it elsewhere online, reproducing it or altering the content in any way is strictly prohibited. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about any of the content in this file, please use the Contact Me tab to visit with me about it. Enjoy!
The following is an extremely brief version of his story:
Isaac Brewer, son of Howell Brewer Jr, was born 15 May 1763 in the Creek and Cherokee Nations, in an area that later became Wilkes County, Georgia. After a brief stay in Bedford County, Virginia his father moved the family to Orange (later Chatham) County, North Carolina and this is where Isaac spent most of his growing up years, along the Haw River.
It was here that he joined the North Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War, just after his 16th birthday. He initially followed his uncle, out of curiosity. Though he was a small and sickly boy, he was very expert with a gun and when someone in the company passed him one, he mustered with them. Not long after that, he and his uncle were captured by the British in South Carolina. Some time later, after he’d rejoined his company, he was shot in the back during an ordered retreat from an especially bloody battle. By the time he’d recovered, the war was over in that part of the country.
After living among various relations, he soon moved back to the frontiers of Georgia. Here he sometimes lived at a fort, affording him a bit more safety during Indian troubles. On one occasion when he was walking outside of the fort, a woman ran past him in hysterics. He understood her to be yelling, “Indian!” It was then the he saw a brave with a gun trained on the poor woman. Isaac shot and killed him before he could even get off a shot. Soon others from the fort came running, and the other Indians were killed, and Isaac carried the woman to safety and saw to it that she was nursed back to health.
Also while in Georgia, Isaac got married to his first wife at the age of about 30. We do not know the name of his first wife. Some speculate that it was Elizabeth Strong, but I do not believe this. There were two Isaac Brewers of about the same age, and it was the other who married that lady. His first wife must have died quite young, because he was married to Sarah before 1800.
Isaac fought in the Oconee Indian Wars for several years during this time. For two of those years, he was an Indian Spy, keeping track of their activities to ensure the safety of the white settlers. His service in these wars was along the Oconee River, which was the boundary between the whites and the Indian lands. During one particular battle with the Indians, he was stabbed twice with a butcher knife in the left thigh and cut severely on the left hand. He never completely recovered proper mobility after that, though it didn’t slow him down much.
Once the War of 1812 broke out, Isaac again enlisted. He was used to living the life of a soldier, and his strong sense of patriotism for his country did not allow him to sit back and let the younger men do all the fighting. He joined the “Silver Grays”, and when that group of old men didn’t get called into action, he hired himself out as a wagon driver and was soon accepted into service.
Some time later, Isaac Brewer moved to Tennessee, first to Blount County, then McMinn County, and finally to Bradley County. In about 1841 or 1842, he moved up in the spurs of the mountains of Talladega County, Alabama where he lived out the rest of his life.
He was described as an honest, hardworking, go-head sort of man, who loved to tell stories, had an exuberant personality and carried his age well. He enjoyed the company of the young more than the old, and was said to be a lively, joking sort of man. He worked hard to take care of his 7 children and the 2 orphans that he raised. Though he was poor and in need, he never applied for a pension for his service in the Revolution until he was so frail and old that he had no choice. When others asked why, he said that he did not want to look like a beggar and that he had fought for his country’s freedom, not his country’s money. Sadly, by the time he did apply, there was no one left living that had served in his company and could vouch for him, so his application was denied and he died dirt poor and destitute.
Isaac Brewer lived a good life of love and sacrifice for his family and country, a truly brave man who did his best. He did not care about laying up treasures or acquiring wealth. He cared about what was really important. I revere and respect him, and I intend for his story not to be lost in time…
By Mary Andersen (2015)
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