Joseph Brewer, son of Isaac and Sarah Brewer, was born in 1811 or 1812 in Georgia. His father was a man of deep patriotic sentiments and well acquainted with being a soldier, having served in the Revolutionary War and the Oconee Wars when he was young. He joined a group called the Silver Grays when the War of 1812 broke out, in which he worked to encourage and teach the younger men in the ways of war. When he saw no real action during that time, he became restless to be of greater service.
When Joseph was only a year or two old, Isaac hired out as a wagon driver for some military men. He then went on to Fort Hawkins on the fringes of the Georgia frontier and was soon accepted into service under the captain of the wagon yard. He later was hired as a substitute soldier, which service took him far from home, deep through the wilds of Indian lands, in what is now Georgia and Alabama. Joseph’s sister later recalled seeing their father leave with his knapsack. One can only imagine how sad it must have been for these young children to watch him leave, not fully understanding what was going on or if he was coming back. Thankfully, Isaac did eventually return. What a welcoming he must have received!
When Joseph was only a year or two old, Isaac hired out as a wagon driver for some military men. He then went on to Fort Hawkins on the fringes of the Georgia frontier and was soon accepted into service under the captain of the wagon yard. He later was hired as a substitute soldier, which service took him far from home, deep through the wilds of Indian lands, in what is now Georgia and Alabama. Joseph’s sister later recalled seeing their father leave with his knapsack. One can only imagine how sad it must have been for these young children to watch him leave, not fully understanding what was going on or if he was coming back. Thankfully, Isaac did eventually return. What a welcoming he must have received!
Joseph grew up on a farm in Georgia and then Blount County in eastern Tennessee. By 1830, his father had moved the family to William Division, Eastern District, McMinn County, Tennessee. Not long after that, in 1832, the Treaty of Cussetta was signed which opened up greater possibility for settlement in Alabama.
It was about that time, or within the next couple of years, that Joseph moved to Talladega County, Alabama. This was the approximate location of the Battle of Talladega, where General Andrew Jackson and the Tennessee Militia had defeated the Red Stick Creek Indians during the War of 1812 which, in that area, was really a war with the Indians more so than the British. This was also near the path that Joseph’s father had marched during that same war.
After the treaty was signed, a new wave of settlers flooded the area, initially making their homes at Big Spring, the site of the present day city of Talladega. Many came from the Atlantic Piedmont region as well as older counties in Alabama. This area was still a wilderness and was a part of the old Creek Nation, previously only populated by the Indians and a few white squatters and traders. 2
It was about that time, or within the next couple of years, that Joseph moved to Talladega County, Alabama. This was the approximate location of the Battle of Talladega, where General Andrew Jackson and the Tennessee Militia had defeated the Red Stick Creek Indians during the War of 1812 which, in that area, was really a war with the Indians more so than the British. This was also near the path that Joseph’s father had marched during that same war.
After the treaty was signed, a new wave of settlers flooded the area, initially making their homes at Big Spring, the site of the present day city of Talladega. Many came from the Atlantic Piedmont region as well as older counties in Alabama. This area was still a wilderness and was a part of the old Creek Nation, previously only populated by the Indians and a few white squatters and traders. 2
The settling of this and other nearby counties reignited the long smouldering fire of conflict between the Whites and the Creek Indians. The settlers were, therefore, ordered to abandon the area for five years while the land was surveyed. In exception to this were those who had obtained their land without driving out Indians in the process, and who still needed to yet gather their crops.
The settlers refused to concede and, in fact, even more began to move in as well. The Indians appealed to the government, who ordered that the militia be engaged to drive the white settlers out by force, in order to see that the treaty agreements were followed. Alabama’s governor then made protest to the Secretary of War in behalf of the squatters. A land agent was sent who allowed a more peaceful alternative. It was decided that those outside of the Indian lands could remain, and those within could purchase their land from the Indians at a reasonable sum. 2
The settlers refused to concede and, in fact, even more began to move in as well. The Indians appealed to the government, who ordered that the militia be engaged to drive the white settlers out by force, in order to see that the treaty agreements were followed. Alabama’s governor then made protest to the Secretary of War in behalf of the squatters. A land agent was sent who allowed a more peaceful alternative. It was decided that those outside of the Indian lands could remain, and those within could purchase their land from the Indians at a reasonable sum. 2
Additional settlers then flooded the area, building cabins on either side of McIntosh Road, then called McIntosh’s Trace. This route ran from present day Talladega, east along the southern edge of the Choccolocco Valley and through the mountains just north of Cheaha Mountain, then through Hollis Crossroads in Cleburne County before crossing into Georgia.
Their settlement continued to be concentrated mainly near present day Talladega, which became the county seat after a vote in 1833. It is possible that Joseph voted at that time, if he was indeed in the area by then, though I’ve never examined the record to determine if this is the case. A large priority after this was to lay out roads through the wilderness. There is some possibility that Joseph Brewer was involved in this also, as it would have taken a fair bit of labor to accomplish the task. 2
Their settlement continued to be concentrated mainly near present day Talladega, which became the county seat after a vote in 1833. It is possible that Joseph voted at that time, if he was indeed in the area by then, though I’ve never examined the record to determine if this is the case. A large priority after this was to lay out roads through the wilderness. There is some possibility that Joseph Brewer was involved in this also, as it would have taken a fair bit of labor to accomplish the task. 2
Early in 1834, land was advertised for sale and it was then that many more settlers moved there from surrounding counties, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas. 2 If Joseph Brewer was not yet in Talladega County, it is extremely likely that he arrived from Tennessee at that time, as his first child was born there that same year. In fact, all of his 10 children – James Jasper, Susan, Sylvanus, Sarah, Rosanna Jane, Euphemia, Elizabeth, Columbus, Druscilla Artamissa, and Hester – were born there. It is unclear exactly when and where Joseph married Elizabeth, but I would estimate the event to have taken place about 1833 in Tennessee or Alabama. He appeared on the Census there in Talladega County in 1840.
Talladega was mostly an agricultural county, and this was Joseph’s trade as well. By 1851, he had begun homesteading a 40 acre tract near Silver Run. His parents have moved to the region in about 1842 from Bradley County, Tennessee and settled in this same area, their farms being only a couple of miles apart. Joseph’s land was roughly at the junction of Hopeful and Cedars Roads, and Isaac’s was about a mile south of Silver Run in the Bell Spring / Salt Creek area. 5
In 1846, Joseph’s father applied for a pension for his service in the Revolutionary War, and more paperwork was filed in 1851. Though I’ve not found much about Joseph in records of the area, he did give an affidavit that year to further his father’s efforts. It was brief, but he did indicate that he was a very patriotic man, as was his father. Part of Joseph’s statement reads as follows, “he was but a boy at that time [when his father spoke to a fellow veteran about the war], but has often felt the Patriotic fires stream through his frame at the recitations of their Scenes, trials & difficulties and that the general tenure of their Conversation was fully Calculated to impress any one with the fact of their both Serving their Country faithfully in the times that tried many Souls…” It is obvious that he loved his father and looked up to him for having served in such a just cause, no matter how difficult and dangerous it must have been. 1
Isaac’s pension application process dragged on without success, and it obviously became a great priority to see to it that his wife and spinster daughter were provided for. He became more feeble and worried for their welfare, should he die. He had a will drawn up to allow them to make use of any of his few assets and any pension, should it ever be granted. According to Joseph’s mother, the will caused animosity between them and Joseph. About a year after Isaac’s death, she became afraid that Joseph would attempt to take from her any pension that might eventually come. She had a letter drafted to that effect, to alert the pension office of this possibility. Part of it reads,
“Since the Claim was Sent to Washington my poor old husband has died and has Left me his bereaved & helpless widow and as I have understood it makes me the proper person according to the Laws on that Sort of Claims to receive & own the Pension… Now the main difficulty is this, my old man made a will before he died & made it in his right mind and in that will he Left that claim, Should any thing be allowed, to me my Lifetime & to the use of me and a Sickely daughter of ours [Elizabeth], and also Some other things which he thought would aid us in our helpless Situation to Live, this offended a Contrary & headstrong Son of ours & he is trying, & had been, to prevent the will, & mar my Claim & it is Said of him, being respected amoung the people that he has with the aid of others, the names of Some, are Curry, Bowie, & Knox, tried to induce the Department then to fix the claim over in his power with in the same of Some of these or himself as administrator, or upon Some other Place So as to deprive me of my Lawful rights in Some way. Now I was afraid Some misrepresentation might be Sent to your department, as through them Somehow, Some unjust advantages be gotten of me… if the doings of the others are regarded, all the desires of the old fathfull Soldier will be disappointed… The name of my Son alluded to is Joseph Brewer…” 1
I’ve no clue what Joseph’s side of the story was, however, or what ever happened to Joseph’s mother and sister after Isaac died. I would like to think that, in his wanting to take over the file, he meant only to act in his mother’s best interest but, at this point, there is no way of knowing. Hopefully they eventually made amends and he cared for them in their time of need.
The only thing I know of that Isaac received in regards to his application was a deed to the land he’d been squatting on in the spurs of the mountains of Talladega County near Silver Run. However, this was not finalized until after he had been dead for about two years. It is likely that the deed was, therefore, transferred either to Isaac’s widow, as he’d wished, or else to Joseph. I’ve not yet been able to find record of who it actually went to, but the name on the initial deed was Isaac’s.
The only thing I know of that Isaac received in regards to his application was a deed to the land he’d been squatting on in the spurs of the mountains of Talladega County near Silver Run. However, this was not finalized until after he had been dead for about two years. It is likely that the deed was, therefore, transferred either to Isaac’s widow, as he’d wished, or else to Joseph. I’ve not yet been able to find record of who it actually went to, but the name on the initial deed was Isaac’s.
In 1858, Joseph homesteaded another 40 acre parcel of land in neighboring St. Clair County in the Coosa Valley. I suspect that his oldest son, James Jasper Brewer, took over Joseph’s original 40 acre tract in Talladega County, as he and his wife were still living there in that area by 1860. At that time, a family could make a living off of 40 acres. Joseph may have gifted it to his son when he married.
I cannot find any record of Joseph or his father ever owning slaves. Talladega County had a lesser concentration of slaves than existed in south central Alabama, but many of Joseph’s neighbors operated on slave labor. In fact, by 1860, slaves comprised 39% of the county’s population. Thus, succession was a very heated topic.
The county was almost evenly split on the subject. I would think that the situation in St. Clair County was much the same. In 1861, the votes were counted and Alabama seceded from the Union, being the 4th state to do so. Alabama became a republic and a part of the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy, with Jefferson Davis elected as president. Montgomery, Alabama became the temporary capital. 2
The county was almost evenly split on the subject. I would think that the situation in St. Clair County was much the same. In 1861, the votes were counted and Alabama seceded from the Union, being the 4th state to do so. Alabama became a republic and a part of the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy, with Jefferson Davis elected as president. Montgomery, Alabama became the temporary capital. 2
It is interesting to contemplate what Joseph’s views might have been during this tumultuous time. On one hand, he had his father’s staunch patriotism to the United States. The man had fought for his country in the Revolution and the War of 1812, and told stories that Joseph found to be deeply moving. On the other, Joseph would have heard the heated conversations of his neighbors, many of whom felt a greater loyalty to their state than to their country. I do not know which side Joseph supported, only that some of his sons fought for the Confederacy.
This is not an immediate indication that Joseph supported these views, since the Civil War was known for pitting brother against brother and father against son. However, it is a definite possibility that he did. From what I’ve been able to gather, all of the Brewers that lived in Alabama and served in the Civil War fought for the Confederacy. Therefore, it is natural to conclude that Joseph considered himself to have such sympathies as well.
This is not an immediate indication that Joseph supported these views, since the Civil War was known for pitting brother against brother and father against son. However, it is a definite possibility that he did. From what I’ve been able to gather, all of the Brewers that lived in Alabama and served in the Civil War fought for the Confederacy. Therefore, it is natural to conclude that Joseph considered himself to have such sympathies as well.
Of Joseph’s 3 sons, at least 2 served in the Civil War. James Jasper Brewer enlisted in the Cavalry 5 Feb 1862 and became a Confederate Corporal. I’m not sure if Sylvanus served, but Columbus did. Since he was only 17 when he enlisted 26 May 1862 at Talladega, his father presented him for service, in effect giving his permission. This also indicated Joseph’s support for the Confederate cause. Otherwise, he might have run off and lied about his age in order to enlist, as many did.
Columbus committed to 3 years. Sadly, he died only 7 months later of disease in Canton, Mississippi. Many wounded confederate soldiers were transported there by train to be treated. Columbus was 5′ 10” with fair complexion, light colored hair and blue eyes.
Since Columbus had no dependents and had not been paid all he was owed before his death, Joseph applied to receive this money. I’m sure he was very much in need of it, as the South was very nearly ruined by the war. Many of the able bodied men were off fighting rather than home tending their farms. Soldiers also pillaged the civilians’ properties and took whatever they thought they needed in the way of livestock, grain and supplies during the time that the Union Army occupied the area.
Columbus committed to 3 years. Sadly, he died only 7 months later of disease in Canton, Mississippi. Many wounded confederate soldiers were transported there by train to be treated. Columbus was 5′ 10” with fair complexion, light colored hair and blue eyes.
Since Columbus had no dependents and had not been paid all he was owed before his death, Joseph applied to receive this money. I’m sure he was very much in need of it, as the South was very nearly ruined by the war. Many of the able bodied men were off fighting rather than home tending their farms. Soldiers also pillaged the civilians’ properties and took whatever they thought they needed in the way of livestock, grain and supplies during the time that the Union Army occupied the area.
Shortly after the war, several of Joseph’s children moved to Texas. I think this was largely due to the poverty in northern Alabama at that time. Perhaps they thought it would be to their benefit to start anew, and the 160 acres/family that was being offered in Texas under the Homestead Act was appealing as well. Joseph and his wife remained in St. Clair County, at least as of 1870. It is believe that he died there in 1874.
I don’t know where this assumption originated, although there is a widow pension document from his father’s file, which appeared to close the case as of that year. This might have been because Joseph was the only person still living who had been inquiring about the status of the claim. Once they learned of his death, they may have closed the file permanently. This is only a guess, however, as I have never found an exact death date for Joseph.
I don’t know where this assumption originated, although there is a widow pension document from his father’s file, which appeared to close the case as of that year. This might have been because Joseph was the only person still living who had been inquiring about the status of the claim. Once they learned of his death, they may have closed the file permanently. This is only a guess, however, as I have never found an exact death date for Joseph.
At any rate, suffice it to say that Joseph was born of hardy, frontier stock and was raised in a very patriotic home. He lived to see his father go off to fight in the War of 1812. He moved out into the wilds of Alabama and raised his family there on his farm. At some point, unlike his parents, he learned to read and write. Having had so many children, he undoubtedly has a vast number of descendants spread throughout the United States. At the time of his passing, his children and grandchildren seemed mostly to be in Alabama and Texas. I don’t know where he was buried or what became of his wife.
By Mary Andersen (2014)
If anyone knows any additional information about Joseph or his family, or has any photographs they would be willing to share, please leave a comment or contact me directly using the Contact Us tab.
1 – Pension Papers of Isaac Brewer ➚ - Fold3
2 – Inventory of the County, Archives of Alabama ➚ – Talladega County, pages 4-11
4 – Alabama in the Civil War ➚ – Wikipedia
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