John's life started out innocently enough with his birth on November 14th, 1678 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Somerset, New Jersey in 1702 and he married Sarah Van Middleswardt two years later. John and Sarah started their family of nine children in October 1705 and acquired 300 acres of land on the Millstone River, pictured above, and eight negro slaves. Millstone River flows northward through southern Somerset County into the Raritan River. The name of their place of residence was "Three Mile Run".
The obvious wealth of this man alerts me to his manner of living. Evidently, John was protective of his family and property because he "Served as a noted Indian fighter and in 1715 served in Captain Peter De Mott's 6th Company of Col. Thomas Farmer's Regiment of New York Militia."
John died on the 16th of October 1740 at age 61 in Raritan, Somerset, New Jersey.
JOHN BROUCARD
BORN: 14 Nov 1678 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
MARRIED: 10 Oct 1704 in Somerset, NJ
DIED: 16 Oct 1740 in Raritan, Somerset, NJ
SOURCES: Old Militia Miles, FTW; Ancestral Files at FamilySearch.org; Book: Brokaw/Bragaw Families by Mrs. Elsie Foster; Will of John Broucard.
A mistake was made during last Thanksgiving week: I omitted the story about our fifth great grandmother, "Sary" Swartwoudt, the spouse of William Custard. I must have been too busy being grateful for my big Thanksgiving dinner that week. I apologize about having to back track a little, but I would not want you to miss knowing about our Swartwoudt ancestry.
Sarah was born in 1735 in Upper Smithfield, Pennsylvania. She married William on the fifth day of August in 1754 at Machackeneck, Minisink Valley, Orange, New York. Sarah and William and their fourteen children lived and farmed in this valley for a number of years.
Their children:
1755 Jane (our ancestor)
1756 Isaac
1762 Susannah
1762 Abraham
1768 Jacob
1771 Mary
1773 Margaret
1775 William, Jr.
1775 John
1777 Catherine
1780 Sarah
1782 Benjamin
1784 Rebecca
1790 Samuel
Sary lived to be 92 years old! She died in 1827 at Egypt Mills, Northampton, Pike, PA and is buried at the Stairville Cemetery in Egypt Mills.
Sources: Book: "Our Brokaw/Bragaw Heritage" by Mrs. Elsie Foster, page 49; Book: "Swartwout Chronicles", written in 1899, page 591; New Jersey marriage record on microfilm of Sarah's parents at familysearch.org; Marriage of Swartwoudt/Custard, Film printout; Burial info from Searles and Prior File at www.gencircles.com
Catharina was born in Wurtemburg, Germany on the 27th of February 1711. She married Matthias Ley in 1732 in Wurtemburg. Their children were all born in Pennsylvania and were named as follows:
Sybilla M.1734
J. George 1735
Maria C. 1738
Michael 1740, our ancestor
Anna C. 1742
Susanna 1742
Matthias 1749
Maria M. 1750
J. Adam 1754
Catharina died on the 14th day of December 1786, at age 75. She was buried at the Friedens Cemetery in Stony Run, Berk, PA. The executor of her will, proved on the 6th of Jan 1787, was Philip Kugler.
Our sixth great grandfather, Mathias Loy/Mattes Ley, was born in Wurttemberg, Germany on the 22nd day of February in 1706. His future wife, Anna Maria Kumpf was also born in Wurttemberg in 1711. They married in Wurttemberg in 1732.
The Loys were not well-to-do and were redemptioners who contracted to pay for their passage to America by bond service for a specified period of time.
They arrived in America on 17 Aug 1733 on the ship Samuel. The master of the ship was Captain Hugh Percy. Mathias was sold to a farmer in Berks County, PA for his passage. At the Philadelphia port office, Mathias and Anna took the oath of allegiance.
It appears that this couple's children were all born and baptized in Pennsylvania. Their first child was daughter, Sybilla, born in June 1734. They had 10 children in all. The family attended the church called Frieden's Evangelical Lutheran Church near Wessnerville, in Berks County.
In 1762, Mathias wrote a will, at age 56. In 1763, Mathias was a tax collector in Berks County. In 1765, he earned his naturalization papers.
On the 26th of August 1783, Mathias passed away and was buried at the Frieden's Church Cemetery, the older portion of the cemetery at Frieden's Church, also known as New Allemangel or White Church, located near Wessnersville, Albany Twp. Many years ago the gravestones were located, deciphered, and recorded by Mrs.Sarah Kistler Brown, and some years later by Sylvester K. Loy. The original stones were in German spelling, and dates of birth preceded by Anno Christo (A.C). The original stones were in German script and stated that "to him and his wife, Anna Maria, had been born 10 children of whom 3 sons and 4 daughters survive. Evidently 3 children had died before Mathias wrote his will in 1762. [Perhaps their deaths prompted Mathias to write his early will?]
Before Mathias' descendant, Sylvester Kline Loy died, 20 October 1956, in Clearwater, FL, he provided a double gravestone for Mattes and Maria Ley to assure that the graves of these early ancestors would be marked for many years to come. He had inscribed on the new tombstone: "Mattes Ley Feb. 22.1706 Aug.25.1783 and Maria Ley Feb.27.1711 Dec. 14.1786 Landed at Philadelphia Aug. 17.1733" The old stones stand to the right.
MATTES LEY
BORN: 22 Feb 1706 in Wurttemburg, Germany
MARRIED: 1732 in Wurttemburg, Germany
DIED: 25 Aug 1783 in Albany, Berks, PA
SOURCES: Information abstracted from the book "Michael Loy (1740-1823)" page vi. Author, Gerald E. Collins. U.S. and Canada Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500-1900. Philadelphia port. Source Publication code 1804. Annotation: Taken from original manuscripts in the state archives Names 1-677, arriving in PA 521-667 $3776. Source Bibliography: Egle, Wm. Henry, editor. Names of foreigners who took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of PA 1727-1775 Pennsylvania German Pioneers, vol. 1 by Strassburger and Hinke, page 106; Matthew Ley and Anna Maria Ley on Ship Samuel, 1733.
John's life started out innocently enough with his birth on November 14th, 1678 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Somerset, New Jersey in 1702 and he married Sarah Van Middleswardt two years later. John and Sarah started their family of nine children in October 1705 and acquired 300 acres of land on the Millstone River, pictured above, and eight negro slaves. Millstone River flows northward through southern Somerset County into the Raritan River. The name of their place of residence was "Three Mile Run".
