Line 18
Robert Brassier
From France to England
Thousands of
Puritans left England for religious reasons, as did many from other counties in
Europe during the Seventeenth Century. Among them were the Huguenots, including
the Brassier or Brashear family.
Robert Brassier was born about about 1595 in Carpentras,
France
Married possibly Elizabeth Fowle
or a woman named Florence in France.
Their children were:
1. Benjamin (Benoit) Brassier or Brashears born about 1620, probably
in France and died 04 December 1662 Calvert Co., Maryland. He married Mary
Richford.
2.
Mary Brassier died young in Virginia
John Brassier
married Mary Cocke River that genealogists have tried to tie Robert to but have
not successed. However we do know that Robert was a French Huguenot. In the
Sixteenth century, growing numbers of Frenchmen and women were being pulled
toward the writings of John Calvin, the French theologian who inspired the
protestant reformation in France. Calvin was forced to flee France for
Switzerland because his teachings which caused violent uprisings by the
threatened Roman Catholics. Many of his followers stayed in France but the
violence continued and by the end of the Seventeenth century over 200,00
Huguenots (as the followers of Calvin were called in France) had fled France.
Robert
married and had children. The name of his wife has been suggested as either
Elizabeth Fowke from France or Florence. There was a Florence, connected to
Robert’s family who came over to Virginia in 1653, but if this was indeed
Robert’s wife, then she would have been an elderly woman at the time and such a
trip would have been hard on her. Some genealogist suggest that Florence was
actually the new wife of Robert Brashear Jr, who had returned to Europe in 1653
to bring back other family members.
Robert and his
wife had ten children, the older born in France, the middle ones born in
England and the two youngest, Margaret and Mary in Virginia.
Robert Brassure and Peter Rey were granted land in
Warrisquicke Creeke, Nanzemond County, Virginia the next year. "To all to
whom these presents shall come: I Sr[Sir] John harvey, Kt [Knight], Governor,
&c., send, &c. now know yee that I thete said Sr. John Harvey, Kt., doe
with consent of the Councell of State accordingly give and grant unto Robert
Brassure and Peter Rey six hundred acres of land seituate, lying and being in
the upper Countie of New Norfolke [land now in Nansemond Co., VA] lying north
east and south west along the south side of Creeke
upon the head of said Creeke and butting upon Nansemund River, alias Matrebers
river. The said six hundre acres of land being due unto them, the said Robert
Brassure and Peter Rey, by assignment form peter Johnson, to have and to hold,
&c. dated 24th February 1638" [VA Land Patents, Book 1, p. 622/Back p.
7}
In 1653
Robert was issued a land patent for twelve hundred acres in Nanzemond County on
the “southern branch of the Nanzemond River”. Persons with land patents in
early Virginia were expected to pay their way to their new land but were given
fifty acres for each person they paid passage for. Robert’s patent included
himself "Robert Brasseur, Florence his wife, Mary Brasseur, Persid Brasseur, Kathe Brasseur, Bennet
Brasseur" and non-family members "Marg. Stockwell, Geor. Juory...W.
Wroten, Thos Parker, Jno. sutton, Joh. Stephens, Step Dordan, Jon Loyd, Jon.
Bott., Symon Iron, Jon Barefield, Eliz. Patemen, Geor Daldye, Wm. Ball, Nicho.
Maroise, Tho. Pursell, Ra. Ellis and Jon Abby.” Also on this date, a patent was
issued to Robert Senior’s son Benjamin Brasseur.
I have
not been able to discover when or where Robert died but it is strongly possible
that he died on his acres on the Nanzemond River several years after the 1653
land patent was issued.
Robert
must have been a man of adventure and courage and faith. He fled France in
order to serve his God in his own way and then took a risk to come to the New
World to carve out a life there.
***SOURCES***
1.
http://www.next1000.com/family/EC/brassieur.robt.html by Cheryl Grubb
2.
http//www.bellucc1.com/melonbel/brashears.html
"My Brasseur/Brashear(s)
Connection"
3.
http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/pattbrasher1.htm
4.
Early Families of Southern Maryland, Vol 4, Brashear
1.
The Brashear (Brasseur) Family
7.
Virginia Land Patents, book 1, page 622
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