General Notes

Source: David Brewster's' brother's tree on A.com

BB: I have been looking at Robert Brewster.  There is no indication that the family lore of him being dropped off in Philly at a young age is accurate.  He arrived in 1896, age 20, a farmer.  He soon married a widow and lived in Philly and then Upper Darby, PA.  They had 4 children and he had 2 step sons.  Everything seems to match well....only one census says he came in 1876 but all others say 1896...so it may just be very faint and not read correctly.
I don't see anything in the records that would lead me to believe James left his son, Robert, in Philadelphia at a young age with someone he may have related to.  All the records except one (which is probably mistranscribed) says he came to America in 1896 (3 Census records and a ship list document this) when he was about 20 and he was a farmer born in Ireland.  He married Mary Ellen Powers, a widow, with 2 sons (possibly Catholic) and they are shown in the Census records from 1900-1930 - first in Philadelphia and then in Upper Darby, Delaware Co., PA.  He was a bartender in Philly and later a Real Estate Broker.  The 1900 Census is the only strange one at first as it says they were married 10 years with 2 children BUT it turns out this is referring to her previous marriage.  You have to look at the later Census records to determine this.  This is the one, also, that appears to say he came in 1876 (which would mean he was abt 3 years old but this is wrong).