The Brewer name is a distinguished one, dating back to the Normans. According to "The Ancient History of the Distinguished Surname of Brewer,"  the name Brewer "emerged as a notable English family name in the country of Devon. The name comes from the ancient Norman "Bruyere" meaning a heath, from Calvados, Normandy, and probably, the most famous person in ancient times was Thibaut de la Bruyere, a great crusader who went on several crusades to the Holy Land. There were many notables with this name: Frank Brewer, the British Diplomat; the Right Reverend John Brewer, Chaplain to Pope Paul; Sam Pope Brewer, a journalist; William Brewer, an American Diplomat; Leo Brewer, a chemist."

During the later years of slavery, it is most probable that a plantation owner named Brewer bought a slave named Robert who took on his name. Or perhaps Robert changed his name after slavery ended.  We are not sure and hope that a Brewer will do this research. Despite how Robert acquired his name, we do know that he and Emiline took Brewer, gave their children a sense of pride to have it, and the Black Brewers have flourished for many generations.