Immigrated from Cologne, Germany.
He went to Brazil in 1641, on the "Swol", as a soldier for the Dutch West India Co. He came to New Amsterdam in 1642, from Cuelen {Cologne] and bought a house of Hendrick Jansen, blacksmith, on Feb 21 1645. In 1647, he received a patent for a lot on Manhattan Island, but sold it Aug 19, 1656, to Dirk Van Schelluyne. Shortly afterwards he removed to Brooklyn. Flour Miller. He built the first flour mill in North America, at Gowanus, with Isaac De Forest [land patented Jul 8, 1645, to Jan Evertsen Bout], later called the "Old Gowanus Mill", or "Freeke's Mill" [The property was sold by Adolphus Brouwer to John C. Freeke in 1798.] They were originally tenants of Bout, but Bout gave the land to his children in 1667. During the Battle of Long Island, in the American Revolution, much fighting took place around the mill site [just North of Union, West of Nevin and east of Bond]. His House, wich burned in 1852, was on Carroll, mid-way between Nevin and Third Ave. Adam Brouwer was sole owner and operator, 1663-1693. His sons established a new mill in the same neighborhood, known as Denton's Mill. He was also a soldier for the Dutch West Infia Co. above from NYG&B Record

Origin: Adam Brouwer Berchoven seems to have come from Cologne, Germany. According to Totten [Totten01 67:105], Adam Brouwer was described as "a young man from Ceulen [Cologne]" when he married Magdalena Jacobs Verdon. William Brower Bogardus (Anneke Jans and Everardus Bogardus Descendants Association, 1121 Linhof Rd., Wilmington, OH 45177-2917) has been working with Prof. Frijoff from the Amsterdam Free University on the question of Adam Brouwer's origin. Mr. Bogardus wrote in his Holiday Season 1997 "Dear 'Cousin'" letter: "Incidentally, for those who have been seeking the correct parents and ancestry of Adam Brouwer (proof of those already allegedly identified not having been presented)... there is a very high probability that Adam was not only from Cologne but also of German rather than Dutch origin. His birth name may have been "Adolph" and it is possible that the Berchoven name had nothing to do with his family's origin at all."

Occupation(s): Dutch West India Company soldier. Miller in New Amsterdam on long Island.

Adam Brouwer Berkhoven immigrated from Cologne about 1642 to New Amsterdam
(New York). He later dropped the last name, and used Brouwer. His descendants mainly use the Brower spelling.

He married Magdelena Jacobs Verdon on 3-19-1645 in New Amsterdam, in the Reformed Dutch Church.

Adam and Magdalena had the following children:
Pieter, Jacob, Aelttie, Mathys, William, Adam, Abraham, Nicholas, Mary, Fytie, Helena, Anna, Sara, Rachel.

This Brouwer family lived on Long Island. When he died he left a will which dispossed of a lot of property to his heirs.