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Note: N218 M.S. University of Minnesota 1913. Employed by electrical and battery firms in NYC and Niagara Falls, NY. From 1923-1955 was advertising salesman and executive for the Christian Science Monitor in Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Boston. His final position was assistant advertising manager. “Billy” was fond of golf, people, politics, gardening, rich foods, the Old West, and fishing. He was a proud man, especially of his descent from Elder William Brewster. (from Wm M Brewster’s Brewster Genealogy document 1977)
1909 Minneapolis Minnesota City Directory: Brewster, Wm E carrier b 717 Kenwood Pkway
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1916 - July 19 - Minneapolis Morning Tribune - “Mr. and Mrs. William Edward Brewster of Cleveland will leave Saturday for the East after visiting Mrs. Brewster’s mother, Adele R. McCray, 411 Twelfth avenue southeast, and Mr. Brewster’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Brewster, 717 Kenwood boulevard. Mr. and Mrs. William Brewster will make their home in Brooklyn.”
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MINNEAPOLIS.—Christian Science Society of University of Minnesota. President William Edwards Brrwster; Secretary, Miss Florence Louise McCray, 327 Bth Avenue, S. E. Meetings, first and third Friday In each month, 7.45 P.M. Room 301, Folwell Halt
from: The Christian Science Journal By Mary Baker Eddy, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, First Church of Christ, Scientist (Boston, Mass.) Published by The Christian Science Publishing Society., 1911 Item notes: v.29 (Apr.-Sept. 1911) ________________________
The McCray girls attended Lincoln Elementary School in St. Paul and then Alice and Florence went on to Central High School. Alice enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1907, two months before Josephine died. Florence enrolled three years later. While they were in the university the family moved to Minneapolis and William got a job with the Minnesota Drug Co.
Florence Louse was a good student at St. Paul Central High School where she prepared herself for entrance to the University of Minnesota. There she majored in German, graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1914. While in the University she met William Edwards Brewster, a student in the school of Electrical Engineering. (William was a direct descendant of Elder William Brewster of Plymouth Colony. His more recent ancestors were early pioneers of Indiana and Illinois. William was born 10 Apr 1890, the son of a Minneapolis realtor.)
The courtship which began in college led to marriage a few months after Florence graduated. The couple first lived in Cleveland, Oh, where William worked for the company which was soon to become General Electric Company. About two years later they moved to New York City where they lived on Staten Island. William then worked for the Sperry Corp. as an illuminating engineer on U.S. Navy submarines. Here their first child was stillborn. Florence attended the New York School of Secretarial Science and got a secretarial job in a Wall Street office. In 1919 William became advertising manager for a battery manufacturer in Niagara Falls, NY. This was the start of a career in advertising which lasted the rest of his working life.
Two children were born in Niagara Falls: Nancy Josephine Brewster, 6 July 1920; William McCray Brewster 22 March 1922. Here William became First Reader in the Christian Science Church. In the latter part of 1922, William was hired as an advertising representative for the Christian Science Monitor. He submitted a brochure to the Monitor advertising himself. This so impressed the advertising manager that he got the job. However the position required that the family move back to Ohio, where they lived in Cleveland Heights. Theodore Edwards Brewster was born there 18 Sep 1924.
Later that year Florence's sister and family moved from Minneapolis to Cleveland Heights. William was transferred to the Detroit office of the Monitor in 1928 so the family moved to Birmingham, MI. They moved again in 1935 to Bloomfield Hills, MI. During this period Florence was clerk of the local branch church and also was active in a music club. She was an accomplished pianist, music being a traditional part of the McCray family life.
The family moved again in 1940 to Highland Park, IL, when WIlliam was transferred to Chicago. With the children at High School and college ages, Florence went back to work as a secretary at Fort Sheridan, IL.
The transfer and family move in 1942 proved to be their last. At that time William became national advertising manager for the Monitor in Boston. They moved to Newton, MA. Florence became clerk of the First Church of Newton and she worked as a secretary at Wellesley College.
William retired in 1955. After a brief period of retirement during which he enjoyed himself gardening, he died 24 April, 1957. He was buried in Boston's Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Florence lived on at the Newton residence until 1973 when she moved to Alliance, OH to live with her daughter, Nancy Eberle. She died there in 1979 and was buried next to William in Boston.
Florence was a beautiful, gracious and accomplished lady. She was intellectual, although disliked the term as being 'unfeminine'. Throughout her life her chief interests were her family, her church and music.
by John McCray Merriell
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The following is a transcription of a letter William Edwards Brewster wrote in 1901, when he was 11 years old and visiting his grandparents on the old Brewster homestead in Pike County, Illinois. Spelling in the original has been preserved.
Brewster, Ill May 21, 1901
Dear Mother,
I arived hear about 6 o'clock in the afternoon and met Louis and Minnie at the station. When I got to the house I went out and looked at the sheep and diferent things. Grandpa has one hundred twenty lawn-mowers as he calls them because when the grass begins to get long he lets the sheep in and they mow it for him. There are ten small pet lambs which I and Aunt Anna have to feed with milk from a bottle with a niple. We feed the lambs in the morning and at night when Grandpa calls the rest of the sheep in.
The gray mare has a little colt about two weeks old. Aunt Anna has about one hundred chickens, one gobler, four or five turkey hens and three or four broods of little chickens. She also has one brood of little turkeys under the care of a hen and an other brood all hatched except one and two other turkeys setting. I get all the eggs down in the barn and help to get the eggs in the chicken house. Yesterday I got twenty three eggs down in the barn and with them and the rest of the eggs gathered there were over six dozen.
I drive the cows out in the morning and bring them back at night. I have a great deal of fun with the dogs, Fritz and Dutch. Sunday I went to town for sunday school and at night went with Authur the hired man to the school house. I killed a small black snake by the barn and saw two black snakes on the bluff.
I help grandma by getting wood. Aunt Anna told me to tell you that I was a good boy. Grandma is nearly well and went to town today. She would have wrote sooner but she has been sort of nervous.
The roads and fields are very dusty and we are in great need of rain.
Your loving son
William
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Dearest Nancy,
Your leather packet with the grand set of pictures of yourself and Fritz and Fritzie & Bill is a real treasure and I thank you very very much for including me on your picture list. I do not recall having seen a finer set of family pictures. Certainly no one would have suspected you were entertaining twin angels at the time. You look so happy and natural and lovely - and Fritz and Bill also look fine - but you know that the phases of expression captured on Fritzie are beyond comment they are so entrancing! I hope that by next Christmas there will be more photos showing the twins to add to the packet.
It was certainly grand to talk with you and to hear from Grandma today that she also had talked with you on the phone. I have been winding up my overdue vacation over Christmas & New Year but go back to work on a regular basis Thurs Jan 2.
It has been nice to have some time to spend with Eddie even if he did sleep a lot both day and night. I wish you might take things as easy as he has been doing. I wish you might hang the twins up here and let us care for them and Fritzie while you rested. Remember your invited! - including Fritz! Ties, handkerchiefs, a picture of Mrs. Eddy - a picture framed - a book from Aunt Katherine - Rare envelopes from Ed- Cheese from Bill and baskets of fruit and nuts with dried fruit made a nice Christmas on top of your lovely pictures.
With much love to all of you
Dad
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1921 - NIAGARA FALLS First Church - FIrst Reader William Edwards Brewster - Sunday 11 AM, 7:30 PM; Wed * PM; R Rm 2 to 5 PM; 7:30 to 9:30 PM Tues Fri 650 aPark pl.
(From The Christian Science Journal, Vol. 39; 1921)
1930 Census - William E Brewster (39), Florence (38), Nancy (9), William (8), Edward (5) are living at 579 Chesterfield, Birmingham Village, Bloomfield Twp., Oakland County, MI. William E Brewster is a manager in advertising for a newspaper.
1940 Census - William E Brewster (50), Florence L (48), WIlliam (18) and Edwards T (15) are living at 515 Long Lake Road, Bloomfield, Oakland, Michigan. William (the father) was district advertising manager for a "daily magazine" (Christian Science Monitor), making $5000 a year, and had other income as well, but not specified. He was working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. They were renting their home for $70 a month.
1940 - Moved to Highland Park, IL. The address for the Brewsters in the 1930 census, 579 Chesterfield, Birmingham, MI, shows a different family in the 1940 census.
Daugher, Nancy, told of a fire that destroyed their rented home in Bloomfield. Bloomfield didn’t have a fire department, and neighboring Birmingham refused to respond to the fire. The family lost everything.
1942 U. S. World War II Draft Registration - William Edwards Brewster living at 1016 Oak St, Highland Park, Lake County, IL; telephone Highland Pk 1018; age 52; born 10 Apr 1890 Minneapolis, MN; person who will always know his address: Florence M Brewster 1016 Oak St, Highland Park, IL; Employer: Christian Science Monitor 333 Building (29th floor) Michigan Blvd, Chicago, IL.; race white, height 5 ft 11 inches, weight 210, blue eyes, gray hair, ruddy complexion.
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William Edwards Brewster died in 1957 and was buried in Mr. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
WILLIAM EDWARDS BREWSTER
Interred 4/27/1957
Location: MEADOW ROAD, Lot 9801 ___________
WILLIAM EDWARDS BREWSTER
Birth: Apr. 9, 1890 Minneapolis Hennepin County Minnesota, USA Death: Apr. 24, 1957 Newton Middlesex County Massachusetts, USA [Edit Dates]
[Add Bio] Family links: [Edit] Parents: Charles Ellis Brewster (1861 - 1942) Fannie May Edwards Brewster (1861 - 1931) Spouse: Florence Louise McCray Brewster (1891 - 1979)* Sibling: William Edwards Brewster (1890 - 1957) Nancy Eugenie Brewster Chapin (1891 - 1968)* *Calculated relationship [Add Marker Transcription] [Add Note] Burial: [Edit] Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge Middlesex County Massachusetts, USA Plot: Meadow Road lot 9801 [Edit Plot] Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?] Created by: Mimsey Tove Record added: Oct 05, 2014 Find A Grave Memorial# 136855431
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