There may be other children according to birth dates and research of Charles Brashear - perhaps sons Basil Brashear and John Brashas/Brashers. His second wife probably did not have had any children since they appear to be born after the Alice, widow of Thomas Jackson, renounces her right to administer Thomas's estate in 1679. This is in conflict with Back's research but birth dates of Robert Jr. reinforce the former position. It has also been the position of many researchers that Alice Jackson may have been the daughter of Thomas Sprigg. Charles Brashear doubts that this is true since there is no listing of an Alice in the Sprigg geneology records we have to date. We are looking for documentation that does prove beyond doubt who her parents were.

There is some conflict also in the death date of his mother in the records that were recorded by Troy Back from that of Charles Brashear.  His mother makes a will in April of 1663 shortly after Benois Brashear makes her a widow.  The court records guardianship for Robert put him with Benois' brother Robert Brashear.  Unfortunately Robert "The Elder" dies 5 Dec 1665, and the guardianship for Robert (still a minor) goes to Sampson Waring, a lawyer and family friend. 

1663, Aug 2- His mother remarries, as the wife of Thomas Sterling in Calvert Co., MD. "Thanks to his mother good management, foresight and concern for her children, Robert began adult life with a reasonable quality of those things that were so necessary for success in his day. In her will she coveyed to him two hundred acres of land, an servant, two cows (named Button and Cherry), and several items of household goods. Adding forth to his favorable situation was the location of his farm which was bounded on the east by Chesapeake Bay, a water still famous for its great variety of edible fish, and for its succulent oysters, crabs and clams. " [Back, Troy L. & Brashear, Leon. Brashear Story: A Family History, 1963, p. 18]

1667- His mother, Mary Brashear-Sterling dies. Robert by this date is twenty-one years old and the father of one child at this time. He is suspected of taking over the care of seven younger brothers and sisters. His step father had opted out of responsibility and did not make any allowances in his will for his step children, I suspect partially due to the pre-nuptial agreement before Mary married Thomas Sterling. It is theorized that he was a poor manager but he also was toiling on some poor quality land and had to support his father's remaining seven younger children. [Brashears p78]

1668-  His mother's will enters probate, meaning that she had died before this date and also before "The 10,000 pounds of tobacco was the purchase price of the 320 acres" for Robert Brashear "The Elder" could be paid due to his death in 1666. 

about 1677- Robert's first wife dies.  Although several women have been forwarded by various researchers.  Some have thought it was daughter of Thomas Paget Sr. whose will Robert was a witness but no record can confirm this.  Some have also supposed that the first wife could have been a daughter of Sampson Waring but no researchers have been able to prove this even from the Waring side.  Another possible research line has proposed that she could be a Billingsley, which is associated with the Paget family.  Several Brasseur daughters married into the Billingsley line so they have proved to close. 

1679- "Robert Brashear marries Alice, widow of Thomas Jackson, about 1679, when she renounced her right to administer the estate of her deceased husband, Thomas Jackson.  Some reserchers have thought she was possibly the daugther of Thomas Sprigg, but the Sprigg genealogy does not document an Alice at this time. ...
    Back reports:  "There seems to be adequate reason to assume that Allice was Robert's second wife, and that she very probably was not the mother of all his children.  Since it is almost certain that she renounced her administration of her late husband's estate not long after Thomas Jackson died [ and that she had remarried] , it seems she could not have been the mother of two of Robert's sons, Benjamin and Samuel, who by their own statement of, were born in 1666 and 1673, respectively. ..." [Brashears p78]

1710 - Robert Brashier makes his will, probated May 17, 1712. 

Robert, Jr. land boundary commission testimony puts his birthdate at 1675-76.

18 Nov 1748
"At the head of a glade about a hundred yards to the Eastward of the afsd place, Robert Brashears, aged about seventy five, being sworn upon the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, declareth that here or hereabout stood a bounded tree and that he was told by Capt Edmonston and Edward Wilson that it was Potts tree and that he lived about three hundred yards from this place about thirteen years and there was further saith not." This sworn statement was made with a commission to re-establish the metes and bounds of "Swanson's Lot" for Governor Calvert. [Brashear,. p78]

In the name of God, Almen. I, Robert Brashier, of Prince Georges County, getting sick of body, but of sound & perfect mind and memory -- praise be to Almighty God __ do make and ordain this may last will and testament in manner and form following : first, I comend my soul into the hands of God, my Savior; and my body I comitt to the earth to be buried at the discretion of my executor, hereafter named. And as for my temporal estate, I give and disopose thereof, as follows: first, I will that my debts be duly paid and discharged. Item: I give unto my sone, Robert Brashier, one of my two mares, vist [namely], the yougest of the two. All the rest and residue of estate, real and personal goods and chattells whatsoever, I do give and bequeath unto my loveing, dutifull son, Saml. Brashier, and his heires forever, whom I hereby ordain full and sole executor of this my last will and testament. And I do hereby revoak and make void all former wills and testaments by me heretofore made. In Wittnesse Whereof, I , the said Robert Brashier, to this my last will and testament to set my hand and seale, this fourth day of August, 1710.

Signed, sealed, published, and declared
in the presence of us: Clems. Hill, Robt. Brashier
Edwd. Holmes, Wm. Holmes.

The undated inventory of Robert's meager personal estate follows:
A true and just inventory of the goods & chattells of Robt. Brasshear, Senr., late of Prince Georges county, deceased, taken and appraised by us whose names are under written:

		To 1 feather bed & boulster	                ____  14 shillings 
	To 1 2-gall. pott and hooks	                ____   5	" 
	To 1 small iron pestle	                    	____   2 sh / 6 pence
	To 1 pr. of old iron pott racks and ladle       ____   4 sh / 6 pence
	To 1 old branding iron	                        ____   1 shilling
	To one old chest lock & key	                ____   6 shillings
	To a parcel of lumber			        ____   1 sh / 6 pence
				total			1 lb / 14 sh / 6 pence


Benj. Brasseur
Edwd. Holmes (seale)
Rupert Buller (seale)

The cost of the coffin and sheet was one pound and the funeral sermon by Rev. Robert Owens was one British pound. So it actually cost more to bury him than was in the estate.

1748- The questions about the ages and births of Samuel and his brother Robert were documented in a boundary commission report.  The commission actually took the affidavits in 1730 but revisited the issue on Nov 18, 1748.  Back tracking on the dates and ages mentioned it makes Robert (IV) born about 1675-76 and Samuel (Robert's brother) born about 1675 or more probably 1673.  To quote from Charles Brashear:

All of the sons had large families and spread out into Maryland and West Virginia.

Source:

Back, Troy L. & Brashear, Leon. Brashear Story: A Family History, 1963, pp 5-45
Brashear, Charles and McCoy, Shirley Brasher. A Brashear(s) Family History, Vol. 1, The First Two Hundred Years of Brashears in America, (of eight proposed volumes) 1998 Charles Brashear/Shirley McCoy, P.O.Box 38 Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423-0038, 707/998-1008, email- brashear@mail.sdsu.edu
Council Proceedings, Hall of Records of Maryland, Liber HH, ff. 157, 158
Maryland Archives, Vol 41, pa.178
"Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors" that he was a Justice and Landowner ,p 34 .
Easton, Stewart C. The Western Heritage. 1968 Holt Reinhart Winston.
17th Century Colonial Ancestors, p. 34
Johnston, Don. relative of Margaret Brashear, from LDS records, email

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