James Brewer

(April 18, 1742 – October 4, 1806)

James Brewer was a 31-year-old Pump and Block Maker, living in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife Jean/Jane Black and two children in 1773.

The eldest of 4 children, he and his siblings were baptized at Old South Meeting House. Brewer owned a shop near Summer Street, creating the bilge pumps and block & tackle necessary for ships.  

Brewer served as a volunteer guard for the tea ships on the night of November 30, 1773, under Captain Ezekiel Cheever, to ensure that the tea was not unloaded. Brewer is also one of the few whose family was aware of his involvement on December 16, and his wife and young daughter allegedly helped to disguise the features of some of the men in their home. 

Brewer was present in the crowd at the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. In his testimony, he claimed that he urged the soldiers not to shoot, saw Christopher Monk get hit, but thought at first that the soldiers were shooting blanks. He maintained that he did not hear the crowd do or say anything inflammatory during the event. 

Following the skirmish at Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775, Brewer was one of several militiamen who were captured as prisoners of war. They were released soon thereafter in a prisoner exchange. Historians agree that they were likely captured as they were making their way back to Boston following the battle. Brewer was allegedly used as a confidential messenger between Governor John Hancock and General George Washington during the Siege of Boston. In 1781, Brewer was seized as a privateer, making him a prisoner of war once again. He later became a member of the Massachusetts Lodge of Freemasons in 1792 and joined the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in 1800. 

James Brewer died in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 4, 1806.