The Robert and Emiline Brewer Family Website

Thomas Franklin Brewer was born September 30, 1880, to Robert and Emiline Watts Brewer in Chesterfield County (Homesboro), near the town which is now Pageland. Thomas was the ninth child of Robert and Emiline’s eleven children, and the fifth son.

When Thomas was ten, his father died, leaving his mother and older brothers to rear Houston, Jaby and himself. It seems that Vinnie, William (Bill), and Joseph were either already married or married soon thereafter. Isaiah, the third son and twin to Effie, seemed to have taken his place as active head of the family. They made their living by farming.

The family were early members of the Oro United Methodist Church and later, organized Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church which was closer to the family home. Since traveling was either by foot or horse or buggy, school and church were always nearby and closely associated. It seems that most of their education was obtained from each other.

Thomas and Houston always enjoyed telling of the times that they were told to do certain chores by Isaiah while he was to be away for a day or two. Thomas and Houston were attracted to some girls who lived near Oro. One night, they walked four or so miles to Oro to go to a party where the girls were in attendance. Just as they had asked the girls if they could walk them home and had joined in a game (which was something about a sweet kiss from a young lady), Isaiah walked in the door. They immediately became too tired or sick to walk the girls home. Instead, they sheepishly started walking in front of Isaiah, feeling like men reduced to little boys. Degraded and sensing a whipping about to take place, they began to plot against Isaiah. Houston, knowing that Thomas would get the first whipping, told him: “Anything you look like doing, I am going to do!” Thomas was fat and could not run very fast. While he was getting his whipping from Isaiah, Houston ran home and went to bed. When poor Thomas finally got home, he asked Houston: “Why didn’t you help me?” Houston reminded him: “I told you, anything you looked like doing, I would do. To me, you looked like you wanted to run, so I ran!” This is one of the many stories the brothers told on themselves.

Thomas and Houston did eventually run away from home to Florida. They fell upon some hard times, but finally, were able to get jobs and worked enough to get back home. Even at that time, to teach school in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, one had to pass a teacher’s test. Thomas, along with many of his brothers and sisters before him, took the test, passed and began teaching.

On August 5, 1907, Thomas married Nannie Ophelia Robinson. Nannie, the daughter of Doctor Coleman (August 8, 1850-July 19, 1931)and Charity Elizabeth McNeil Robinson (April 13, 1856-October 27, 1915), was born July 30, 1885 in the Pee Dee Community of Lilesville, North Carolina in Anson County. While growing up, she attended the private school of Barrett’s College in Pee Dee. Very little is known about Thomas’ formal schooling. It seems that the preachers and their wives, who came and went often, were also the teachers in the Hornesboro Community.

Thomas and Nannie lived in a small community called Guess where both taught school in the winter and farmed in the summer. Thomas and Nannie worked hard to improve the community and encouraged everyone to get an education. They presided over one of the Brewers’ famous Rosenwald schools named the Center School. Tom Brewer also owned stores in the area.

They were often thought of as the community’s free Funeral Directors. For example, before there was embalming and morticians, when a person died in the community, Thomas would go to home of the dead person, give him a bath, dress him and put him in a cheap casket purchased by the family. If the dead person was a lady, Nannie would give her a bath, comb her hair, dress her and put her in the casket. The next day, since the body was not embalmed, Thomas would take it on his two-horse wagon (the hearse) to the church or burial place. Nannie would follow with the next-of-kin on the buggy (the limousine). Many times the body was brought to the home of the dead person to lie-in-state before the burial. On occasion, the body was noted to “purge” and the casket could not be opened. Thomas was always helpful to the family by taking them to town and getting the store to open if a casket or other goods needed to be purchased after the store’s closing time. Thomas did later open a store for the convenience of the people of the community.

Nannie Ophelia and Thomas Franklin were the parents of five children–Thomas Coleman, Vashti Elizabeth, Esther Naomi, Margaret and Alice Jamina. They also one adopted son–Louis Lee. At the time when there were no public high schools for Blacks in Chesterfield County, they managed to struggle and send all of the girls to private schools (outside of Chesterfield). All graduated from college and continued in their parents’ tradition of teaching. Coleman and Vashti continued the tradition of service to the Guess Community.

Most of the children married and settled within less than 100 miles of each other. Margaret (Maggie) married Brooks Henry Walker. They both taught in Presbyterian schools, Coulter Academy and Brainerd Institute in Cordele, Georgia. Two children were born to this union, Brooks Henry, Jr. and Margaret Joan. Coleman married Laura Johnson of Irmo, South Carolina. He farmed and worked in textiles while she taught in the Chesterfield County school system. They had two children- Nannie and Thomas Coleman, Jr. Vashti married William Dargan and this this union was born one son, William Thomas. Vashti taught in the Chesterfield County school system while William worked in textiles. Esther married Berlin Huntley. They had no children. She taught in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and he worked in a laundry. Alice married Benson George. She taught school in Moncks Corner, South Carolina while he was a funeral director. They had no children. Louis Lee served in the armed services and later lived in New York City and Florida where he worked as a domestic for a private family.

When Thomas was about fifty-nine, he suffered a stroke which kept him in poor health for nearly five years until his death on March 12, 1945. Nannie died on January 2, 1952. Both are buried near birthplace at Wesley Chapel Church in the family cemetery.

Children: Margaret (Maggy), Thomas Coleman, Vashti, Esther Naomi, Alice Jamina, Louis Lee.

Grandchildren: Brooks Jr., Thomas Coleman, Jr., Nannie Elizabeth, Margaret Joan and William Thomas.

Great Grandchildren: Ivan, Thomas Coleman III, Ingrid, Kelly Todd, Robin Brewer, Stanley Ray, Lucinda (Cinda), Freda, George (deceased), James and Paul.

Great Great Grandchildren: Kaceya, Saceya, Lauren, Brandon, Chad, Jasmine, James, Paul, Nargia, Robyn, Aleathea, Brandon, Ivan ll and Adrian.

Great Great Great Grandchildren: Britney, James, Jovon, and Brandon Jr.  

Submitted by Vashti Brewer Dargan