Bruster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The first family to use the name Bruster lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a brewster or brewer. Bruster is an occupational name, given to someone who held the occupation of a brewer of ale. The inclusion of the feminine suffix -ster, indicates that this was originally a woman's occupation. Members of the Bruster family were originally found in Lanarkshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the Norman Conquest, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Bruster family

The surname Bruster was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. The Scord of Brouster is one of the earliest Neolithic farm sites in Shetland, Scotland dating back to 2220 BC. Some of the earliest records of the family include: Nicholaus, braciator regis (i.e. the king's brewer), was present at the perambulation of lands in 1219; Johannes the 'braciator' was one of the 'native men' of the Abbey of Dunfermline in the thirteenth century; and Thomas le Breuester of the forest of Passeley in the county of Lanark rendered homage in 1296. 1

Early History of the Bruster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruster research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1379, 1382, 1480, 1560, 1599, 1620, 1623, 1644, 1645, 1653, 1656, 1659, 1663, 1671, 1674, 1698 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Bruster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruster Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Bruster include Brewster, Broster, Brouster, Brewester, Brostar and many more.

Early Notables of the Bruster family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Brewster (1599-1663), an English politician and officer who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1659, he was a general in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War; Francis Brewster (1623- 1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1653 and 1656; and Elder William Brewster (c.1560-1644), Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher born in Doncaster...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bruster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bruster family to Ireland

Some of the Bruster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruster migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Bruster were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

Bruster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. William Bruster, who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1607 2
Richard Bruster, aged 26, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 3
Mr. Abram Bruster, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Paul" in 1635 2
Anthony Bruster, who landed in Virginia in 1647 3

Bruster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Miss Caroline Bruster, aged 25, German who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Elise" in 1846 4
Mr. James Bruster, aged 50, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Osceola" in 1847 4
Miss Jane Bruster, aged 20, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Osceola" in 1847 4
Mrs. Mary Bruster, aged 48, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Osceola" in 1847 4
C. R. Bruster, aged 41, British settler who arrived at Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Crescent City" in 1849 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bruster migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Bruster Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miss Elizabeth Bruster, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 6

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm