william h. brewer was born in poughkeepsie, new york and grew up on a farm in enfield, new york. in 1848 brewer attended yale and began studying soil chemistry under professors benjamin silliman and john pitkin norton. there, brewer was a founding member of berzelius, one of yale's oldest "secret societies". in 1852 he graduated from the first class of the sheffield scientific school with a bachelor of philosophy degree and began teaching at the ovid academy in ovid, new york. it was in ovid where brewer first befriended presbyterian minister laurentine hamilton.