Person Page - 566

     Samuel Sewall was born on 8 November 1714 in York, Maine.^2,3 He was the son of Nicholas Sewall and Mehitable Storer.¹ Samuel Sewall married Hannah Kelly, daughter of Elisha Kelly, on 28 February 1736/37.⁴ Samuel Sewall died on 7 January 1758 at the age of 43.⁵

     Samuel Sewall was born on 28 December 1748.² He was the son of Samuel Sewall and Hannah Kelly.¹ Samuel Sewall married Hannah Moulton, daughter of Colonel Jeremiah Moulton and Hannah Sayward, on 20 May 1773 in York, Maine.³ Samuel Sewall died on 19 January 1824 in York, Maine, at the age of 75.³

     Samuel Sewall was born on 12 July 1794 in Farmington, Franklin County, Maine.^2,3 He was the son of Rev. Samuel Sewall and Abigail Trask.¹ Samuel Sewall married firstly Harriet Drummond, daughter of John Drummond and Mary Parker, on 12 July 1821 in Phippsburg, Maine.⁴ Samuel Sewall married Clarissa B. Prescott on 26 December 1832 in Phippsburg, Maine.⁵ Samuel Sewall died on 18 May 1847 in Phippsburg, Maine, at the age of 52^2,6 and is buried in Rye Field Burying Ground, Phippsburg, Maine.⁶

     Samuel Sewall. "Student of Physick".² He was born on 26 June 1791 in Twenty-five Mile Pond, Lincoln County, Maine.³ He was the son of Thomas Sewall and Priscilla Coney.¹ Samuel Sewall died on 10 April 1812 in Chebacco, Essex County, Maine, at the age of 20.²

     Samuel Sewall. Farmer.² He was born on 29 November 1819 in Burlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.³ He was the son of Rev. Samuel Sewall and Martha Margaret Marrett.⁴ Samuel Sewall was baptised on 26 December 1819 at Burlington.¹ He married Elizabeth H. Brown, daughter of Samuel Brown and Elizabeth Tuttle, on 21 March 1844 in Burlington, Massachusetts.^3,5 Samuel Sewall died on 16 November 1903 in Burlington, Massachusetts, at the age of 83 of senile gangrene.⁶ He was buried on 19 November 1903 in Burlington, Massachusetts.⁶
He served as town treasurer from 1856-1892 and 1895-1896; town clerk from 1863-1893 and 1895-1900; church and parish treasurer for 40 years; church and parish treasurer for 35 years; and church deacon for 35 years.⁷
"He resides on the old Jones, Marrett, and Sewall parsonage, which he has improved by additions and adornments since those of his Grandfather Marrett. With commendable regard for the memory of his ancestors, he has left untouched by the barbarism called modern architecture, that "best room," where Hancock and Adams were disappointed of their "savory breakfast," and where some of these memoranda were written. Its walls are adorned with the painted portraits of Chief Justice Sewall and other worthies, carrying one back to old times when ministers were not ashamed to walk to meeting on Rackets. Those magnificent elm and chestnut trees, four feet in diameter, which adorn the lawn in front of the house, were mere saplings when Rev. John Marrett first visited his "lady love." On one of those occasions, he tied his horse to one of them. Perceiving this, Mr. Jones' colored servant removed it to a more proper place, and, with a native politeness known only to his race, announced: "I'se fetched the gemmans horse and hitched him where folks allers put um, cause he'd eat up the trees me & Massa planted." Faithful and considerate man, he appears to have been the trusted executive of the estate after Mr. Jones' death. Honorable mention is often made of him in Mr. Marrett's Diary. He now reposes in the adjacent cemetery, borne to his grave by the selectmen of Burlington, personally, as a mark of respect for him and the ministerial families he had served so long; and in the Family Bible it is written of him: "Cuff, the faithful Negro Servant of the above Thomas & Abigail [Jones] died April, 1813, having lived in the family about 60 years." " Letter dated 15 March 1847, from Rev. Samuel Sewall of Massachusetts to Rev. Henry Doyle Sewell.¹

     Samuel Sewall was born on 24 August 1822 in Pittston, Maine.² He was the son of Daniel Sewall and Martha Tolman.¹ Samuel Sewall married Susan H. Holland on 29 June 1868 in Farmington, Maine.³ Samuel Sewall died on 3 March 1889 in Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, at the age of 66⁴ and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Farmington.⁵

     Samuel Sewall was born on 12 December 1926 in Minnesota.^2,3 He was the son of Samuel L. Sewall and Charlotte Mary O'Malley.¹ Samuel Sewall married Louise Frances Sigvertsen, daughter of John S. Sigvertsen and Frances V. Johnson, on 5 January 1967 in Hennepin county, Minnesota.⁴ Samuel Sewall died on 29 July 1990 in Edina, Hennepin County, Minnesota, at the age of 63.^3,5

     Samuel Sewall was born on 18 November 1707.² He was the son of Samuel Sewall and Rebecca Dudley.¹ Samuel Sewall died on 18 December 1708 at the age of 1.²

     Samuel Sewall. Surveyor.² He is recorded by Sinnett as Daniel Sewall.³ He was born on 24 January 1813 in York, Maine.¹ He was the son of Joseph Sewall and Abigail H. Gray.¹ Samuel Sewall died on 6 October 1850 in York, Maine, at the age of 37, unmarried. Died of a rupture.^1,2,4

     Samuel Sewall was born on 10 July 1776 in York, Maine.¹ He was the son of Capt. Moses Sewall and Miriam Stone.¹

     Samuel Sewall married Mary Wendell, daughter of Hon. Colonel Jacob Wendell and Sarah Oliver, on 12 December 1745 in Boston, Massachusetts, the service being conducted by the Rev. Joseph Sewall D.D.^1,2,3

     Samuel Sewall was born on 8 January 1800 in Bath, Maine.¹ He was the son of Rev. Samuel M. Sewall and Mary Lambard.¹ Samuel Sewall married Tryphosa Fuller on 14 May 1835.¹ Samuel Sewall and Tryphosa Fuller appear on the census of 1850 at Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, together with their last five children.² Samuel Sewall appears on the census of 1880 listed as a machinist and his daughter Mary as a tailoress.³ He died on 7 October 1880 in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the age of 80.⁴

     Samuel Sewall was born on 26 May 1847 in Massachusetts.¹ He was the son of Samuel Sewall and Tryphosa Fuller.¹ Samuel Sewall married Hannah Catherine "Kittie" Marden, daughter of Benjamin Franklin Marden and Betsey Buss, on 27 November 1873 in Fairmount Street, Lowell, Massachusetts.² Samuel Sewall died on 3 February 1900 at the age of 52.¹

     Samuel Sewall was born on 25 January 1853.¹ He was the son of Henry Foster Sewall and Sarah Allyne Rich.¹ Samuel Sewall died on 21 January 1854.¹

     Samuel Sewall. Shoemaker.² He was born on 3 December 1827 in Phippsburg, Maine, (calculated from his age at death.)² He was the son of Samuel Sewall and Harriet Drummond.¹ Samuel Sewall died on 23 June 1893 in Bath, Maine, at the age of 65 of disease of the heart.²

     Samuel Sewall was born circa 1794.¹ He was the son of Thomas Sewall and Sarah Weeks.¹ Samuel Sewall married Betsey Whitney on 31 December 1818 in Canterbury, New Hampshire.² Samuel Sewall died on 15 January 1871 in Northfield, New Hampshire.²

     Capt. Samuel Sewall was born on 9 April 1688 in Newbury, Massachusetts.^1,2,3 He was the son of John Sewall and Hannah Fessenden. In about 1708 he, together with his brother Nicholas, settled in York, Maine, where his sister was then living.^2,4 Capt. Samuel Sewall married first Lydia Storer, daughter of Capt. Samuel Storer and Lydia Austin.² Capt. Samuel Sewall then married Sarah Batchelder, daughter of John Batchelder and Sarah Poore, on 29 November 1723 at Newbury.³ Capt. Samuel Sewall died on 28 April 1769 in York, Maine, at the age of 81 "leaving seven sons and four daughters."^5,6 The inscription on a stone in the old burying ground in York reads " In memory of Samuel Sewall, Esq., four generations in a lineal descent from Henry Sewall, Esq. sometime Mayor of Coventry in O. England, whose grandfather Henry first came to N. England, 1634. For penetration, sound judgment, and wisdom, remarkable; given to hospitality; the widow and fatherless he relieved and protected; various offices, civil, military and ecclesiastical, with honor and reputation he sustained; pious, exemplary and devout, on the 28th of April, 1769, aged LXXXI, he died. His seven surviving sons, with the approbation of his four daughters, this stone erected. "Let brotherly love continue."⁵ "

     Major Samuel Sewall was baptised on 24 November 1689 by Mr. Higgins of Boston.³ He was born on 24 November 1689.³ He was the son of Major Stephen Sewall and Margaret Mitchell. He was a a ship-chandler of Boston. 1720 Artillery Company; 1734 Captain, Artillery Company; 1733 Major in the Boston regiment. Active in town affairs and served on important committees.^4,5 Major Samuel Sewall married Catherine George, daughter of John George and Lydia Lee, on 1 January 1716/17 the marriage being conducted by Dr. Cotton.⁴ Major Samuel Sewall made a will on 11 January 1753.⁵ He died on 5 May 1757 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 67 s.n.p. his two step-sons having drowned in 1727/28.^4,5 Probate was granted on 6 May 1757 his wife Katherine was executor. Legatees: to my brother and sister, Stephen Sewall, and Mehetable Robie, and to my wife Katherine, all the rest of my estate.⁵

     Major Samuel Sewall was born on 14 September 1724 in York, Maine, or 24 Sep. 1724 (Sinnett gives 24 October 1724.)^1,2,3,4 He was the son of Capt. Samuel Sewall and Sarah Batchelder. Major Samuel Sewall died on 23 July 1815 in York, Maine, at the age of 90 he was unmarried.^1,5 An inscription on a stone in the old burying ground in York, on the west side of York River reads "In memory of Maj. Samuel Sewall, an architect of the first class, from whose fabrications great benefit has resulted to society. He was benevolent, hospitable and generous without ostentation and pious without enthusiasm. He died July 28, 1815, ae. 91."⁶

Little is known about the enigmatic "jack-of-all trades" Samuel Sewall, who built everything from coffins to cradles in town in the late 1700s, but local history buffs are slowly unraveling the mystery. Locals, historians, and even some of Sewall’s descendants packed into the York Public Library’s meeting room last week to hear Old York Historical Society’s curator Tom Johnson present these findings in a brown bag lecture called "Samuel Sewall: The Man and His Work."

Sewall was born in York in 1724 to a father of the same name and his mother, Sarah Bachellor Titcomb. He died on July 23, 1815, at the age of 91, and was buried in his family’s plot on Southside Road, near the Elizabeth Perkins House, one of the many structures in town to which his craftsmanship has been attributed. The Sewall House, which is thought to be his house, is across the street, facing Seabury Road, on Sewall’s Hill. Other structures he built or furnished between the 1740s and 1780s include the First Parish Church, on York Street; the Moulton-Bennett House, on York Street; the Ramsdell House, on Lindsay Road; and the Grow-Steedman House, on Clark Lane. However, said Johnson, the edifice that was truly the "Rosetta Stone" for the identification of Sewall’s work was the Sayward-Wheeler House, on Route 103, which was named after its owner, the wealthiest merchant in town at the time, Jonathan Sayward.

"The talents of Samuel Sewall were rediscovered by scholarly researchers in 1977, when Myrna Kaye and Brock Jobe, of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, identified him as one of the workers on Jonathan Sayward’s house in York Harbor," said Johnson. A Sayward diary entry dated Nov. 10, 1761, notes paying "Samuel Sewell the joiner 45 pounds old tenor toward work on my house," and led to inquiries of molding profiles within the home, which linked Sewall to similar crafts in town. "These molding profiles, in turn, were found to be identical in profile to moldings on a number of furniture pieces in the house," said Johnson. "Thus, for the first time since the 18th century, bridging Sewall with his cabinetwork." Johnson said the most interesting piece found in the Sayward-Wheeler House is a high chest, which has a number of moldings crafted from the same planes in the parlor. To add to the uniqueness of each of Sewall’s projects, he made his own tools and templates, making many of the cuts and curves in local wooden antiques identifiable with his name. "From this first identification has resulted the credible attribution to over 50 known pieces of furniture to Sewall, ranging from sophisticated highboys ... to relatively simple drop leaf tables," added Johnson.

Distinctive corner cupboards, or beaufats, as they were called in the 18th century, are thought to be one of Sewall’s "hallmarks", said Johnson, along with his pilasters with fluting and stop-fluting, pegged drawer bottoms, massive back base brackets, and "horse bone" legs. At a local auction two years ago, Johnson uncovered what may have been his most exciting discovery yet. On the side of the bottom drawer of a Northeast Chest, made of unfigured maple and the familiar top and bracket cut-outs, was a color card of stain finishes used by Sewall. "Every known piece of Sewall furniture, with an original finish I’ve looked at since we found this, have matched one of these colors," he said. These designs are beacons signaling Sewall’s work, but some furniture that has been uncovered reveals only hints of these schemes, leading Johnson and others to believe that they were cut and fashioned by a different hand.

While doing some research on Sewall’s genealogy, Johnson came across an unattributed file stating that his father Samuel Sewall Sr., "had been trained as a furniture maker in Boston." From this, historians now conclude that Sewall learned much of his skill from his father, and that some of the pieces found, which do not exactly match the son’s craftsmanship, may be the work of an older Sewall. "Samuel the younger would have naturally picked up a number of his father’s framing and finishing methods, but with maturation, might have changed some of them to suit his needs and skill," said Johnson. It’s difficult to draw these conclusions, however, because little of Sewall’s physical evidence exists, and few of his personal belongings have been uncovered.

Local private collections include two of his needlework wallets embroidered with his name, pewter plates associated with his ownership and use, and an original survey transit made by him. The tripod to the transit was given to OYHS a year after the Old Gaol Museum first opened in 1900, and the group also has an English gold-cased watch, and a sabre sword which was presented to Sewall by the local militia for his services during the War of 1812, when he was in his late 80s. These artifacts, and others, are currently on display downstairs at the York Public Library.

Of course, Sewall wasn’t known only for his woodworking expertise, he was also celebrated for his engineering work on Sewall’s Bridge, which still spans the York River today. "It was the first pile-driven drawbridge built and engineered in America, in 1761," said Johnson. "This didn’t happen in the leading metropolitan areas of engineering and scientific thinking, such as Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, but it was here in York. In fact, the Boston engineers were so impressed by the design that they brought Sewall to the growing city and had him build a near-duplicate of the structure over the Charles River in 1785-86." Records show that the design influenced similar bridges in New England, and even one in Paris, France. Though the bridge has been reconstructed several times since its creation, five original pieces from the structure are now housed at the OYHS, and many other residents have obtained the relics as well.

Sewall never married, leaving no known descendants that any historian knows of, but as Johnson said, "his brothers and uncles raised large families and the name lives on in town."

by Marci Hait
mhait@seacoastonline.com
The York Weekly, March 3 2004.

     Rev. Samuel Sewall was born on 1 June 1785 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts.^1,2,3 He was the son of Chief Justice Samuel Sewall LL.D. and Abigail Devereaux. Rev. Samuel Sewall married Martha Margaret Marrett, daughter of Rev. John Marrett and Martha Jones, on 1 January 1818 in Burlington, Massachusetts.⁴ Rev. Samuel Sewall died on 18 February 1868 of old age in Burlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, at the age of 82.^5,6,3

     Rev. Samuel Sewall was born on 21 December 1764 in Arrowsic Island, Maine.² He was the son of Henry Sewall and Mary Stinson.¹ Rev. Samuel Sewall married Abigail Trask, daughter of Thomas Trask, on 4 January 1787 in Bath, Sagadahoc County, Maine.³ Rev. Samuel Sewall died on 16 March 1826 in Rye, New Hampshire, at the age of 61 whence he had gone from the Isle of Shoals where he had been preaching.^4,5 He was buried in Rye Center Cemetery.

     Samuel Addison Sewall was born on 16 June 1926 in Floral Park, New York.^1,2 He was the son of Samuel Donnell Sewall and Gladys Edith A. Labdon.¹ Samuel Addison Sewall married Eleanor Corrine Kinnaman, daughter of Joseph H. Kinnaman and Eleanor F. Kirkendale, on 17 June 1950 in Stewart Manor, Nassau County, New York.³ Samuel Addison Sewall died on 10 January 1990 in Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina, at the age of 63² and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina.⁴

     Samuel Bailey Sewall was born on 30 October 1855 in Brierwood, Mobile County, Alabama.^1,2 He was the son of Kiah Bayley Sewall and Lucretia Day.¹ Samuel Bailey Sewall was living at Philadelphia in 1910. He died on 15 February 1923 at the age of 67³ and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine.³

     Samuel Billington Sewall was born on 7 January 1992 in Ramsey County, Minnesota.² He died on 20 August 2000 in Ramsey County, Minnesota, at the age of 8 of cancer.^3,4

     Samuel Brown Sewall was born on 17 August 1846 in Burlington, Massachusetts.^2,3 He was the son of Samuel Sewall and Elizabeth H. Brown.¹ Samuel Brown Sewall married Louisa Elizabeth Farrington, daughter of Thomas F. Farrington and Hannah L. Dodge, on 11 June 1872 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, the marriage was performed by the Rev. Charles C. Sewall.^4,5 Samuel Brown Sewall died on 5 July 1883 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 36.⁶

     Samuel Dartmouth "Dart" Sewall was born on 26 October 1876 in Laporte, Iowa.² He was the son of William Alfred Sewall and Ellen Josephine Finch.¹ Samuel Dartmouth "Dart" Sewall married Clara Elizabeth Young, daughter of Frank Young and Elizabeth Foster, on 30 March 1910 in British Columbia.¹ Samuel Dartmouth "Dart" Sewall died on 12 October 1951 in East Coulee, Alberta, at the age of 74³ and is buried in Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.⁴

     Samuel David Sewall was born on 6 December 1916 in Island Falls, Maine.^1,2,3 He was the son of Merrill Sewall and Myrtle Gertrude Trafton.¹ Samuel David Sewall married Audrey Ruby Ostrander on 20 September 1941 in Raymond, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.⁴ Samuel David Sewall died on 1 January 2011 in Vero Beach, Florida, at the age of 94.⁴

     Samuel Donnell Sewall was born on 20 January 1900 in Denver, Colorado.¹ He was the son of Stephen A. Sewall and Nathalia (Nettie) M. Flint.² Samuel Donnell Sewall married Gladys Edith A. Labdon, daughter of Oswald W. Labdon and Florence J. Arnold, on 28 July 1923 in Emmanuel Church, West Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.³ Samuel Donnell Sewall died on 19 July 1979 in Prospect Harbor, Hancock County, Maine, at the age of 79^4,5 and is buried in Prospect Harbor Cemetery, Prospect Harbor, Maine.⁶

     Samuel E. Sewall. A shoemaker.³ He was born on 6 February 1825 in Sumner, Maine.^1,4,3 He was the son of John Milton Sewall and Dorcas Cushman.¹ Samuel E. Sewall married Mary T. Dunbar, daughter of Thomas Dunbar and Hannah Thayer, on 5 May 1849 in Brockton, Massachusetts.^5,3 Samuel E. Sewall and Mary T. Dunbar appears on the census of 1850 in North Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, where his occupation is given as that of shoemaker.⁶ Samuel E. Sewall died on 17 March 1853 in North Bridgewater, Massachusetts, at the age of 28 of consumption.³

     Chief Justice Samuel E. Sewall was born on 28 March 1652 in Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England, and despite his writing "I was born at Bishop Stoke, March 28, 1652; so that the Light of the Lord's Day was the first light that my Eyes saw, being born a little before Day-Break" his birth place has been variously recorded as Horton, four miles from Basingstoke - Sibley Vol. 2, p.345; or North Baddesley in Hampshire - Duff p. 26.^2,3 He was the son of Rev. Henry Sewall and Jane Dummer. Chief Justice Samuel E. Sewall was baptised on 4 May 1652 at Stoke Church by Thomas Rashley. He emigrated on 6 July 1661 to New England taking passage on the Prudent Mary.⁴ He graduated in 1671 from Harvard A.B. He was given his degree by Mr. Charles Chauncey who had admitted him in 1667. he graduated A.M. in 1674.⁵ He married firstly Hannah Hull, daughter of John Hull and Judith Quincy, on 28 February 1675/76 at Boston the ceremony was performed by Governor Bradstreet. It is said that she bought a vast dowry of £30,000 in New England silver shillings, being her own weight in silver.^6,7,8 He was a a bookseller merchant and a judge in colonial Massachusetts. His home was at Washington Street east side, just south of Summer Street, Boston in the house of his father-in-law Hull.⁹

In 1692 the first of Samuel Sewall's many appointments was that of special commissioner to the Court of Oyer and Terminer presiding over the Salem witchcraft trials. He and the other members of this commission were responsible for convicting and sentencing nineteen people to death. The Court, due to its hysterical tenor, inevitably lost its public support and was dismissed. The Superior Court of Judicature was established soon after the close of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and consisted of several of the judges from that court, including Sewall. He was the only commissioner to admit his error publicly.¹⁰ In 1697 in church before the congregation he publicly confessed his error in concurring with the death sentences imposed at the Salem Witch Trials. Between 1718 and 1728 he was Chief Justice of the superior court.

Chief Justice Samuel E. Sewall married secondly Abigail Melyen, daughter of Jacob Melyen and Hannah Hubbard, on 29 October 1719 at Boston, Massachusetts, at which ceremony his son Joseph officiated.¹¹ Chief Justice Samuel E. Sewall married thirdly Mary Shrimpton, daughter of Jonathan Shrimpton and Mary Oliver, on 29 March 1722 at Boston, Massachusetts, the service being conducted by his son-in-law, the Rev. William Cooper who is described as a Presbyterian. (A transcription of the Boston Marriages gives a date of 10 March 1722.)^12,9,11 Chief Justice Samuel E. Sewall died on 1 January 1729/30 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 77 after an illness lasting about a month.^5,13 He was buried in the burying ground of the First Parish Church, Newbury, Massachusetts, the resting place is marked by an old stone, erected by their eldest son, Samuel Sewell, which bears the following inscription:      HENRY SEWELL SENT BY HENRY SEWELL HIS FATHER / IN THE SHIP ELIZABETH AND DORCAS, CAPT. WATT / COMMANDER / ARRIVED AT BOSTON 1634 / WINTERED AT IPSWICH, HELPED BEGIN THIS PLANTATION / 1635, FURNISHING ENGLISH SERVANTS, CATTLE AND PROVISIONS / MARRIED MISTRESS JANE DUMMER, MARCH 26, 1646 / DIED MAY 16. 1700 AETATIS 86. / HIS FRUITFUL VINE BEING THUS DISJOINED / FELL TO THE GROUND JANUARY 13 FOLLOWING, AETATIS 74. / Psalm 27. 10 /.¹⁴