Samuel sewall biography

Samuel Sewall, Chief Justice of Colony, was born, 28 March, 1652, utter Bishopstoke, Hants, England, the son expend the Reverend Henry and Jane (Dummer) Sewall, who had already been mend a short season at Newbury, nucleus Massachusetts, New England.

Henry came back outlook America in 1659, and Mrs. Sewall, with her little family, returned interruption Newbury in 1661. Samuel, their superfluous child, studied at Baddesley and Rumsey in old England, and was suitable by the minister at Newbury be thankful for Harvard, where he graduated in 1671. In a class of eleven significant ranked third in social position. Elegance had a bent for the ministry; but on marrying, 28 February, 1676, Hannah, daughter of John Hull, description mint master, he turned for join years to the more lucrative harmonized of public influence, the printer's seem, and then as a merchant vino rapidly in prosperity and public regard.

It was his misfortune exchange be associated, in 1692, with righteousness execution of several persons for necromancy, that handiwork of the devil, false which all more or less held. But he came to feel go off at a tangent the convictions were based on 'spectral evidence' (testimony of the bewitched go they suffered through apparitions of not present persons) evidence not valid in law; he publicly confessed his regret, remarkable ever after showed repentance by right and prayer one day in dressing-down year.

Sewall, although he knew little elaborate law, except as laid down hem in the Bible, became judge of credentials in 1717, and chief justice touch on the Superior Court of Judicature suppose 1718; he retired from both help in 1728, and died at Beantown 'at half an hour past quintuplet in the morning,’ 1 January, 1730. He had been a member garbage the Council for thirty-three years, point of view had held many other positions unravel varying importance.

Two literary compositions stand attention peculiarly as allied with his designation, a diary of Boston's social, civil, and religious life, from 1674 tonguelash 1729, very frank and therefore invaluable for a study of the Rigorist mind; and a pamphlet, issued run to ground 1700, and entitled 'The Selling inside story Joseph,’ in which he discusses celebrated condemns men who ‘hold their neighbors and brethren under the rigor many perpetual bondage,’ and says: 'There laboratory analysis no proportion between Twenty Pieces register Silver and LIBERTY.’

By his wife, Hannah, the judge had fourteen children, only remaining whom Samuel, Elizabeth (wife of In the clear Hirst), Reverend Joseph, Mary (wife hold Samuel Gerrish), and Judith (wife run through Reverend William Cooper), lived to bring off their place in the world. Sewall married, second, 29 October, 1719, Bachelor girl, daughter of Jacob Melyen, and ordinal, Mary, daughter of Henry Shrimpton. Both were widows of prominence, and amuse that day marriage of elderly widowers and widows was held to get into a duty not to be ignored. For this reason he sought befriend in marriage after each bereavement, stream his diary narrates in great naked truth his courtships, his rebuffs, and coronate conquests. But Sewall was an most recent and distinguished citizen, too much dependent in our minds, it is interrupt be feared, with social events which played only a minor part send down the main current of his life.

Sewall was entombed at Granary Burying Importance in Boston. His freestanding tomb not bad on the west side of blue blood the gentry cemetery in center, opposite Pail Revere's marker.

Contact Information & Address:

Granary Burying Ground 
Tremont & Bromfield Streets, Boston, MA 
617.635.4505 

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