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Rev. H. Charles Sewall, 80, a resident of the Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Syracuse, passed away on Saturday, July 11, 2015, at the nursing home. Charles was born in Utica on January 9, 1935, the son of Henry E. and Winifred H. (Byrne) Sewall. He was raised in Utica, was a graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School, St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester and earned his Master's degree from Syracuse University. Charles was ordained a priest in January 1960 at the Cathedral in Syracuse. Charles served as a Catholic Priest at a number of parishes in the Utica area as well as being involved with Catholic education. Charles is survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Selma Sewall, of Whitesboro, and a sister and brother-in-law, Winifred and Gerald Skreczoski, of Florida, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by a sister-in-law, Barbara K. Sewall, and dear nephews. Services and burial will be held at the convenience of the family.²

At the age of 18 he started as a clerk in the counting house, in Boston, of his uncle, Joseph Sewall, the head of the house of Sewall, Salisbury & Co., then the principal dry goods importing and jobbing firm in New England. In 1807 the firm detailed their clerks, Henry Devereux Sewall and Arthur Tappan, the latter a brother of the junior partner in the firm, to go to Portland, in the district of Maine, and open a branch store under the firm name of Tappan & Sewall; but after doing business in Portland for two years they became discouraged by the ill effects produced by Jefferson's embargo, and in 1809 transferred the mercantile establishment to Montreal. There they were quite successful. Merchants and traders in Central and Northern New York were at that time among the principal customers of the Canadian capital city. It was there that Mr. Sewall formed acquaintanceships with Watertown merchants that shaped his course later in his career. The War of 1812 coming on, all Americans residing in Canada were required either to swear allegiance to the British Crown or to quit the country. Being patriots, and the descendants of patriots, the young traders chose the latter alternative, although to the ruin of their business, and in 1813 broke up their establishment. Mr. Tappan went directly to New York, becoming afterwards the leading dry goods merchant in that city, and a distinguished philanthropist. Mr. Sewall devoted his attention to the settling of matters of the late firm, and the collection of their outstanding debts.

Mr. Sewall's father dying in 1814 he spent a considerable part of that year in settling the estate, and early in 1815 established himself in New York in the foreign shipping and commission business, in partnership with John R. Hurd. This business proving but moderately remunerative, Mr. Hurd accepted an offer in 1823 to take the presidency of a marine insurance company in New York, and Mr. Sewall, under the advice of his uncle Joseph, the merchant in Boston, undertook a commission agency in New York in partnership with Edmund Q. Sewall, a son of Joseph, for the sale of domestic goods in connection with the foreign commission business. Joseph Sewall at that time had the agency in Boston of most of the few manufactories of cotton and woolen goods in New England, and through his intervention the firm of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall became the first in New York to undertake a similar agency in the latter market. It was thus that Mr. Sewall established an intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, the managers of the cotton factory at Watertown, and the latter concern becoming largely indebted to the New York house, the larger part of this indebtedness was finally transferred to property in and about Watertown.

In the financial crash of 1827 Mr. Sewall's firm in Boston, being compelled to succumb, carried down with them the house in New York of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall; and the junior partner, in the latter, dying, and the outlook for future business in New York seeming discouraging, Mr. Sewall concluded to remove with his family to Watertown, and managed the property there acquired through the intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, which firm also had been compelled by the extreme financial pressure of the time to withdraw from active business. He had likewise a view to the further extension of manufacturing at Watertown, and had always nourished a preference for a country life. Mr. Sewall, with the valuable assistance of those excellent men, well known to old citizens of Watertown, John Sigourney and Josiah W. Baker, carried on the old cotton factory and store from 1829 to 1834, when, the charter expiring, the factory and appurtenances were sold. In 1828-29 he constructed the dam on the Black River at the upper end of his island, built his residence on the island, then a beautiful spot, constructed or bought and afterwards sold a saw-mill and a tannery on the north side of the north branch, opposite the island, a paper mill and a machine shop on the lower point of the island on the north branch, a flouring-mill on the main branch, south side, just below the island, an extensive saw-mill at Dexter all between 1829 and I833; and in I834, with the assistance of New York and Boston capital, he erected an extensive woolen factory on the south side of the river opposite the island, and in 1834 to '35 and '36 built several brick stores on the east side of Factory Square, as well as a number of dwelling houses on Factory street, and in the neighborhood of the woolen-mills; and during the same period contributed largely to the erection of the first academy in the village (of which the late Judge Mullin was the first principal), and in 1832-33 furnished the greater part of the means for and himself attended to the construction and fitting up of the first Episcopal Church in the village, the predecessor of the present church on Court street. Later he built another flouring mill, below the woolen factory. Mr. Sewall, in connection with Merrill Coburn held, in 1833 the contract for furnishing the ties and sleepers for the Utica & Schenectady Railroad, the first railroad in the state of any length (the only previous ones being the short Mohawk & Hudson, and the Harlem, not going north of Harlem at that time) and, to carry out the contract, put up the extensive saw-mills at Dexter, and, as the sleepers were required to be of yellow pine, the contractors secured all there was of that timber along the Black River. The flood of 1833 swept all the logs into the lake at heavy loss to the contractors. From 1835 to 1843 Mr. Sewall was chiefly occupied with the business of the woolen factory, which, partly from want of sufficient skill in the manufacture of the fine goods for which the works were designed, partly from insufficiency of funds, and partly from the reduction of the tariff, did not prove ultimately profitable.

In the early spring of 1843 Mr. Sewall was badly injured by the upsetting of the Utica stage coach while on a journey to the eastward, from which time his health failed, and his business career practically closed, his death in June, 1846, being caused by the paralysis resulting from the injury. Child's Gazetteer of Jefferson County, City of Watertown.

Henry Edwin Sewall of Sewall's Point, Fla., though reared in another State, is a native of Florida, having been born at St. Augustine, on August 22, 1848. His father, Rufus King Sewall, was a lawyer of note and the author of many popular historical works bearing upon the State of Maine. His mother's maiden name was Anna E. Whitehurst, who first married a Hanson, and in 1843, being a widow, was married to Rufus King Sewall, of which marriage there were five children. The Sewall family in this country traces its ancestry to Henry Sewall, who came from England to Ipswich, Mass., in 1634, and he in turn was descended from Henry Sewall, who was Mayor of Coventry, England, in 1589 and 1606. It is said that the family ancestry can be traced back to the days of the Norman Conquest in England. Samuel Sewall, the first of the family in Maine, lived at York. One of his sons, Henry, was the father of another Samuel, who was pastor of the Congregational Church in Edgecomb in 1807. This Samuel was the father of Rufus, who in turn was the father of Rufus King Sewall, who was the father of Henry E. In 1846 Rufus King Sewall and his wife removed to Florida, but only remained until 1849 when they returned to Maine where Henry E. grew up and obtained his education in the public schools of that State. In 1865 the lad entered the Merchant Marine Service, which he followed until 1876. His last voyage was around the world in the ship Benjamin Sewall of Boston. His uncle, Capt. Egbert T. Sewall, in command of the barque, Istria, was lost at sea off Cape Hatteras, on June 11, 1868. In 1876 Mr. Sewall left the sea and engaged in the wholesale retail coal business in New York, under the firm name of H. E. Sewall and Company. The business was successful and in 1889 he sold out and came to Sewall's Point, Fla., to perfect the titles of the Hanson grant, which was finally accomplished by decree of the United States Court, after fourteen years of litigation. In 1890 he took an active part in county affairs and in 1894 represented Dade county in the Legislature for two years. Since that time he has devoted his attention to the development of the section where he lives. He has held the place of Postmaster at Sewall's Point since May 12, 1891, and also served as County Commissioner in 1893.

On December 23, 1873, he married Miss Abbie E. Thomas, a daughter of Seymour and Mary (Evans) Thomas, of Nicholas, N. Y.

Captain Sewall is a Congregationalist and a Democrat. He is commodore of the Gilbert Bar Yacht Club, a life member of the Kane Lodge, No. 454, F. & A. M., of New York City, and a charter member of the Mid Rivers Country Club. He is an active member of the Pineapple Growers' Association and the Pineapple League. For Florida Captain Sewall thinks that the most important question is good roads, with cheaper and better transportation, which will encourage the immigration needed and build up the State. In his reading he is very partial to historical works and rates very highly such current periodicals as The Independent and other magazines of that class. As a matter of interest in his career, it may be mentioned that at the time the barque Istria was lost, as above stated, he was the second mate and was one of the four saved, washed ashore on wreckage after being in the water 9 hours.

Captain Sewall comes of that New England stock which has written such marvelous pages upon the history of our land. Their sturdiness of character is illustrated by the strength of their convictions. A man reared in Maine who is a lifetime Democrat does not need any other testimonial as to the rigidity of his principles, and the Sewall family of that State are prominent in that respect. One-third of the Hanson tract of land to which he perfected titles after such a hard struggle has been in his family since the year 1823, or just four years after Florida was acquired from Spain. During his life as a sailor he voyaged around the world several times on sailing ships, making very long trips, and acquired a world experience, which has been valuable to him in later life. Since settling at Sewall's Point and perfecting the titles to the lands he has been engaged in building up a select colony at that place, and the government engineers have but recently recommended a very large appropriation for improvements to be made in that vicinity. It is but just to state that to his efforts mainly are due the splendid improvements already made at Santa Lucia inlet, and Captain Sewall believes that if the present contemplated improvements are carried out that the Santa Lucia inlet will be the gateway for freight to the west coast of Florida. A man of affairs and capable in business he occupies in the community in which he lives that commanding position to which his merits and his labors entitle him. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 11, 2008 extracted from Makers of America, Vol. III.

Mr. Sewall was educated at the De Forest Collegiate School, In Murray-st., and at Round Hill School, conducted by George Bancroft, of Northampton. Later he entered his father's office, and, on the absorption of the foreign business by the well-known firm of Grinnell, Minturn & Co., he became a member of that firm, being connected with it until 1879, when he retired from active business. Mr. Sewall began over fifty years ago, when comparatively little attention was given in this country to print collecting, to gather from cities In Europe the choicest examples of the old engravers' works. At the time of his death he had one of the finest historical collections of early prints, excepting those in the art museums. in the world. He was in constant correspondence with the curators and librarians in the principal cities of Europe, and his opinion upon any work of art was largely sought. He also had an exceedingly choice library, rich in early editions and missals. He frequently loaned many of his valuable treasures to the art museums of this city and Boston and to the Grolier Club, of which he was a member.⁹

He was President of Sewall & Alden of 80 Maiden Lane. Vice President of A.B. & S. Realty Co; of the Motion Picture News and of the Surbrug Chocolate Corporation.²

At Holderness School, Chapel Lane, Holderness, NH 03245 "[the] aisle window in the Chapel of the Holy Cross is dedicated to the memories of brothers Richard Hartwell Sewall '39 and Homer Sewall Jr. '42. While at Holderness, both boys were varsity athletes, active in the school musicals, and heavily involved in school life and leadership.

Homer, known at Holderness as "Squeak," threw a game-winning touchdown pass in the 1941 game against Proctor, and helped spearhead campus fund-raising for the British War Relief Fund. Homer joined the army right out of Holderness, and was placed in the medical corps with a unit that was scheduled to remain in England during the invasion. He instead volunteered for service with the airborne troops, landed with them in Normandy on D-Day, and died two days later. The window panel honoring Homer depicts Saint Stephen, the first martyr (l).

Richard was a dive-bomb pilot in the central Pacific during the war, later training other pilots until his discharge in December, 1945. He died the following May from complications related to rapid changes in altitude. Richard's panel depicts Saint Timothy (r), who assisted St. Paul and who became bishop of Ephesus at a young age. Bishop Dallas said of the window's subject that, since Richard "was unusually mature for his age and had already undertaken heavy responsibilities, the choice is especially appropriate."³"