Person Page - 552

Last rites for John A. Sewall, 85 years old, reputed to be the first white child born in Shreveport, retired planter and former chief of police, who died at his residence, Wednesday, following a week's illness with pneumonia, were held at the family residence at 10 o'clock Thurs- day. Funeral services were conducted by the Caddo Lodge of Masons, No. 179 of which the deceased was a member. Burial was in Greenwood cemetery under the direction of Roll Osborn and Sons' funeral home. Though he had been in failing health for several months, Mr. Sewall was not confined to his bed until last week, when he suffered an attack of pneumonia. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Sewall, the deceased was born on July 4, 1845, the father of the deceased came to Shreveport from Bath, Me. in 1833. John O. Sewall, uncle of the deceased, also came here at that time, and was later elected the first mayor of this city. John A. Sewall in 1902 was "drafted" by the city council to serve as chief of police. It was because the deceased was known as a "fearless man" that he was chosen as head of the police, it was said, and that the town was then infested with persons of criminal nature.
Following his service as a police officer, Mr. Sewall moved to Bossier parish where he operated an extensive plantation for 20 years. While living in that parish he was a member of its police jury. He then removed to Shreveport and made his residence here from that time until his death. The deceased was a member of the General Le Roy Stafford camp. United Confederate Veterans, having participated in the Civil War throughout the four years. Rufus Sewall, his uncle, was a captain in the regiment in which he served.
Surviving the deceased are his widow of Shreveport: two sons, John A. Sewall, Jr., Shreveport, and Epps H. Sewall, Kerrville, Texas; and two daughters, Mrs. A.H. Van Hook and Mrs. John Wilkinson, both of Shreveport.²

Sewell; died in service; DOD: after 04/23/1861; Company F (2nd), 5th Virginia Cavalry; buried in Confederate Cemetery, Fairfax Co. 11th Virginia Cavalry, Private, Killed in Action.³

Funeral for John F. Sewall, 86, of Jacksonville was at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with the Rev. Don Copeland officiating. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.
Mr. Sewall died May 17 in Temple. He was born July 2, 1916, in Dialville to the late Robert and Lula Sewall. He was a piano tuner and an ordained Baptist minister, having pastored churches in Mexia, Joaquin, Palestine, Alto and Jacksonville. He was a member of the Beall Chapel Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his grandson, James Anthony Sessions; his parents, Robert and Lula Sewall; three brothers, Elbert Sewall, Jack Sewall and Edward Sewall; and three sisters, Gem Rowan, Mary Jones and Lila Cooper. Survivors are his wife of 63 years, Blanche Johnston Sewall of Jacksonville; two daughters and sons-in-law. Janeene and Tommy Johns of Frankston and Mertie and Bob Telford of Brierwood Bay; three grandchildren and spouses, Tonya and Chuck Watson of Mount Selman. Charlotte and Beau Winkler of Temple and Mike Sessions of Dallas: two step-grandchildren; four great-grandchildren, Heather Savage and Timothy John Watson of Mount Selman and Megan and John Austin Winkler of Temple; two step-grandchildren, Amy Johns of Frisco and Michele Krebs of Odessa; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Cedy Dickey, Mattie Sewall, Lois Sanders, Harvey Cooper, Clyde and Inez Johnston and Coy Pete and Margurite Johnston and nieces, nephews. Cherokeean/Herald of Rusk, 21 May 2003⁵

Our well-traveled brother went to prep school at the Albany Academy, the Taft School, and Phillips Exeter. He received his B.A. in History from Williams College and did graduate work in art history at N.Y.U. and Harvard. He taught at Wellesley from 1931-33 and, in 1933, went to England where he did intensive primary research for a book on Hogarth, which as yet is incomplete, and travelled in continental Europe. Back in the States in 1934, he remained at Harvard for a time, "researching and fussing about," he says, and in '34 started an Art Department at Stevens College (Missouri). In 1936 he returned to Harvard, this time as a tutor in Art History, and in 1937 came here "to begin the Art Department of the University of Buffalo. Argus, 1 May 1950.⁵

John Ladd Sewall passed away Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007, in his home, surrounded by his family, after a long illness.
He was born in Wakefield, Mass., on March 30, 1920, to William Sewall and Sarah Trask Sewall. The family later moved to Ohio near Akron, where his father worked for B. F. Goodrich Tire Co. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1942 with an A.B. degree, and from Dartmouth Thayer School of Engineering in 1943 with a B.S. in civil engineering.
After graduation, he worked for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, Calif. In 1944, he entered the army to serve in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge; his division was one of the first American units to cross the Rhine at Remagen. In 1946, he joined the research staff of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) at Langley Field, Va., where he worked on a variety of structural research projects for aircraft and space. He was there when NACA became NASA in 1958 and continued to be an engineer until his retirement in 1980.
In 1949, he married Nellie Bigham Grier of Clover, S.C. Together they raised four children. They were charter members of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church in Newport News, where John served as a deacon and elder; he sang tenor in the choir for more than 50 years. His hobbies included wood- working, model airplane building, and crossword puzzles.
He was stricken by poliomyelitis in 1954 and lost the use of his legs. He spent part of the next year in rehabilitation at Warm Springs, Ga., where he learned to walk using crutches and braces. Regardless of his disability, he devoted unlimited love to his family and extensive service to his community.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nellie Grier Sewall; a sister, Cynthia Baker; three sons and a daughter, William, Martha, Richard, and Jonathan; and eight grandchildren.⁵

Former Pastor of St. A. Church Dies in Florida
Word has been received in the city of the death at Seabreeze, Fla., yesterday of the Rev. John K. Sewall, who was pastor of the First Congregational church in this city from 1901 to 1904. Mr. Sewall had been in ill health for some time and his death was not unexpected. The body will he brought to Littleton. Mass., where burial services will be held June 25. The deceased is survived by his wife. Katherine Hartwell Sewall and by four children, Mrs. Harry S. Whitbeck, of Manasquan, N.J., Mrs. Roswell M. Austin, of this city. Miss Carolyn T. Sewall, of Tien-tsin, China, and William Sewall, of Wakefield. Mass. Mr. Sewall was born at Lunenburg, February 27, 1877, was graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1877, and later from the Andover Theological Seminary.⁶

He was Shreveport's first mayor. Whilst in office, he was killed in a duel by John Willson. The encounter took place on January 6, 1840, across the line in Elysian Fields,Texas, supposedly over a liquor ordinance but probably over an affair with Willson's wife. Joiner, G.D., Wicked Shreveport.