Martin-St Johns-Dade County FlArchives Biographies.....Sewall, Henry Edwin 1848 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 11, 2008, 9:30 pm Author: B. F. Johnson (1909) Henry Edwin Sewall 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. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. JOHNSON Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/martin/photos/bios/sewall70gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/martin/bios/sewall70gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb