Samuel Sewall
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Samuel Sewall (March 28, 1652 - January 1, 1730), was a Massachusetts judge, best known for his traducement of slavery, The Selling of Joseph (1700).
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[edit] Biography
Samuel was born at Hampshire, England. The son of Henry and Jane Sewall, and grandson of Henry Sewall the Mayor of Coventry, England. Sewall was an associate magistrate at the Salem witch trials. A devout Puritan, he emigrated from England to the Massachusetts colony in 1661. He settled in Boston, where he attended Harvard University, hoping to study for the ministry, but he eventually left to pursue a career in business. He also entered local politics, and was elevated to the judiciary that in 1692 judged the people in Salem accused of witchcraft. Sewall was perhaps most remarkable among the magistrates involved in the trials in that he was the only magistrate who, some years later, publicly regretted his role in the trials, going so far as to call for a public day of prayer and fasting and reparations. As well, Sewall opened up his home to one of the initial afflicted children, Betty Parris, daughter of Salem Village reverend Samuel Parris, and shortly afterward Betty's 'afflictions' appear to have subsided.
Quite apart from his involvement in the trials, Sewall could be very liberal in his views. In The Selling of Joseph (1700), for instance, he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest white colonial abolitionists. His Diary, kept from 1673 to 1729, describes his life as a Puritan against the changing tide of colonial life, as the devoutly religious community of Massachusetts gradually adopted more secular attitudes and emerged as a liberal, cosmopolitan-minded community. As such, it is an important work for understanding the transformation of the colony in the days leading to the American Revolution.
He died in Boston, Massachusetts, and was interred in the family tomb at the Granary Cemetery, Tremont Street, Boston. His grandson Samuel Sewall would later represent Massachusetts in the U. S. Congress.
[edit] Bibliography
- The Revolution in New England Justified, 1691
- Phaenomena quaedam Apolyptica, 1697
- The Selling of Joseph, 1700
- Proposals Touching the Accomplishment of Prophecies, 1713
- Diary of Samuel Sewall, 1674-1729.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Selling of Joseph: A Memorial
- First Parish Cemetery, York, Maine. Descendants buried here.
| Salem witch trials | |
|---|---|
| Authorities | Thomas Danforth · John Hale · Increase Mather · Samuel Parris · William Phips · Nathaniel Saltonstall · Samuel Sewall · William Stoughton |
| Accusers | Elizabeth Hubbard · Mercy Lewis · Betty Parris · Ann Putnam, Jr. · Susannah Sheldon · Mary Walcott · Abigail Williams |
| Accused | John Alden · Edward Bishop · Sarah Bishop · Mary Black · Mary Bradbury · Sarah Cloyce · Rebecca Eames · Mary English · Phillip English · Abigail Faulkner · Dorcas Good · William Hobbs · Mary Lacy · Sarah Morey · Benjamin Proctor · Elizabeth Proctor · Sarah Proctor · William Proctor |
| Confessed and Accused Others | Dorcas Hoar · Abigail Hobbs · Deliverance Hobbs · Margaret Jacobs · Tituba · Mary Warren |
| Executed | Bridget Bishop · George Burroughs · Martha Carrier · Martha Corey · Mary Eastey · Sarah Good · Elizabeth Howe · George Jacobs, Sr. · Susannah Martin · Rebecca Nurse · Alice Parker · Mary Parker · John Proctor · Ann Pudeator · Wilmot Redd · Margaret Scott · Samuel Wardwell · Sarah Wildes · John Willard |
| Died in Prison | Lydia Dustin · Ann Foster · Sarah Osborn · Roger Toothaker |
| Died During Interrogation | Giles Corey |
