Stephen Sewall was a Salem witch trial figure, militia commander, county and court official, merchant, pirate hunter. He was born in Baddesley, Hampshire, England, on August 15, 1657, the son of the Rev. Henry Sewall and Jane Dummer. He was christened in September of 1657. He came over in 1661 with his parents to Newbury, Massachusetts, where they had previously resided.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
He married Margaret Mitchell, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, daughter of the Rev. Jonathan Mitchell, in Cambridge on June 13, 1682. They settled in Salem, Massachusetts, and had seventeen children there.[1][7][8]
Stephen (Sewell) Sewall was involved in witch trials
He earned military distinction in the Bay Colony's indian wars, and held numerous county offices including register of probate, register of deeds and clerk of courts. In the latter capacity he also served as clerk of the Court of Oyer and Terminer especially convened to dismiss charges or indict persons accused of witchcraft during the hysteria of 1692, and was responsible for attesting to the accuracy of all documents and transcripts produced by the court, and so was an official eye-witness at every trial convened.
At the outbreak of the hysteria, he and his wife, Margaret Mitchell, also harbored one of the so-called bewitched girls, Abigail Parris, who ceased to experience reported fits under their care. His transcripts were used by Cotton Mather for his "Wonders of the Unseen World," which he wrote as a defense of the court's methods for investigating the accusations of witchcraft. Years after the hysteria had subsided and the court's proceedings discredited, he participated on the committee to recommend compensation for the victims' families and was appointed to distribute compensation, which he did without pay.
He participated in the capture of convicted pirate John Quelch, who had been authorized by the provincial government as a privateer to attack and capture Spanish and Portuguese ships, but who also preyed on New England merchant vessels. Sewall and Captain John Turner apprehended Quelch and several of his crew, who were later hanged in Boston. They were rewarded with a portion of the pirate's loot.[9]
He attended Harvard College but did not graduate.[3]
Major Stephen Sewall died in Salem on October 17, 1725, at the age of 68. He was buried with military honors.[3] His death and funeral were marked by the tolling of bells and the firing of cannon in Salem. According to his FindAGrave Memorial, he is buried at Broad Street Cemetery in Salem with two of his infant children memorialized with a marker and inscription composed by their father, but there is no individual marker to his memory.
Children
Children of Stephen and Margaret (Mitchell) Sewall, all born in Salem:
Stephen, born August 7, 1684; died December 22, 1684.[10][11]
Stephen, 2nd, born December 21, 1685; died January 29, 1685-6.[12][13]
Birthplace: Stephen's Newbury birth record cites his birth at "Baddesly, Hampshire",[4] but other sources have cited "Baddesley, Warwickshire". These two English villages are over a hundred miles apart.
↑Massachusetts Historical Society: Vol. 5. - Fifth Series. 1878. Diary of Samuel Sewall 1674-1729. Vol. 1. 1674-1700. Page xviii. Citing: "4. Henry Sewall ... married ... Jane ... Dummer ... iv. Stephen, [b. in England], 10 Aug 1657."
Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 20 July 2020), memorial page for Maj Stephen Sewall (10 Aug 1657–17 Oct 1725), Find A Grave: Memorial #38432302, citing Broad Street Cemetery, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Bob on Gallows Hill (contributor 46630279). Note: No Gravestone Photo.
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