Samuel Sewall (March 28, 1652 - January 1, 1730). Samuel was born at Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England. The son of Henry and Jane (Dummer) 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. March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... // Events April 6 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births April 16 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... 1876 illustration of the courtroom; the central figure is usually Mary Walcott The Salem witch trials of Colonial America resulted in a number of convictions and executions for witchcraft in 1692 in Massachusetts, the result of a period of factional infighting and Puritan witch hysteria which led to the deaths... The Puritans were members of a group of English Protestants seeking further reforms or even separation from the established church during the Reformation. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... State nickname: Bay State Official languages English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Senators Edward Kennedy (D), John Kerry (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 44th 27,360 km² 25. ... Events January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. ... Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Motto: {{{motto}}} Official website: www. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... Seal of Salem, MA Salem is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ... The term witchcraft (and witch) is a controversial one with a complicated history. ... Elizabeth Betty Parris (November 28, 1682 – March 21, 1760) was the nine-year-old daughter of the Salem villages reverend Samuel Parris (1653–1720) and was the first to become ill after being bewitched as most people thought. ... Reverend Samuel Parris (1653-1720) Samuel Parris (1653, London, England – February 27, 1720, Sudbury, Massachusetts) was the Puritan minister in the town of Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts) during the Salem witch trials, as well as the father and uncle of two of the afflicted girls. ...

Quite apart from his involvement in the trials, Sewall could be very liberal in his views. In The Selling of Joseph (1710), for instance, he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest 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. // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 3 - Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... This poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery in the United Kingdom and the United States. ... Events The English Test Act was passed. ... Events July 30 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded. ... The American Revolution is the series of events, ideas, and changes that resulted in the political separation of thirteen colonies in North America from the British Empire and the creation of the United States of America. ...

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. Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Motto: {{{motto}}} Official website: www. ... Samuel Sewall (December 11, 1757– June 8, 1814) was an American lawyer from Boston, Massachusetts. ... The United States House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States. ...

External link

• Sewall's portrait at Boston Museum of Fine Arts