Family Lore: Justice Samuel Sewall ~ 52 Ancestors #1

The first week's theme for this year's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (from Amy Johnson Crow) is "Family Lore."

Living in New England, we learned about the Salem Witch Trials in school. We also lived close enough to Salem, Massachusetts, that we visited the various historic sites as children. From a young age, we were told that we descended from Justice Samuel Sewall, one of the well-known judges at some of these witch trials.

This family lore is true; we do descend from Justice Samuel Sewall. He is both my 7th great-grandfather and my 8th great-grandfather. (See the ancestral line below.)

1729 painting by John Smibert

Samuel Sewall was born in Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England, on March 28, 1652. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents in 1661, who settled in Newbury. 

He was a graduate of Harvard College with an AB degree in 1671 and an AM degree in 1674. He was first a member of the Court of Assistants from 1684-1686 and 1689-1692. Then he was named a judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1692 and served as the court's chief justice from 1718 to 1728. He is most known for his involvement in the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. He notably made a public statement of regret five years later apologizing for his actions during those trials. He has an extensive biography on Wikipedia.

He also is known for his extensive diary, which gives insight into the people and lifestyles of the times. His diary is often referenced as a source for a birth, marriage, or death of Boston-area family and friends.

Justice Samuel Sewall married Hannah Hull on February 28, 1675/76 in Boston. They had fourteen children, all born in Boston between 1677 and 1701. (John, Samuel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Hull, Henry, Stephen, Joseph, Judith, Mary, Jane, Sarah, stillborn son, Judith). His wife, Hannah, died October 19, 1717, after which Samuel married two more times.

I descend from their eighth child and sixth son Joseph.

He died 294 years ago on January 1, 1730, in Boston, and he is buried in one of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in the city, the Granary Burying Ground.  See his FindAGrave Memorial.

I descend from him as follows:

Samuel Sewall (1652-1730)
|
Joseph Sewall (1688-1769)
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Samuel Sewall (1715-1771)
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Dorothy Sewall (1758-1825)
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---------------------------
|                                   |
Louisa May (1792-1828)                Elizabeth Sewall May (1798-1822)
|                                   |
.                                        |                  Elizabeth Sewall Willis (1820-1900)
|                                   |
Samuel Sewall Greeley (1824-1916) married Eliza May Wells (1839-1880) [*]
|
Ethel May Greeley (1875-1931)
|
Lowell Townsend Copeland (1900-1974)
|
My Mother
|
Me

[*] Samuel Sewall Greeley married his first cousin once removed, Eliza May Wells, as his second wife.

I have not (yet) found any family members who were named as witches during this time.