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One of my ancestors was a Samuel John Sewell, born c1807. He married twice, the second time in 1844 in Clerkenwell. On this marriage record he says his father's name is Samuel Sewell and is an attorney. There's also a Mary Sewell, born in c1819 who also married in 1844 in Clerkenwell with the same father. Now I've looked at lawyer records from about the time, but haven't been able to find a Samuel Sewell. Does anyone have any ideas how I should try to find him beyond this - he doesn't appear on censuses, so I guess he was already dead at this stage.

Thanks in advance

Gary

*SAMUEL Sewell
BIRTH
31 DEC 1745 in Brookline
, Norfolk,
Massachusetts
, USA
Death
6 MAY 1811 in Bristol, Somerset, England
Henry Sewell (1719-1771) Ann White ()
Spouse & Children
Elizabeth Claridge (-)
Samuel John Sewell (1807-1868)
1745
31 DecBirth
Brookline
, Norfolk,
Massachusetts,
USA 1811
6 MayAge: 65 Death
Bristol,
Somerset,
England
Family Members
Parents Henry Sewell 1719 – 1771
Ann White Show siblings Hide siblings
Spouse & Children
Elizabeth Claridge
Samuel John Sewell 1807

SAMUEL JOHN SEWELL
1807
Death
1868
Parents & Siblings
No Father No Mother
Spouse & Children
JANE ELDRIDGE (1815-1868)
MATILDA SEWELL (1842-1865)
WILLIAM SEWELL (1849-)
JANE SEWELL (1855-) .
Timeline( View details )
1807
Birth 1844
Age: 37 Marriage to JANE ELDRIDGE
Clerkenwel
, London,
England
1868
Age: 61 Death
Parents No Father
No Mother Show siblings
Hide siblings
No siblings
Spouse & Children
JANE ELDRIDGE 1815 – 1868
MATILDA SEWELL 1842 – 1865 WILLIAM SEWELL 1849 – JANE SEWELL

I wondered! "Attorney" is not an English term. Pretentious USAmericanism. ;)

IGI

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/igi/search_igi.asp

SAMUEL SEWALL
Birth: 31 DEC 1745 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Father: HENRY SEWALL
Mother: ANN WHITE
Batch No.: C500181


Results for: North America
Father: Henry Sewall, Mother: Ann
Batch Number: C500181

1. REBECCA SEWALL - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 19 OCT 1747 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts
2. HULL SEWALL - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 09 APR 1744 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts
3. HANNAH SEWALL - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 02 SEP 1751 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts
4. HENRY SEWALL - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 19 JAN 1749 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts
5. SAMUEL SEWALL - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 31 DEC 1745 Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Hi Starr1

thanks, but I think you got that information from things I've posted in the past. I thought that Samuel Sewell Attorney must be the American one, because he'd spent time in Bristol where my Samuel John Sewell was born, and I thought it too big a coincidence to have had 2 Samuel Sewells being attorneys in Bristol at the same time. I've since, however, found out that Samuel John had a sister Mary Ann, also claiming this Samuel Sewell as her father, but she was born in 1819, 8 years after the American one died, so there must have been two Samuel Sewells afterall.

Thanks a lot for getting back to me on this one anyway

Gary

And hi Janey - I agree 'attorney' does sound pretentious American to us now, but maybe it didn't back at the start of the 19th century - it's like the whole 'this marriage was solemniZed' versus 'solemniSed', and the amount of times I've seen 'laborer' in British records...

Gary

What starr1 posted looks like it's come from an Ancestry tree.

Do you have previous threads about this here at GR? ... No, I guess it must be your Ancestry tree. If so, wise to warn people here before they go "finding" it.

No the ancestry tree is mine... that's why I'm pretty sure it's in error - this is my first post about him here. Kinda interested because he's not your run-of-the-mill labourer / shop assistant / carpenter / servant, which is what the rest of my lot seem to be

Gary

I need to get a number of trees updated now the London records have proved me wrong :( Only just found this out though so not got round to it yet

Gary

Have you identified Mary Ann Sewell in the 1841? Just in case her mother was still living, e.g.

No I can't find her - got her in the 1851 and onwards though, but no mother - she married James Gard(e)ner - I would have hoped a christening record would have turned up for her on ancestry, but I've tried all possible spellings and not been able to find her. On Samuel John's burial record his surname is spelt 'Seawell' so that's another alternative - wondering if the Oxford alumni entry for Samuel Seawell who was 17 in 1771 was his father - but don't want to just speculate again - have learnt my lesson with following American Sewells back...

Just one I found possibly interesting.

1841

Civil parish: St Edmund King and Martyr (never heard of it before!)
County: Middlesex
Registration district: London

Name: Louisa Knevit Sewell
Age: 55
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1786
Gender: Female

Louisa Knevit Sewell 55
Maria Lahor 25
Fanny Garnham 25
Ellen Hayes 20
William Young 50

Actually those are all servants in the household -- it looks like the senior woman would be housekeeper, with a senior man, and the maids/cooks.

The householders are:

Hannah Lawrence 75 - Ind.
William Lawrence 35 > > > Solicitor
Jane Mary Miles 75 - Ind. (a boarder perhaps, or sister, etc.)


I wondered ... if Samuel Sr's widow had not been left independent, might she have been a housekeeper for another solicitor?

Samuel Jr. does have a daughter named Louisa ...

Knevit (Knevitt, Knevett) is a name, btw. It shows up in the GRO index as a surname and a second given name in several places.


Also ... your Samuel is a carpenter in 1841, and so is this one also in St James Clerkenwell (not born in county):

Joseph Sewell 60
Elizabeth Sewell 32
William Sewell 12
Joseph Sewell 10
Elizabeth Sewell 8
Harriett Sewell 5
Alfred Sewell 2
James Saunders 30
Henry Phillips 28

I'm not persuaded the age is 60 on the image.

... Yeah, as I thought, it was 40, not 60. This is them in 1851:

Joseph Sewell 50 - carpenter
Elizabeth Sewell 41
Joseph Sewell 20
Harriet Sewell 15
Robert Sewell 8
Charles Sewell 6
Ann Sewell 3

But Joseph was born in Pottersbury, Northamptonshire.

Was just thinking, sometimes trades do run in families.

Thanks again for getting back - went to bed, so the reply not so quick...

I've found a Mary Ann Sewell's burial record from 1844, giving her birth in c1771. The record states that she died in Goswell Street - Samuel John's first wife, Elizabeth Eldridge died in 1839 in Goswell Street - so I think I may well have found his mother. There's a Samuel Sewell buried at Bunhill Fields in 1827, but this one was born in 1781, which would make him 10 years younger than his wife - not impossible, but perhaps a bit surprising. This one's last address was Aldersgate Street in Clerkenwell, just down the road. It looks like there's a problem with transcriptions for the Old Street area on the 1841 census, so it may be that Mary's entry here is missing.

The Louisa Knevit Sewell mentioned is also interesting. Samuel John's third daughter was Louisa Margaret Sewell. I don't think she was his mother but she may have been somehow related

Gary

This is an old thread that I've just found.
Louisa Knevit Sewell is my ancestor. She was baptized Louisa Knevit Leppingwell 24 Jan 1783 at St Nicholas, Castle Hedingham, Essex, England and married Edward Sewell 1801 at Felstead, Essex.
She is listed in the 1851 census with her daughter Louisa Garrard at Croydon. Surrey. In 1861 she was at South Hackney with her daughter and granddaughter.
I would love to communicate with any others interested in this family
Liz

Hello Elizabeth, Gary may not be checking back here for replies so could miss your post. You could click on his name to send a direct message which he'll be notified of if his email address is up to date.

Also, use the "search Trees" facility under Search on the menu above to see if anyone else has these people in their trees, you can then contact any tree owners.