Henry Seawell

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Henry Seawell
Member of the House of Burgesses for Lower Norfolk County
In office
1639–1640
Preceded byJohn Sipsey
Succeeded byEdward Windham
Member of the House of Burgesses for the Upper Parish of Elizabeth City County
In office
1632
Preceded byWilliam Kempe
Succeeded byThomas Sheppard
Personal details
Bornc. 1610
Died1644
Colony of Virginia

Henry Seawell (alternatively spelled Sewell) (c. 1610 – c. 1644)[1] was a British merchant who became a landowner and politician in the Colony of Virginia and thrice serve in the House of Burgesses.[2][3][4]

Career[edit]

Voters in the then vast upper (or westernmost) parish of Elizabeth City first elected Henry Seawell as one of the men representing them in the House of Burgesses in 1632. After the creation of lower Norfolk County he won election in 1639 and re-election the following year.[5] In 1641 the governor and his council decided to have a parish church built at Sewell's Point, and the county justices convened occasionally at this man's home. In 1642, while this man was one of the justices of the peace, Elizabeth Mills accused Sewell's wife Alice as a thief, was found guilty of defamation, and was forced to apologize as well as received 10 lashes.[4]

Personal life[edit]

His relationship with the 18 year old English servant named Thomas Seawell who emigrated to Virginia aboard the Tiger in 1623 is unclear. Two years later Thomas Seawell was working for ancient planter Reynold Booth in Elizabeth City County, and in 1635 he patented 400 acres on his own (and for importing people).[6] Henry Seawell married a woman named Alice and both had died by February 14, 1645.[4] They were survived by a son, Henry Seawell Jr. (1639–1672) and a daughter Anne Seawell (born c. 1634).[2]In 1650, Anne married Lemuel Mason, also a member of the House of Burgesses,[1] and their son (this man's grandson) Thomas Mason also served as a burgess.

Death and legacy[edit]

Seawell died probably in late 1644, before his son reached legal age. His son died in 1672 without issue. Meanwhile, the parish church was moved in 1660 to near the new fort constructed for protection during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.[7] However, Sewell's Point remains named for this man.[4][2]

Family of Henry Seawell
Henry SeawellAlice
Henry Seawell Jr.Anne SeawellLemuel MasonWilliam Kendall
Thomas MasonAnne MasonWilliam Kendall II
William Kendall III

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cabell, James Branch (1915). The Majors and Their Marriages. W. C. Hill Printing Company. p. 47.
  2. ^ a b c Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography vol.1. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 321.
  3. ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner; Morton, Richard Lee (1896). The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 4. William and Mary College. p. 173.
  4. ^ a b c d McCartney, Martha W. (2012). Jamestown people to 1800 : landowners, public officials, minorities, and native leaders. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-8063-1872-1. OCLC 812189309.
  5. ^ Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 11, 18, 19
  6. ^ McCartney, Martha W. (2007). Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co. p. 629. ISBN 978-0-8063-1774-8.
  7. ^ Parramore, Thomas C.; Stewart, Peter C.; Bogger, Tommy (1994). Norfolk: The First Four Centuries. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia. p. 50. ISBN 978-0813919881.


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