James Sewall (1778-1842) was a U.S. officer in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, public servant, and early railroad executive.

Family

Sewall was the scion of a prominent Maryland family. His great-great-grandfather was

Henry Sewall Henry Sewall (1544 – 1628) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1621 to 1622. Sewall was the son of Sir William Sewall of Coventry and his wife Matilda Home. He became a linen ...

, who immigrated to St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1660; became Secretary of the Province and Counselor; and received numerous parcels of land from

Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675), also often known as Cecilius Calvert, was an English nobleman, who was the first Proprietor of the Province of Maryland, ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newf ...

. On February 14, 1809, he married Anna Maria Rudulph, daughter of Tobias Rudulph, a large landowner. Together, they had at least four children: James Sewall (1823-1881Death of James M. Sewall, Esq.
/ref>), Martha, Glenn, and Mary.

Career

Sewall was the secretary of the Republican Party organization in

Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was n ...

, in 1810. In 1811, he was elected president of the first bank in

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,443 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of na ...

. In 1813, Major Sewall commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 49th Maryland Regiment in action against the British during the

. On April 29, forces under British Admiral George Cockburn, including nine ships, sailed up the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

. They sacked Frenchtown, Maryland, but when they attempted to move up the Elk River to Elkton, they were repulsed by Sewall's forces at Fort Defiance, an earthenworks fortification a mile below the town. From 1816 to 1840, Sewall served as Clerk of the Circuit Court in Elkton. In 1817, Sewall led the formation of the Elkton and Susquehanna Bridge Turnpike Company, a firm capitalized at $30,000 to build a road from Elkton to the Susquehanna River. Sometime between 1810 and 1820, Sewall built Holly Hall on land inherited by his wife. The Elkton mansion was the family seat for some decades and in 1976 was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. He helped found Trinity Episcopal Church in Elkton in 1832. In the 1830s, he served as a director of the Delaware and Maryland Railroad and the

Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality **District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area ** Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom * Wilmington, Devon * ...

, which joined two other railroads to create the first rail link from Philadelphia to Baltimore. (The main line survives today as part of

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...

.) His service as a railroad executive is noted on the 1839

Newkirk Viaduct Monument The Newkirk Viaduct Monument (also, Newkirk Monument) is a 15-foot white marble obelisk in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Installed in 1839, it is inscribed with the names of 51 railroad builders and executives, ...

in Philadelphia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewall, James 1778 births 1842 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives People from Cecil County, Maryland