Old Sewell Homes

Many of the photos were lifted from Google's "Street View" in April, 2010. To view the original images, click on Google Maps and search for the address. Then, simply use your mouse to move the little orange man on top of the scale over on the left side down onto the map . . . and Presto! The actual street view appears! You may have to pan around a bit to find the exact photo shown here.

69 Kingswood Road, Toronto, Ontario

My grandparents, Harry and Ida Sewell, resided at 69 Kingswood Road from the mid 1920's until 1959. The back yard was "natural" and consisted primarily of trees and tall grasses. My memories of this fine back yard are one of the main reasons why I prefer to leave my present back yard in its "natural" state.
At the rear of this home, the cellar door opened out at ground level. Down the driveway, there used to be two garages; one belonging to the neighbour to the north and one to the Sewells. As this was on a hill, the far end of the garages were supported on posts. This was the garage that my grandfather "smashed the car through." Actually, only the front wheels punched through the garage wall; but that was bad enough.

Neville Park Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario

Prior to moving to 69 Kingswood Road (above) in the mid 1920's, the Sewells lived one street to the east on Neville Park Boulevard. I don't know the exact address; but my father said it was "through the back yard and a few doors up the street." He also said there were a lot of steps leading up to the front door. We don't know the exact address, but it was likely one of the homes in this photo (or something similar) and was certainly a home on this street.

53 Craighurst Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

This was the home of my great grandfather, Henry DeQuincy Sewell (II) and his family. After the death of my great grandfather in 1933, Aunt Marie continued living here until she had to sell the home.

151 North Court Street, Port Arthur, Ontario

Prior to moving to Toronto, the family of Henry DeQuincy Sewell resided in Hamilton and Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario. The only address we have is 151 North Court Street, Port Arthur.

We have from the Port Arthur Weekly Herald and Algoma Miner for May 12, 1888, page 4:
"Tenders will be received by the undersigned for the erection of a private dwelling on McVicar's Creek May 17th H. DeQ. Sewell."
and years later from the Port Arthur News-Chronicle for April 14, 1919:
". . . long forgotten underground cellar caved in . . . near the entrance to 151 N. Court Street Saturday afternoon, 20 feet deep by 15 feet square. . . . built by H. DeQ. Sewell some 40 years ago and used as a wine and beer cellar. It was connected with his home which stood on the site now occupied by Maudslay Court." Maudslay Court is an early apartment building on McVicar's Creek.

The following image is a "Google Street View" of the Maudslay Court Apartments as seen in a north west view across the bridge over McVicar's Creek on North Court Street. The old Sewell wine cellar must have been close to the road to allow for convenient deliveries, and was probably under a gate house or stable or some such thing.

Maudslay Court Apartments
North West view across the bridge over McVicar's Creek on North Court Street. 151 North Court Street

Across the road from the Maudslay Court Apartments we see the McVicar Manor Bed and Breakfast at 146 North Court Street. This view (minus the "no parking" sign!) was likely familiar to my great grandfather and his family.

146 North Court Street

St. Peter and St. Paul's, Headcorn, Kent

Although born in Quebec, my great great grandfather {Rev} Henry Doyle Sewell moved to Kent where he was the Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul's from 1850 to 1886. This was likely a good choice as there wasn't much "business" for Anglican ministers in predominantly Roman Catholic Quebec; and Kent was certainly better than moving to a rough pioneer settlement in Canada West, now Ontario. As well, it was in Kent that he met my great great grandmother Charlotte Monypenny.


St. Peter and St. Paul's Anglican Church Looking west from North Street, Headcorn, Kent. From Google Street View
St. Peter and St. Paul's Vicarage 1920 Looking south from Moat Road From a postcard courtesy of John Rees
Headcorn Manor 2018 The old vicarage is now a private home. From a Savills Estate Agents Document courtesy of John Rees

87 Rue St. Louis, Quebec City, Quebec

This was the home of my great X3 grandfather, {Hon} Jonathan Sewell, Chief Justice of Quebec.
It has been converted into apartments.
Thanks to Estelle Sewell Hughes for the fine photo.

For further details of this home, please visit the
Jonathan Sewell Historical Plaque

41 Rue Sainte-Ursule, Quebec City, QC

We have information from a number of sources:

39, 41 & 43 St. Ursule Street: ". . . 39, 41, 42 rue Sainte Ursule - constructed in 1820-21, owned by Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell." (John George Melvin Clark, 1910 - 1996, quoted by W. Darcy McKeough, Sewell Family Tree, privately published, 2000, page 41-5-C-57. Mr. Clark was the husband of Eleanor Louise Temple, 1916 - 1990, a great X2 granddaughter of Jonathan Sewell.)

41 St. Ursule Street: "Rev. E. W. Sewell . . . died at his residence, 41 St. Ursule Str., Quebec, October 24th, in his ninety-first year of his age." (Rev. A. R. Beverley, Trinty Church - A Historical Sketch, 1911)

43 St. Ursule Street: Professor Theodore P. Wright, Jr. wrote: "We . . . stayed at La Maison Acadienne within the walled city. What was my amazement to read in a brochure the hotel provided that the building was the home of Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell, built about 1823!" (Prof. Theodore P. Wright, Jr., Letter, March 2, 1996) The name of La Maison Acadienne has since changed to Hotel Acadia, the address of which is 43 Rue Sainte-Ursule, Quebec City. This is "down the street and around the corner" from the residence of {Chief Justice} Jonathan Sewell at 87 St. Louis Street. The Hotel Acadia on St. Ursule Street would appear to be stretching things a bit by claiming their property to have been "the home of Chief Justice Jonathan Sewell." Jonathan owned the property on St. Ursule Street and his son, Rev. E. W. Sewell, resided at 41 St. Ursule Street which is now in all likelihood a part of the Hotel Acadia.

The following is a photo of an oil painting at Quebec Museum of St.Ursule Street in old Quebec by {Sherrif} William Sewell. This image was lifted from the web site of Derek Hill. As far as we have been able to detemine, "39, 41, 42 rue Sainte Ursule - constructed in 1820-21" is the three storey building at the right side of the painting. The doorframe of 41 (the home of {Rev} E.W. Sewell) is right at the edge of the image and 43 is not shown at all.

Thanks to cousins Estelle Sewell Hughes and Derek Hill.

49 Rue d'Auteuil, Quebec City, Quebec

This was the home of {Sheriff} William Smith Sewell and is now the most referred small hotel in Quebec City Hôtel Manoir d'Auteuil. From the website of this fine establishment, we have:

"Le Manoir d'Auteuil was built first as a single family home on land purchased in 1835 by the Sheriff William Smith Sewell (1798-1866).

"Sheriff Smith Sewell commissioned in 1835 the architect Frederick Hacker to design a house of stone four stories tall in a "London style" that we know now as Le Manoir D'Auteuil. He contracted the mason Pierre Bélanger to build the walls with stone from Cap-Rouge, with an arched stone entrance that still exists today. Sheriff Smith Sewell built Le Manoir at a cost of 565 English pounds!

"In 1853 only 20 years after its construction, there was a fire at Le Manoir but the original stonewalls and archway remained. The sheriff then rebuilt the home and kept it in the family until 1871."

For further details, please click to visit Le Manoir d'Auteuil.

148 Duke Street, St. John, New Brunswick

This was the home of my Great X4 Grandfather, Jonathan Sewall / Sewell, in St. John.
148 Duke Street St. John New Brunswick

Jonathan and his family left Massachsetts for England in 1775 and moved to St. John, New Brunswick in 1785. We found this location thanks to a walking tour pamphlet that mentioned "148 Duke Street West, corner of Ludlow Street, Sewell house, built for Jonathan Sewell, believed to be the oldest wood building in Saint John."

This is the first member of our branch of the family that spells the name “Sewell”. The Sewalls fled Cambridge for Boston in 1774, and left for England in 1775. In his Family Memorials, Prof. Salisbury explains, “In visiting the burial place of his ancestors, he found that the name of Sewell was spelled with an e instead of an a and therefore adopted the earlier style.” It has also been suggested that he wished to distance himself from his revolutionary relatives who remained in what was to become the United States of America.

Click to see St. John Heritage: Lower West Side Walking Tour of Historic Places.

Brattle Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

This was the home of my Great X4 Grandfather, Attorney-General Jonathan Sewall.

The Lechmere, Sewall, Riedesel house was originally built by Richard Lechmere and was later occupied by Attorney-General Jonathan Sewall and his family. In the nineteenth century Mr. William Brewster moved the Lechmere, Sewall, Riedesel House westerly a hundred yards or so along Brattle Street where it now stands at number 149 Brattle Street and the corner of Riedesel Avenue.

After the Sewalls left for England in 1775, the leader of the Hessian mercenaries, Baron Von Riedesel, his wife, the Baroness, and their three children moved into the mansion. The home was described as:

"Late Judge Sewall's, 10 Rooms; 7 upright & handsome; one large convenient kitchen; two handsome & convenient upper Rooms fit to lodge in; also a garret fit for Servants to lodge in."

However, the mansion was unfurnished. Much to the dismay of the Von Riedesels, they had to furnish the home at their own expense.

Photo of the Lechmere, Sewall, Riedesel house circa 1900

Mary Caroline Crawford: The Romance of Old New England Rooftrees, pages 144 & 145, L.C. Page & Company, Boston, 1902.

Additional history of the home is as follows:

" . . . the Richard Lechmere house, occupied at the outbreak of the war by Jonathan Sewall, attorney general of the Province : a roomy structure of fine interior, which stood on the corner of Sparks Street, first above the junction of Craigie Street with Brattle. This was the house occupied by the Baroness Riedesel, while in Cambridge with herhusband, General Riedesel, after the surrender of Burgoyne. In later years it was the homestead of John Brewster, who raised it and put a story underneath. Subsequently it was moved to the corner of Riedesel Avenue, the next street above, and part of it we see in the present house here. When it was moved it was necessary to cut off the top story, leaving the house half old and half new. It was built by Lechmere in 1760, and Sewall acquired it in 1771."

Edwin M. Bacon: Walks And Rides In The Country Round About Boston; Covering Thirty-six Cities And Towns, Parks And Public Reservations, Within A Radius Of Twelve Miles From The State House, page 254, Houghton, Mifflin & Company for the Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, 1897.

Thanks to Cambridge historian Rebekah W. Sachs for all her help in sorting this out.

Bayley Lane, Coventry, England

This image was lifted from Eben W. Graves: The Descendants of Henry Sewall, Newbury Street Press, Boston, 2007. Eben wrote:
"Mediaeval Houses opposite St. Michael's Church, Bayley Lane, Coventry . . . If not one of the houses on the left, Mayor Henry Sewall lived in one much like them on the same street." Henry Sewall (1544 - 1628) was my great X9 grandfather.

For more on Eben's book, visit the New England Historic and Genealogical Society.

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Click to Contact Robert Sewell.