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. |
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. |
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
Photo of the Lechmere, Sewall, Riedesel house circa 1900
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. |
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. |