Rev. Joseph Sewall (1688-1769)
Rev. Dr. Joseph Sewall, D.D., Fellow of Harvard & Pastor of South Church, Boston
He was born at Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard (1707) and was ordained Pastor of the Old South Church in Boston, 1713. He was described as "a rigid Calvinist". In 1724, he was elected President of Harvard College but declined the position. He was a Fellow of the college from 1728 to 1765 and after the original college library burned down in 1724 he presented the college with many volumes from his own collection. This coupled with his generosity to poor students saw him become known as Joseph "The Good". In 1731, the University of Glasgow conferred upon him an honorary doctorate (D.D., Doctor of Divinity). In 1713, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Major-General John Walley, and they had one son who lived to adulthood.
