John S. Sewall
John Smith Sewall (1830 – 1911) was an American sailor, minister, and professor, better known today for his book The Logbook of the Captain's Clerk (1905), which tells of his experiences aboard the USS Saratoga.
Biography
Sewall was born in 1830. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1850, Sewall enlisted in the United States Navy. His first assignment was to the USS Saratoga as a captain's clerk. This ship accompanied Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan from 1853–1854.
Once back in the United States, Sewall was ordained a Congregational minister. He worked as a pastor in Wenham, Massachusetts from 1859–1867. Sewall then served as chaplain to the 8th Massachusetts Militia Regiment during the Civil War in 1864.
In 1875, Sewall accepted a professorship position at Bowdoin College, where he remained until 1903. He finished his career at Bangor Theological Seminary as a professor of homiletics.
John Sewall died in 1911.
Works
A half century after his return from Japan, Sewall wrote The Logbook of the Captain's Clerk: Adventures in the China Seas (1905), to recount his experiences during the Japan expedition. He was also the author of a half dozen books and a number of essays ranging from theology to history, some of which appeared in The New Englander and Yale Review.
External links
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