Henry Devereaux Sewall was born on 21 August 1786 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was the son of Chief Justice Samuel Sewall LL.D. and Abigail Devereaux. Henry Devereaux Sewall married Mary Catherine Norton, daughter of Birdsey Norton, on 22 January 1816 in Bloomfield, New Jersey, In the wedding announcement the groom is described as being of the house of Hurd & Sewall, New York. Henry Devereaux Sewall died on 8 June 1846 in Watertown, New York, at the age of 59.
At the age of 18 he started as a clerk in the counting house, in Boston, of his uncle, Joseph Sewall, the head of the house of Sewall, Salisbury & Co., then the principal dry goods importing and jobbing firm in New England. In 1807 the firm detailed their clerks, Henry Devereux Sewall and Arthur Tappan, the latter a brother of the junior partner in the firm, to go to Portland, in the district of Maine, and open a branch store under the firm name of Tappan & Sewall; but after doing business in Portland for two years they became discouraged by the ill effects produced by Jefferson's embargo, and in 1809 transferred the mercantile establishment to Montreal. There they were quite successful. Merchants and traders in Central and Northern New York were at that time among the principal customers of the Canadian capital city. It was there that Mr. Sewall formed acquaintanceships with Watertown merchants that shaped his course later in his career. The War of 1812 coming on, all Americans residing in Canada were required either to swear allegiance to the British Crown or to quit the country. Being patriots, and the descendants of patriots, the young traders chose the latter alternative, although to the ruin of their business, and in 1813 broke up their establishment. Mr. Tappan went directly to New York, becoming afterwards the leading dry goods merchant in that city, and a distinguished philanthropist. Mr. Sewall devoted his attention to the settling of matters of the late firm, and the collection of their outstanding debts.

Mr. Sewall's father dying in 1814 he spent a considerable part of that year in settling the estate, and early in 1815 established himself in New York in the foreign shipping and commission business, in partnership with John R. Hurd. This business proving but moderately remunerative, Mr. Hurd accepted an offer in 1823 to take the presidency of a marine insurance company in New York, and Mr. Sewall, under the advice of his uncle Joseph, the merchant in Boston, undertook a commission agency in New York in partnership with Edmund Q. Sewall, a son of Joseph, for the sale of domestic goods in connection with the foreign commission business. Joseph Sewall at that time had the agency in Boston of most of the few manufactories of cotton and woolen goods in New England, and through his intervention the firm of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall became the first in New York to undertake a similar agency in the latter market. It was thus that Mr. Sewall established an intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, the managers of the cotton factory at Watertown, and the latter concern becoming largely indebted to the New York house, the larger part of this indebtedness was finally transferred to property in and about Watertown.

In the financial crash of 1827 Mr. Sewall's firm in Boston, being compelled to succumb, carried down with them the house in New York of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall; and the junior partner, in the latter, dying, and the outlook for future business in New York seeming discouraging, Mr. Sewall concluded to remove with his family to Watertown, and managed the property there acquired through the intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, which firm also had been compelled by the extreme financial pressure of the time to withdraw from active business. He had likewise a view to the further extension of manufacturing at Watertown, and had always nourished a preference for a country life. Mr. Sewall, with the valuable assistance of those excellent men, well known to old citizens of Watertown, John Sigourney and Josiah W. Baker, carried on the old cotton factory and store from 1829 to 1834, when, the charter expiring, the factory and appurtenances were sold. In 1828-29 he constructed the dam on the Black River at the upper end of his island, built his residence on the island, then a beautiful spot, constructed or bought and afterwards sold a saw-mill and a tannery on the north side of the north branch, opposite the island, a paper mill and a machine shop on the lower point of the island on the north branch, a flouring-mill on the main branch, south side, just below the island, an extensive saw-mill at Dexter all between 1829 and I833; and in I834, with the assistance of New York and Boston capital, he erected an extensive woolen factory on the south side of the river opposite the island, and in 1834 to '35 and '36 built several brick stores on the east side of Factory Square, as well as a number of dwelling houses on Factory street, and in the neighborhood of the woolen-mills; and during the same period contributed largely to the erection of the first academy in the village (of which the late Judge Mullin was the first principal), and in 1832-33 furnished the greater part of the means for and himself attended to the construction and fitting up of the first Episcopal Church in the village, the predecessor of the present church on Court street. Later he built another flouring mill, below the woolen factory. Mr. Sewall, in connection with Merrill Coburn held, in 1833 the contract for furnishing the ties and sleepers for the Utica & Schenectady Railroad, the first railroad in the state of any length (the only previous ones being the short Mohawk & Hudson, and the Harlem, not going north of Harlem at that time) and, to carry out the contract, put up the extensive saw-mills at Dexter, and, as the sleepers were required to be of yellow pine, the contractors secured all there was of that timber along the Black River. The flood of 1833 swept all the logs into the lake at heavy loss to the contractors. From 1835 to 1843 Mr. Sewall was chiefly occupied with the business of the woolen factory, which, partly from want of sufficient skill in the manufacture of the fine goods for which the works were designed, partly from insufficiency of funds, and partly from the reduction of the tariff, did not prove ultimately profitable.

In the early spring of 1843 Mr. Sewall was badly injured by the upsetting of the Utica stage coach while on a journey to the eastward, from which time his health failed, and his business career practically closed, his death in June, 1846, being caused by the paralysis resulting from the injury. Child's Gazetteer of Jefferson County, City of Watertown.

Henry Devereaux Sewall was born on 21 August 1786 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was the son of Chief Justice Samuel Sewall LL.D. and Abigail Devereaux. Henry Devereaux Sewall married Mary Catherine Norton, daughter of Birdsey Norton, on 22 January 1816 in Bloomfield, New Jersey, In the wedding announcement the groom is described as being of the house of Hurd & Sewall, New York. Henry Devereaux Sewall died on 8 June 1846 in Watertown, New York, at the age of 59.
At the age of 18 he started as a clerk in the counting house, in Boston, of his uncle, Joseph Sewall, the head of the house of Sewall, Salisbury & Co., then the principal dry goods importing and jobbing firm in New England. In 1807 the firm detailed their clerks, Henry Devereux Sewall and Arthur Tappan, the latter a brother of the junior partner in the firm, to go to Portland, in the district of Maine, and open a branch store under the firm name of Tappan & Sewall; but after doing business in Portland for two years they became discouraged by the ill effects produced by Jefferson's embargo, and in 1809 transferred the mercantile establishment to Montreal. There they were quite successful. Merchants and traders in Central and Northern New York were at that time among the principal customers of the Canadian capital city. It was there that Mr. Sewall formed acquaintanceships with Watertown merchants that shaped his course later in his career. The War of 1812 coming on, all Americans residing in Canada were required either to swear allegiance to the British Crown or to quit the country. Being patriots, and the descendants of patriots, the young traders chose the latter alternative, although to the ruin of their business, and in 1813 broke up their establishment. Mr. Tappan went directly to New York, becoming afterwards the leading dry goods merchant in that city, and a distinguished philanthropist. Mr. Sewall devoted his attention to the settling of matters of the late firm, and the collection of their outstanding debts.

Mr. Sewall's father dying in 1814 he spent a considerable part of that year in settling the estate, and early in 1815 established himself in New York in the foreign shipping and commission business, in partnership with John R. Hurd. This business proving but moderately remunerative, Mr. Hurd accepted an offer in 1823 to take the presidency of a marine insurance company in New York, and Mr. Sewall, under the advice of his uncle Joseph, the merchant in Boston, undertook a commission agency in New York in partnership with Edmund Q. Sewall, a son of Joseph, for the sale of domestic goods in connection with the foreign commission business. Joseph Sewall at that time had the agency in Boston of most of the few manufactories of cotton and woolen goods in New England, and through his intervention the firm of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall became the first in New York to undertake a similar agency in the latter market. It was thus that Mr. Sewall established an intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, the managers of the cotton factory at Watertown, and the latter concern becoming largely indebted to the New York house, the larger part of this indebtedness was finally transferred to property in and about Watertown.

In the financial crash of 1827 Mr. Sewall's firm in Boston, being compelled to succumb, carried down with them the house in New York of H. D. & E. Q. Sewall; and the junior partner, in the latter, dying, and the outlook for future business in New York seeming discouraging, Mr. Sewall concluded to remove with his family to Watertown, and managed the property there acquired through the intercourse with Gilbert & Sigourney, which firm also had been compelled by the extreme financial pressure of the time to withdraw from active business. He had likewise a view to the further extension of manufacturing at Watertown, and had always nourished a preference for a country life. Mr. Sewall, with the valuable assistance of those excellent men, well known to old citizens of Watertown, John Sigourney and Josiah W. Baker, carried on the old cotton factory and store from 1829 to 1834, when, the charter expiring, the factory and appurtenances were sold. In 1828-29 he constructed the dam on the Black River at the upper end of his island, built his residence on the island, then a beautiful spot, constructed or bought and afterwards sold a saw-mill and a tannery on the north side of the north branch, opposite the island, a paper mill and a machine shop on the lower point of the island on the north branch, a flouring-mill on the main branch, south side, just below the island, an extensive saw-mill at Dexter all between 1829 and I833; and in I834, with the assistance of New York and Boston capital, he erected an extensive woolen factory on the south side of the river opposite the island, and in 1834 to '35 and '36 built several brick stores on the east side of Factory Square, as well as a number of dwelling houses on Factory street, and in the neighborhood of the woolen-mills; and during the same period contributed largely to the erection of the first academy in the village (of which the late Judge Mullin was the first principal), and in 1832-33 furnished the greater part of the means for and himself attended to the construction and fitting up of the first Episcopal Church in the village, the predecessor of the present church on Court street. Later he built another flouring mill, below the woolen factory. Mr. Sewall, in connection with Merrill Coburn held, in 1833 the contract for furnishing the ties and sleepers for the Utica & Schenectady Railroad, the first railroad in the state of any length (the only previous ones being the short Mohawk & Hudson, and the Harlem, not going north of Harlem at that time) and, to carry out the contract, put up the extensive saw-mills at Dexter, and, as the sleepers were required to be of yellow pine, the contractors secured all there was of that timber along the Black River. The flood of 1833 swept all the logs into the lake at heavy loss to the contractors. From 1835 to 1843 Mr. Sewall was chiefly occupied with the business of the woolen factory, which, partly from want of sufficient skill in the manufacture of the fine goods for which the works were designed, partly from insufficiency of funds, and partly from the reduction of the tariff, did not prove ultimately profitable.

In the early spring of 1843 Mr. Sewall was badly injured by the upsetting of the Utica stage coach while on a journey to the eastward, from which time his health failed, and his business career practically closed, his death in June, 1846, being caused by the paralysis resulting from the injury. Child's Gazetteer of Jefferson County, City of Watertown.