Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Kiah B. Sewall, who was living in New York City, wrote to his father-in-law, Ezekiel Day of Portland, explaining why he wanted to pursue law as a career.
Day apparently had urged Sewall to pursue a theology rather than law. Sewall, and 1829 graduate of Bowdoin College, married Lurcretia Day in May 1836. Shortly after their marriage, she returned to live with her parents in Portland and he was in New York, attempting to sell land and recover from financial losses he had incurred while involved in land speculation in Maine.
He wrote, "...I have a conception of the Law I am satisfied that I shall like it -- this is half the battle. There is no study which more severely taxes the powers of the mind.
Sewall's father, Samuel Sewall, was a well-known minister, as was his uncle, Jotham Sewall. Kiah Sewall wrote of law, "It has more of a business character & is therefore better suited to my habits & feelings than the profession of theology."
He wrote, "You need not fear for me."
Sewall did pursue the study of law in New York; he practiced primarily in Mobile, Alabama.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: K.B. Sewall to Ezekiel Day on occupation choice, New York, 1836
- Creator: Kiah Bailey Sewall
- Creation Date: 1836-11-28
- Subject Date: 1836
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Locations:
- New York, NY
- Portland, Cumberland County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Dimensions: 25.2 cm x 20 cm
- Local Code: Coll. 105, Box 1/4
- Collection: Sewall family papers
- Object Type: Text
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Day, Ezekial--Correspondence
- Employment
- Law
- Sewall family
- Sewall, Kiah Bayley, 1807-1865
- Sewall, Kiah Bayley, 1807-1865--Correspondence
- Theology
People
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
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