Edmund Quincy Sewall, Jr. (1828-1908) was the son of Rev. Edmund Quincy Sewall and Caroline Ward Sewall of Scituate, Mass. The younger Sewall attended the private school in Concord, Mass., conducted by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) and his brother John Thoreau (1815-1842). Sewall graduated from Harvard College in 1847. He was a distant relative of Joseph Sewall (1688-1769), William Bartlett Sewall (1782-1869), and Joseph Sewall (1795-1851).
This brief diary chronicles Edmund Quincy Sewall's studies with the Thoreaus from March 28th through May 16th, 1840. The school was noted for its educational innovations and the Thoreaus stressed "learning by doing." Sewall, who was twelve years old at the time, records numerous field trips the students took and also describes other aspects of school life important to young boys including pranks, meals, and assigned compositions. Included in the collection are two of his compositions, on the subjects "birds" and "fishes."
The Journals
1: August 10, 1837-June 2, 1838
2: February 13-June 26, 1839
3: June 27-October 4, 1839
4: March 28-May 16, 1840
Three essays written by Edmund Quincy Sewall Jr. while at the Thoreaus’ school in Concord, 1840