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The Reverend William Seward
The Reverend William Seward
The Rev. William Seward, also called Seaward, was the first pastor of the Second Ecclesiastical Society and thus the first pastor in present Killingworth. He was born in Guilford, July 27, 1712. The Rev. William Seward’s grandfather was Capt. John Seward (1654–1728) of Guilford and Durham, who married Abigail Bushnell. Capt. John Seward was one of the founders of Durham and served as Deputy to the General Court in 1704, 1705, 1708, and 1709. William Seward’s father was Deacon William Seward (1683/4–1764) of Durham, Guilford, and Killingworth who married Damaris Punderson (1680–1740). He moved to Killingworth to be with his son and is buried in the Union District Cemetery. Mr. Seward received his degree of Bachelor of Arts from Yale College in 1734 and received a masters degree in 1737. He was licensed by the New Haven East Association in 1735.
The Second Society hired Mr. Seward on a trial basis on December 5, 1736. The General Assembly gave permission for the formation of a church on May 12, 1737. In July, it was decided to hire Mr. Seward permanently. He was offered 100 acres of land or 250 pounds of money for his settlement and it was agreed to build a house for him. The house was built where the Killingworth Inn now stands. The ordination of Mr. Seward, now the Reverend William Seward, took place on January 18, 1738. This is the date usually given for the formation of the Church. There were 50 members of the church at the time of his ordination. The “Elders” who comprised the Ordaining Council and were present at the ordination were the Rev. Mr. Phineas Fisk of Haddam, Jared Eliot of Killingworth, William Worthington of Saybrook, Abrahm Nott of Saybrook, Thomas Ruggles of Guilford, Willm Hart of Say Brook, and Jonathan Todd of East Guilford. He was paid ninety pounds in salary his first year. Rev. Seward was 25 at the time he became Pastor in North Killingworth. His ministry in Killingworth lasted 44 years until his death in 1782 at the age of 70. This stands as one of the longest ministries in a single church in New England.
Two of his sermons were published. One, preached on February 4, 1770 on which day the Lord’s Supper was administered, was on Joseph a Type of Christ. Another was preached on May 28, 1771, following the accidental death of Michael Griswold, Jr. who was killed by a falling timber when he was helping to raise the frame of a house.
The Rev. William Seward of Killingworth was married three times. The eldest son of his first marriage, William Seward (1747–1822), was a graduate of Yale College (1769), and was the minister at Stanwich, now a part of Greenwich, Connecticut, from 1774 to 1794, following which he moved his family to New Hackensack, Dutchess County, New York. William Seward of Stanwich married Thankful Parmelee (1745–1835), daughter of Josiah and Hannah Arnold Parmelee of Killingworth. Members of the Rev. Seward’s family; his father, wives, and children, are buried in the Union District Cemetery. His own gravestone was removed and placed in the church. John Punderson Seward was the younger son of the Rev. Seward. He came home to Killingworth from Yale to have his graduation suit of homespun made in 1784 and died suddenly of scarlet fever at the age of 19.
The Rev. Ezra Stiles, President of Yale College, knew William Seward and wrote as follows in his diary: “Mar. 13, 1782. At N. Killingworth died 5th of Febry past the Revd William Seward, aet 70. Miny 45. At his Funeral the Rev. Mr. Todd preached Acts XIII, 36. During his Miny in that Church he baptized 1343 children chiefly and 56 were baptized during the same time by other Ministers. He was a worthy and faithful Minister of J. Christ.”
Reverend William Seward, circa 1750