Sedgwick, Stephen James

Stephen James Sedgwick (1820-?) was a teacher and photographer who collected genealogical materials on the Sedgwick family with the intention of compiling individual sketches on as many family members as possible. Sedgwick was born in Middlebury, New York, and educated in the Geneva schools and the Academy of Burlington, Vermont. In 1835 he began a career in education as a school principal in various districts. In 1852 he established a classical and mathematical school which was eventually known as the Metropolitan Academy and Gymnasium and which he conducted for six years while editing a paper devoted to physical training entitled "Gymnast." During this time he married Janet Isaacs, eventually fathering two children, Jay and Isabella. In 1865, Sedgwick accepted a position in the Photographic Corps of the Union Pacific Railroad Company and traversed the railroad route west of the Missouri River, compiling photographs for a pictorial history of the region. From these experiences he later offered illuminated lectures and exhibitions throughout the eastern states.