Seward, Samuel S. (Samuel Swezy), 1768-1849.

Samuel Swezy Seward was born on December 5, 1768. About 1800, he settled in the Town of Florida, Orange County, New York, where he would set up a medical practice and establish a mercantile business. In 1795 he married Mary Jennings of Goshen, New York, and they would have five children of which the most famous was William Henry Seward (1801-1872).

Samuel S. Seward was also active in local politics and government. In 1804 he served as a Member of the Assembly. In 1815 he served as one of the judges of the Orange County Court and subsequently became First Judge of the Orange County Court, a position he held for seventeen years. He was also interested in education, and in 1846 he established the S. Seward Institute, a free or public school in Florida, New York. For this institution he established an endowment of $20,000 along with funding the purchase of land and erecting he school building. Samuel Seward died August 24,1849.