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Welcome To Sullivan County, Indiana
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SEWELL COULSONSEWELL COULSON is a son of Uriah and Ann (Winder) Coulson, the father being a native of Fayette County, Penn., and the mother of Loudoun County, Va. His father's parents were Jehu and Jane (Fraim) Coulson, whose ancestors were iron manufacturers in Wales. The progenitor of the family in this county, Thomas Coulson, who embraced the Quaker faith, came to America with William Penn, settling in what is now Pennsylvania. William Winder, Sewell's grandfather, became a slaveholder in Virginia, but his views of religion and slavery conflicting, he moved to Ohio in 1802, and liberated his slaves. Sewell Coulson is a native of Beaver County, Penn., his birth occuring September 18, 1825, and was the fifth in a family of ten children. His early years were passed without event, and without aught but meager educational addvantages; but from 1841 to 1845, he taught and attended school atlernately, receiving the greatest benefit at the Friends' Boarding School at Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson Co., Ohio. In December, 1845, he commenced the study of law in the office of Clement L. Vallandigham, of New Lisbon, teaching in the winter and pursuing his studies of the law during the remainder of the time, and continuing thus until the 3d of April, 1848, when he was examined by Edwin M. Stanton, Anson L. Brewer and -- Hoffman as to his legal qualifications, and on the following day, at a session of the Supreme Court, admitted to practice in all the courts of the State. He remained at New Lisbon until July 4, 1849, and then started for Kenton, Hardin Co., Ohio, where he arrived on the 17th. Soon afterward, he formed a copartnership in the practice of the law with Hon. Edward Stillings, which, in December of the same year was dissolved. He served as Deputy Auditor of Hardin County from January,1850, to October, 1853, a portion of which time he served as Clerk pro tempore of the Common Pleas Court. He served two years as Prosecuting Attorney, beginning in 1853, and during this period was in legal partnership with W. L. Walker. In March, 1855, Mr. Coulson was admitted to practice in the courts of the United States for the Northern District of Ohio. In 1856, he came to Sullivan, Ind., and entered partnership with Israel W. Booth, and the following year was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the State, and in 1860 to the United States Courts for the District of Indiana. He has practiced his profession at Sullivan since that early day; has been counsel in more than fifteen murder trials; in the false imprisonment cases growing out of the celebrated treason trials of the late war; and in many other important cases involving life and happiness and large amounts of property. He is a profound student of the law; and, as a reader of general literature is not surpassed by any other resident of the county. His politics of Republicanism only in a county whose Democratic majority has run as high as 1,400, has kept him from prominent and honorary official position; and undoubtedly from the bench. He married Miss Mary A. Louthan, December 13, 1849, at Kenton, Ohio, which act caused his bachelor partner to dissolve their legal connection. Mr. Coulson has a law and miscellaneous library of about four thousand volumes. When rebellion was threatening to overthrow the Government, he assisted in raising the Thirteenth Baattery, Indiana Light Artillery, of which he was made Captain, December 31,1861. He resigned his commission April 5, 1862.HAMILTON TWP. PAGE 719 FROM THE EARLIEST TIME TO THE PRESENT; TOGETHER WITH INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, REMINISCENCES, NOTES, ETC. ILLUSTRATED. 1884, CHICAGO: GOODSPEED BROS. & CO., PUBLISHERS. |
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