[The following letter of Dr. Watts was written to Madam Sewall,
the wife of Maj. Samuel Sewall, a highly accomplished merchant of
Boston, upon the sudden and affecting death of her two sons. These
were children by her first husband, Mr. Nathan Howell, and her only
children, for she never had any by Maj. Sewall. For the letter and
a number of the facts in relation to the sad event, we are indebted
to Charles Ewer, Esq.; and through his instrumentality also the
likenesses of the youth drowned were procured from Mrs. Loring, the
wife of Henry Loring, Esq., of this city, and are now deposited
in the Rooms of the New England Historic, Genealogical Society.
The Rev. Samuel Sewall of Burlington informs us that the Rev. Dr.
Sewall of the Old South Church, in his diary, notices the event as
follows: "1727-8 January 8, (Monday,) George and Nathan Howell abt
15 & 14 yrs old, went a skating at the bottom of ye Common, and
were both drowned. O Ld Sanctify this awful Providce to the near
Relations; Support & Comfort ym: Be to yne _Handmaid_ better yn 10
Sons: To ye Town! Awaken our young people to Remr yr Creator and
fly to X yt yy may be safe under ye Shadow of his wings. Jany 14
(Sabbath) I endeavoured to improve ye late awful Providce fr. Eccl.
9. 12."
Nathan Howell and Katherine George were married by Rev. Dr. Colman,
Aug. 11, 1708: George and Nathan, their sons, were born,--George,
Nov. 1, 1712, and Nathan, March 21, 1713-14.
In Pemberton's Manuscript Chronology we find the following entry:
"1728, January 8th, George and Nathan Howell of Boston, brothers
about 14 and 15 years old, in skating at the bottom of the Common,
fell through the ice and were both drowned."]
_November 7, 1728._