Introduction

Biography

Mary was the daugh­ter of Will­iam H. Cog­geshall and Sar­ah Lat­ham Ash­bey, and wife of com­pos­er Theo­dore Sew­ard (mar­ried 1860).

She was edu­cat­ed at the Fe­male Aca­de­my in Nor­wich, Con­nec­ti­cut.

She be­longed to the In­ter­na­tion­al Sun­shine So­ci­ety; the So­ro­sis Club of New York Ci­ty; and the Wo­man’s Club of Or­ange, New Jer­sey.

She was twice pre­si­dent of the Na­tion­al So­ci­ety of New Eng­land Wo­men; and was pre­si­dent of the Blind Ba­bies’ Hos­pi­tal in Sum­mit, New Jer­sey.

As of 1914, she was liv­ing in East Or­ange, New Jer­sey.