Letter from Louisa Cornelia Seward Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 25, 1828
xml:
Letter from Louisa Cornelia Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 25, 1828
transcriberTranscriber:spp:keh
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1828-02-25
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Letter from Louisa Cornelia Canfield to Frances Miller Seward, February 25, 1828
action: sent
sender:
Louisa Canfield
Person
Name: Louisa Canfield
Birth: 1805
Death: 1839-01-04
Person
location:
Florida NY
Place
Name: City: Florida
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
Place
receiver:
Frances Seward
Person
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
Person
location:
Auburn NY
Place
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: keh
revision: crb 2016-02-02
<>
Page 1
Florida Feb y 25th
My dear Frances
You might well be at a loss to know
what we thought of you from the length of time you
have kept us in ignorance of everything that concerns
you – & for myseflf I had almost made up my
mind not to think of you at all, and had seriously
recommended it to those who wished to have an opportu-
nity of taking leave of all their friends to take to
matrimony by way of apology – we might as well live
on opposite sides of the Atlantic from the intercourse
we have with each other. You have been sick and in
trouble. I have been gadding about now I hope we shall
be more like Sisters. I have been thinking seriously
of writing to let you know where I was – but the fine
sleighing has not left me much time for specculatingon
but if I had known you were sick I would have
written for my own satisfaction sometimes – some
two or three months since I went to New Burgh
Name: City: Newburgh
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
and made my friend Cornelia
weeks – which of course I spent very pleasantly
notwithstanding I do hate N. B – from there I went
with Papa
Name: Samuel Seward
Birth: 1768-12-05
Death: 1849-08-24
to New York
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
where he went on for
Polydore
Name: Edwin Seward
Birth: 1799
Death: 1872-04-23
– it happened fortunately that my visit
was made while Jennings
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
was yet on the Canal
poor Marcia
Name: Marcia Seward
Birth: 1794-07-23
Death: 1839-10-25
was almost discouraged
[left Margin] Grandma who has just wakened tells me to give her love & a kiss for the
little Boy. You do not know how much we wish to see him and all of you
let us hear from you occasionally how you all do & what you are all
doing.
Page 2
She had a lone seige of months but now (I suppose
tis all over. I had a delightful visit, New York
Frances after all is the most charming place in the
world I wish you would consent to come there to live
we should see ^you^ then once in a while & I am sure
you would enjoy a city life after an initiation
in all its advantages over the Country.
I went once to see (not hear) the seigniorinna
signorinna
I ever saw on the stage she is sweetness itself but
her music to me) is all affectation I could not bear it.
The weather was most bitter cold I went out but little
had a very sociable pleasant time at home –
saw Eliza Archer
Name: Eliza Archer
Birth: 1799-06-20
Death: 1884-12-19
she enquired particularly after you
sorry I could not give her much information.
You cannot think how much it puzzled me that none
of you wrote a word. I dreamed of you continually
saw you with the little Augustus
Name: Augustus Seward
Birth: 1826-10-01
Death: 1876-09-11
& just as I was
going to take him I found it was only a dream –
but if you will come in May it will make up for
all. Ma
Name: Mary Seward
Birth: 1769-11-27
Death: 1844-12-11
is fearful you will change your mind tis
so long till then, we will promise to take good care of
the invalids and procure the widower for a Sunday
Evenings Beau for Aunt Clara
Name: Clarinda McClallen
Birth: 1793-05-01
Death: 1862-09-05
.
We have had one of the gayest or I might make
use of the superlative degree – the most delightful
winters I ever remember the sleighing has been fine &
the inclination to enjoy it and be happy has been
predominant – our Jersey cousins
Name: Heila Seward
Birth: 1757-08-16
Death: 1830-01-11
Name: Obadiah Seward
Birth: 1754-08-02
Death: 1799-04-02
enmasse have been
up some that we never saw or heard of before & all
our friends have renewed their old aqcquaintance & we
have done our share of visiting – the winding up how-
ever was not so agreeable.
Page 3
Papa sent George
Name: George Seward
Birth: 1808-08-26
Death: 1888-12-07
& I down to New Burgh Ball to
make our fortunes at the Washington Ball, where we
reached Sallisbury
Name: City:
County:
State:
Country:
a little more than half way we
had to leave our sleigh & procure wheels for the
remainder of the journey we reached Mr Hunns
Name: Peter Hunn
Birth: 1794-05-20
Death: 1847-07-31
in
safetey & had a pleasant Ball, staid until the
day following after dinner & rode from Sallisbury
home on bare ground in a cutter. I never can forget
how it made my teeth ach, and I had the most
awful sick headach ever poor mortal was doomed
to endure and I have not recovered from it yet
somehow or other I alway dreded the few days
succeeding a Ball for I get the vapors to such an
excess that I imagine the weight
of evry sin except original sin
upon my shoulders.
Polydore has busied himself the last week in endeav-
ouring to get up a Ball in Florida I see he has suc-
ceeded so far in getting managers & tickets filled up
Balls & parties seem all the rage now the matrimo-
nial mania has passed by. The Warwickers gave Hull Tuthill
Name: Daniel Tuthill
Birth: 1801-01-08
Death: 1880-03-29
a Ball after his wedding. By the Bye if you
spend the summer with us I suspect we shall have
you at a wedding of one of our own family – our
younger Brother seems to have made up his mind to
take a wife some those day but I suppose I must
not tell tales – what does Lazette
Name: Lazette Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01
Death: 1875-10-03
call her Babe
Name: Frances Chesebro
Birth: 1826-12-12
Death: 1909-08-24
&
how old is it. I expect you have heard how unfortunate
Marcia has been in losing another Babe
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1827-02-07
Death: 1827
before Jennings
return to the City, she was tolerably smart the last
we heard from her. Jennings spent 2 days with
us on his return. Polydore sends his love & George
too to all – make mine to my Brother
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Grandma
Name: Paulina Miller
Birth: 1751
Death: 1835-10-03
&
Aunt Clara I shall write to her soon your affectionate Sister
LCS.
[left Margin] Have you seen
Vivian Grey?
Page 4
Florida Feb y 25th
My dear Frances
You might well be at a loss to know
what we thought of you from the length of time you
have kept us in ignorance of everything that concerns
you – & for myseflf I had almost made up my
mind not to think of you at all, and had seriously
recommended it to those who wished to have an opportu-
nity of taking leave of all their friends to take to
matrimony by way of apology – we might as well live
on opposite sides of the Atlantic from the intercourse
we have with each other. You have been sick and in
trouble. I have been gadding about now I hope we shall
be more like Sisters. I have been thinking seriously
of writing to let you know where I was – but the fine
sleighing has not left me much time for specculatingon
but if I had known you were sick I would have
written for my own satisfaction sometimes – some
two or three months since I went to New Burgh
Place
and made my friend Cornelia
Unknown
a visit of threeweeks – which of course I spent very pleasantly
notwithstanding I do hate N. B – from there I went
with Papa
Person
Place
Polydore
Person
was made while Jennings
Person
poor Marcia
Person
[left Margin] Grandma who has just wakened tells me to give her love & a kiss for the
little Boy. You do not know how much we wish to see him and all of you
let us hear from you occasionally how you all do & what you are all
doing.
She had a lone seige of months but now (I suppose
tis all over. I had a delightful visit, New York
Frances after all is the most charming place in the
world I wish you would consent to come there to live
we should see ^you^ then once in a while & I am sure
you would enjoy a city life after an initiation
in all its advantages over the Country.
I went once to see (not hear) the seigniorinna
signorinna
Unknown
, she is the most fascinnating actressI ever saw on the stage she is sweetness itself but
her music to me) is all affectation I could not bear it.
The weather was most bitter cold I went out but little
had a very sociable pleasant time at home –
saw Eliza Archer
Person
sorry I could not give her much information.
You cannot think how much it puzzled me that none
of you wrote a word. I dreamed of you continually
saw you with the little Augustus
Person
going to take him I found it was only a dream –
but if you will come in May it will make up for
all. Ma
Person
so long till then, we will promise to take good care of
the invalids and procure the widower for a Sunday
Evenings Beau for Aunt Clara
Person
We have had one of the gayest or I might make
use of the superlative degree – the most delightful
winters I ever remember the sleighing has been fine &
the inclination to enjoy it and be happy has been
predominant – our Jersey cousins
People
up some that we never saw or heard of before & all
our friends have renewed their old aqcquaintance & we
have done our share of visiting – the winding up how-
ever was not so agreeable.
Papa sent George
Person
make our fortunes at the Washington Ball, where we
reached Sallisbury
Place
had to leave our sleigh & procure wheels for the
remainder of the journey we reached Mr Hunns
Person
safetey & had a pleasant Ball, staid until the
day following after dinner & rode from Sallisbury
home on bare ground in a cutter. I never can forget
how it made my teeth ach, and I had the most
awful sick headach ever poor mortal was doomed
to endure and I have not recovered from it yet
somehow or other I alway dreded the few days
succeeding a Ball for I get the vapors to such an
excess that I imagine the weight
of evry sin except original sin
upon my shoulders.
Polydore has busied himself the last week in endeav-
ouring to get up a Ball in Florida I see he has suc-
ceeded so far in getting managers & tickets filled up
Balls & parties seem all the rage now the matrimo-
nial mania has passed by. The Warwickers gave Hull Tuthill
Person
spend the summer with us I suspect we shall have
you at a wedding of one of our own family – our
younger Brother seems to have made up his mind to
take a wife some those day but I suppose I must
not tell tales – what does Lazette
Person
Person
how old is it. I expect you have heard how unfortunate
Marcia has been in losing another Babe
Person
return to the City, she was tolerably smart the last
we heard from her. Jennings spent 2 days with
us on his return. Polydore sends his love & George
too to all – make mine to my Brother
Person
Person
Aunt Clara I shall write to her soon your affectionate Sister
LCS.
[left Margin] Have you seen
Vivian Grey?
date:
Monday, February 25, 1828
receiver:
sender:
year: