Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, June 28, 1832
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, June 28, 1832
transcriberTranscriber:spp:cef
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1832-06-28
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, June 28, 1832
action: sent
sender:
Benjamin Seward
Person
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
Person
location:
Carrollton IL
Place
Name: City: Carrollton
County: Greene County
State: IL
Country: US
Place
receiver:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
Auburn NY
Place
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: cef
revision: ekk 2015-09-23
<>
Page 1
Carrollton 28 June 1832
My Dear Brother Henry
You ask me to "believe you to be (your)
my affectionate Brother", (this is the closing lan-
guage of your last letter). Believe it! I do
believe it; and such are the proofs contained in
that letter, that [ i ]
Reason: holet were treason against brotherly
Love, to disbelieve your affection for me. No,
never, never again: time has been when I
thought you so swallowed up of the sucesses of
your profession, that I thought you indifferent
to the love of your friends, this was my folly,
and now I see and confess and lament it.
It may be true, it is true, that "there is nothing
true but heaven" but the pure friendship some-
times formed in this world, are Heaven begun
while here below: and though misfortunes beset
us and disappointments vex our spirits & wea us
sour us toward the world, there is still happiness
left us if we merit it; and joy sufficient may
be secured us against suicide & misanthropy.
Yes it is true, I have communicated but
little of the progress made in the settlement
of my affairs here, and the reason is, but
little has been effected. The prospect at
one time seemed very flattering that I
should succeed, the minds of my creditors
were, by degrees brought to the point I wished
or nearly so, when a brother of one, failed
in business and involved him, to whom I am
indebted, in such a way that he believed it
[left Margin] My dear wife
Name: Marcia Seward
Birth: 1794-07-23
Death: 1839-10-28
is in Jacksonville
Name: City: Jacksonville
County: Morgan County
State: IL
Country: US
, who were she here, would
join me in sending love immeasurable to sister Frances
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
and all
our friends
there.
Page 2
to be impolitic to diminish the list of his
credits & effects, by wiping off the large sum
I owed him. I am therefore almost with
out hope of doing any thing more. It is
therefore more than probable that I shall
bring your five notes, so obligingly sent me
and lay them in your hands during the
month of November; and thank you a thousand
times for the good will you shewed in making
them for me. Should however a better
destiny await me here, I may use them or
some of them & will let you know.
My S. School operations this year will
be small compared, with what we expected.
The border war calls away our teachers &
the shortness of crops leaves our people too
poor to defray even the slight expenses of
this cheap blessing. Shall we go ahead al
a little.
Yesterday a Mr Hayden
quired if I were any thing to Col Seward
of that place. Here is another evidence
of the happy faculty ^you possess^ of making pleasant im-
pressions upon your acquaintances & of attach-
ing them closely to you. This man would
compass sea and land to befriend you, has
shewn me much civility on your account,
as well as on Washingtons
Name: George Seward
Birth: 1808-08-26
Death: 1888-12-07
account, whom
he knew in the Rensalaer
Name: City: Rensselaer
County: Rensselaer County
State: NY
Country: US
school. Do
you know that I saw the evidences & fruits
of this facinating manner in you years ago
& have been led to try & merit, in consequence
[left Margin] Let me hear from you once more while in the west
Your very affectionate Brother B.J. Seward
Page 3
of it, some of the esteem which I see the mul-
titude so willing to bestow upon you, & I tell
you of it here to pave the way for asking
you, to teach me more fully how I shall
obtain this favour.
John Sweezy
Name: Kentucky City:
County:
State: KY
Country: US
to see & pay us a visit, he is a dear good
man, has a dear good old wife
are both Jacks[ on ]
Reason: hole-men. It is our hope
that the late veto will kill off their idol
& then their minds may return to reason.
Our friends & relatives here are all well
except myself, my health remains infirm
and I sometimes fear that I am never again
to enjoy stable & firm health
as I used to. But on
this subject as on all others
"the will of the Lord be done.
Is Fanny Tuthill
Name: Frances Grier
Birth: 1801-01-16
Death: 1860-02-07
still with you? tell her that
we miss her pen out of Goshen; & for our
sakes please furnish her with a sheet of
letter paper & tell her that Hillsboro
Name: Hillsborough City: Hillsboro
County: Montgomery Couty
State: IL
Country: US
is our
head quarters. Tell her also that I saw
a gentleman a few days since directly from
Mobile
Name: City: Mobile
County: Mobile
State: AL
Country: US
who is well acquainted with George
Name: George Grier
Birth: 1802-09-27
Death: 1878-12-20
and
who gave me an excellent character of him.
He thinks George is doing well.
We are getting awfully anxious to return
to our children, and what will come after
that you shall hear when I get back:
in the mean time should anti masonry success
in New York, what can that enable me to
do toward supporting my family & educating
my little boys, think against I come.
Page 4
Carrollton 28 June 1832
My Dear Brother Henry
You ask me to "believe you to be (your)
my affectionate Brother", (this is the closing lan-
guage of your last letter). Believe it! I do
believe it; and such are the proofs contained in
that letter, that [ i ]
Supplied
Love, to disbelieve your affection for me. No,
never, never again: time has been when I
thought you so swallowed up of the sucesses of
your profession, that I thought you indifferent
to the love of your friends, this was my folly,
and now I see and confess and lament it.
It may be true, it is true, that "there is nothing
true but heaven" but the pure friendship some-
times formed in this world, are Heaven begun
while here below: and though misfortunes beset
us and disappointments vex our spirits & wea us
sour us toward the world, there is still happiness
left us if we merit it; and joy sufficient may
be secured us against suicide & misanthropy.
Yes it is true, I have communicated but
little of the progress made in the settlement
of my affairs here, and the reason is, but
little has been effected. The prospect at
one time seemed very flattering that I
should succeed, the minds of my creditors
were, by degrees brought to the point I wished
or nearly so, when a brother of one, failed
in business and involved him, to whom I am
indebted, in such a way that he believed it
[left Margin] My dear wife
Person
Place
join me in sending love immeasurable to sister Frances
Person
our friends
there.
to be impolitic to diminish the list of his
credits & effects, by wiping off the large sum
I owed him. I am therefore almost with
out hope of doing any thing more. It is
therefore more than probable that I shall
bring your five notes, so obligingly sent me
and lay them in your hands during the
month of November; and thank you a thousand
times for the good will you shewed in making
them for me. Should however a better
destiny await me here, I may use them or
some of them & will let you know.
My S. School operations this year will
be small compared, with what we expected.
The border war calls away our teachers &
the shortness of crops leaves our people too
poor to defray even the slight expenses of
this cheap blessing. Shall we go ahead al
a little.
Yesterday a Mr Hayden
Unknown
of Auburn in-quired if I were any thing to Col Seward
of that place. Here is another evidence
of the happy faculty ^you possess^ of making pleasant im-
pressions upon your acquaintances & of attach-
ing them closely to you. This man would
compass sea and land to befriend you, has
shewn me much civility on your account,
as well as on Washingtons
Person
he knew in the Rensalaer
Place
you know that I saw the evidences & fruits
of this facinating manner in you years ago
& have been led to try & merit, in consequence
[left Margin] Let me hear from you once more while in the west
Your very affectionate Brother B.J. Seward
of it, some of the esteem which I see the mul-
titude so willing to bestow upon you, & I tell
you of it here to pave the way for asking
you, to teach me more fully how I shall
obtain this favour.
John Sweezy
Unknown
has been over from KentuckyPlace
man, has a dear good old wife
Unknown
, but theyare both Jacks[ on ]
Supplied
that the late veto will kill off their idol
& then their minds may return to reason.
Our friends & relatives here are all well
except myself, my health remains infirm
and I sometimes fear that I am never again
to enjoy stable & firm health
as I used to. But on
this subject as on all others
"the will of the Lord be done.
Is Fanny Tuthill
Person
we miss her pen out of Goshen; & for our
sakes please furnish her with a sheet of
letter paper & tell her that Hillsboro
Place
head quarters. Tell her also that I saw
a gentleman a few days since directly from
Mobile
Place
Person
who gave me an excellent character of him.
He thinks George is doing well.
We are getting awfully anxious to return
to our children, and what will come after
that you shall hear when I get back:
in the mean time should anti masonry success
in New York, what can that enable me to
do toward supporting my family & educating
my little boys, think against I come.
date:
Thursday, June 28, 1832
receiver:
sender:
year: