Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1833
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Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1833
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student editorTranscriber:spp:crb
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1833-08-12
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Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1833
action: sent
sender:
George Seward
Person
Name: George Seward
Birth: 1808-08-26
Death: 1888-12-07
Person
location:
Florida NY
Place
Name: City: Florida
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
Place
receiver:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
London
Place
Name: City: London
County:
State:
Country: GB
Place
transcription: aew
revision: crb 2015-12-16
<>
Page 1
Florida August 12 1833
My Dear Brother
You may well conceve of my
disappointment in not receiving a letter from
you and Father
Name: Samuel Seward
Birth: 1768-12-05
Death: 1849-08-24
when I relate to you the cir-
cumstances under which it took place—
On Tuesday I went up to Goshen
Name: City: Goshen
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
and there
saw in a city paper the notice of the arrival
of a ship from Liverpool
Name: City: Liverpool
County:
State:
Country: GB
from whence she
sailed the 25th of June and brought the wel—
come intelligence of the arrival of the ship
Europe on the 17th with the gratifying assurance
appended "All well"—thus was we assured
of you safe arrival at your destined port
and that in a comparative short passage
the arrival in New York
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
was on Sunday
evening the 29th—I immediately went to
the post office took the Florida mail
home—but I had no letter. On Friday again
I had an appro occasion to go up & when I
called at Cousin Mary Evans
Name: Mary Evans
Birth: 1794-08-30
Death: 1876-12-31
, I was asked to
come that a letter was just received from
you and hear it read—I went in and was
much gratified to hear of you and Father
the history of your voyage—the happy ter-
mination of that ^trial^ which we all dreaded
so much The effect of the voyage on Fathers
health, we are indeed happy when we heard
that sea sickness did not prove to much
for his strength and I hail it as a very
favorable circumstance, I think it will
restore him much, it will have a tendency
to restore health and vigor to the function
of life—After hearing the letter read I went
to the Post Office for the Mail and from the
appearances of the packages I believed one
at least from New York and I felt assured
Page 2
that there must be a letter or two in it
for me, prompted as I was with the disin
anticipation of soon reading a letter from you
both which intend more into the detail of your
voyage and future plans, & then the one I
had heard read—I drove home as fast as I thou-
ght the state of the weather which was very
warm would permit, but when pack-
age was opened there to my great disappoint-
ment was no letter. I felt keenly—perhaps
you might think I was selfish but I was
really out of humour I yet believe that you
must have sent letters and that such must
be in New York or between the two places
and trying to make a virtue of necessity I
shall be patient untill it comes—
I know of nothing new or very interesting to
communicate at this time except that I may
be indulged in telling you of our little (and She
has almost outgrown it) Sarah Cornelia
Name: Sarah Seward
Birth: 1833-06-08
Death: 1891-06-12
who now is sitting on her Mothers
Name: Temperance Seward
Birth: 1812-09-30
Death: 1848-10-18
lap looking
out at the door, throwing her arms and bursting
out in her childish expressions, She is now
nearly two months old (the 8th) has grown very
rapidly—has blue eyes and red hair the infal-
lable mark of the Sewards from generations
before her I know that when you see her you
will call her pretty &c etc.—
Mother
Name: Mary Seward
Birth: 1769-11-27
Death: 1844-12-11
is yet absent, but I begin to wish
her here again, [ where ]
Alternate Text: were it not for my little one
I do not know how I could content myself
so long without her—
You probably have heard of the Rev Mr Arbuckle
Name: James Arbuckle
Birth: 1798
Death: 1847-07-17
of Blooming Grove
Name: City: Blooming Grove
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
, he has lately had
a trial before the Prysbetery for holding doc
trines contrary to the confession of faith found
guilty of heresy and suspended—
Page 3
I suppose you will feel some little desire
to tread the isle of St Paul and St Peter
and to hear some of the divines of old England
Name: England City:
County:
State:
Country: GB
I know that you love and admire the
Church and the Church of England as connected
with it doubtless you will have some oppor-
tunity learn more of its history and its
practises, Oh! how I should like to be with
you that I [ to ]
Alternate Text: too might learn and see and
understand—
Oh! that I had a letter from you, it might
waken up my ideas so that I could write
more, so great is the dearth of news that
scarce can it be said that there exist any—
H H Van Dyck
Name: Henry Van Dyck
Birth: 1809-09-03
Death: 1888-01-22
as the organ of the Democratic
Republican Jackson Party of the county of
Orange
Name: Orange County City:
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
(is now engaged in the Republican
duty of killing
Isaac R Van Duzer
Name: Isaac Van Duzer
Birth: 1802-05-08
Death: 1841-11-27
politically for not
consenting to and signing the
address of the Members of the Legislature
Van Duzer has many friends and I suppose
the result will be another press in the vil-
lage of Goshen—
Things remain about as they were when
you left here, except that harvest has past
and now we are in the height of haying I
have got more than half done, the weather
has been fine—crops of hay abundant—
Charles Starr
Name: Charles Starr
Birth: 1790-02-18
Death: 1859-12-07
is now on a visit to us but
ostensibly to Miss Sarah
with her Sister
I shall defer writing to Father until I receive
one from him being mail day I expect one
Your Affectionate Brother
—G. W Seward
Page 4
Hon Wm H Seward
Care Baring Brothers & Co
London
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Geo W Seward
Aug 18. 1833
Florida August 12 1833
My Dear Brother
You may well conceve of my
disappointment in not receiving a letter from
you and Father
Person
cumstances under which it took place—
On Tuesday I went up to Goshen
Place
saw in a city paper the notice of the arrival
of a ship from Liverpool
Place
sailed the 25th of June and brought the wel—
come intelligence of the arrival of the ship
Europe on the 17th with the gratifying assurance
appended "All well"—thus was we assured
of you safe arrival at your destined port
and that in a comparative short passage
the arrival in New York
Place
evening the 29th—I immediately went to
the post office took the Florida mail
home—but I had no letter. On Friday again
I had an appro occasion to go up & when I
called at Cousin Mary Evans
Person
come that a letter was just received from
you and hear it read—I went in and was
much gratified to hear of you and Father
the history of your voyage—the happy ter-
mination of that ^trial^ which we all dreaded
so much The effect of the voyage on Fathers
health, we are indeed happy when we heard
that sea sickness did not prove to much
for his strength and I hail it as a very
favorable circumstance, I think it will
restore him much, it will have a tendency
to restore health and vigor to the function
of life—After hearing the letter read I went
to the Post Office for the Mail and from the
appearances of the packages I believed one
at least from New York and I felt assured
that there must be a letter or two in it
for me, prompted as I was with the disin
anticipation of soon reading a letter from you
both which intend more into the detail of your
voyage and future plans, & then the one I
had heard read—I drove home as fast as I thou-
ght the state of the weather which was very
warm would permit, but when pack-
age was opened there to my great disappoint-
ment was no letter. I felt keenly—perhaps
you might think I was selfish but I was
really out of humour I yet believe that you
must have sent letters and that such must
be in New York or between the two places
and trying to make a virtue of necessity I
shall be patient untill it comes—
I know of nothing new or very interesting to
communicate at this time except that I may
be indulged in telling you of our little (and She
has almost outgrown it) Sarah Cornelia
Person
who now is sitting on her Mothers
Person
out at the door, throwing her arms and bursting
out in her childish expressions, She is now
nearly two months old (the 8th) has grown very
rapidly—has blue eyes and red hair the infal-
lable mark of the Sewards from generations
before her I know that when you see her you
will call her pretty &c etc.—
Mother
Person
her here again, [ where ]
Alternate Text
I do not know how I could content myself
so long without her—
You probably have heard of the Rev Mr Arbuckle
Person
Place
a trial before the Prysbetery for holding doc
trines contrary to the confession of faith found
guilty of heresy and suspended—
I suppose you will feel some little desire
to tread the isle of St Paul and St Peter
and to hear some of the divines of old England
Place
I know that you love and admire the
Church and the Church of England as connected
with it doubtless you will have some oppor-
tunity learn more of its history and its
practises, Oh! how I should like to be with
you that I [ to ]
Alternate Text
understand—
Oh! that I had a letter from you, it might
waken up my ideas so that I could write
more, so great is the dearth of news that
scarce can it be said that there exist any—
H H Van Dyck
Person
Republican Jackson Party of the county of
Orange
Place
duty of killing
Isaac R Van Duzer
Person
politically for not
consenting to and signing the
address of the Members of the Legislature
Van Duzer has many friends and I suppose
the result will be another press in the vil-
lage of Goshen—
Things remain about as they were when
you left here, except that harvest has past
and now we are in the height of haying I
have got more than half done, the weather
has been fine—crops of hay abundant—
Charles Starr
Person
ostensibly to Miss Sarah
Unknown
, who has generously staidwith her Sister
Unknown
until this late period—I shall defer writing to Father until I receive
one from him being mail day I expect one
Your Affectionate Brother
—G. W Seward
Hon Wm H Seward
Care Baring Brothers & Co
London
Person
Aug 18. 1833
date:
Monday, August 12, 1833
receiver:
sender:
year: