Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 14, 1835
xml:
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 14, 1835
transcriberTranscriber:spp:gew
student editorTranscriber:spp:mhr
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1835-12-14
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 14, 1835
action: sent
sender:
Benjamin Seward
Person
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
Person
location:
Cincinnati OH
Place
Name: City: Cincinnati
County: Hamilton
State: OH
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: geh
revision: crb 2015-10-08
<>
Page 1
Cincinnati 14 Dec 1835
My dear Brother,
It is comforting to find that we
are not forgotten by those we love – accept
my thanks for yours of the 1st ultimo & the
kindness of its contents.
You request me to transmit to our
unfortunate good sister Lockey
Name: Rachel Seward
Birth: 1805-07-15
Death: 1848-05-14
the sum of
$25 – being the amount you paid me for
the portrait of our honored father
Name: Samuel Seward
Birth: 1768-12-05
Death: 1849-08-24
which
you did not get. This would of course
be right: but as the old gentlemen knows
the money is coming to you & promised
to pay it – and as this may have escaped
you at the moment of writing & moreover
as by this time he may have paid it
I will omit complyance with your request
until I hear again from you in relation
to it.
I hope ere this you have the un-
adorned head of dear sis
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
& the smiling
face of little Fred
Name: Frederick Seward
Birth: 1830-07-08
Death: 1915-04-25
safe at home:
frames I find improve them very much.
I thank you for the few items of
news about our Orange Co
Name: Orange County City:
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
friends contain-
ed ^in^ your letter – they are dear to me – &
we hear little from them. I hope you
will always remember this when you write
[left Margin] I have but just returned from H. Louis
no apology is necessary for the delay of my answer
Page 2
Yes I see that you are to have a
Harrison
Name: William Harrison
Birth: 1773-02-09
Death: 1841-04-04
convention – and a Webster
Name: Daniel Webster
Birth: 1782-01-18
Death: 1852-10-24
con-
vention – and Henry Dana Ward's
Name: Henry Ward
Birth: 1797
Death: 1884
conven-
tion – all I fear to no purpose. But be-
fore all this – & before this letter reaches
you, there ^may^ be sounded a clarion that
shall so thrill this nation that all other
calls will be forgotten – or sink into insig-
nificence. I hope most sincerely – most
devoutly – that you may not be invol-
ved in the support of an unnecessary war –
and yet I greatly fear it. Had the
Chamber of deputies refused to authorize
payment, I think I understood you to
"go for war" – it was then my thought
that had you been 15 years older you
would have felt differently. But at this
time, much less, will it become us to
precipitate this nation into a war.
Poor old Harrison! I see him often –
have set by him by the hour & listened
to his conversation & the perusal of letters
from heartsick Van B.
Name: Martin Van Buren
Birth: 1782-12-05
Death: 1862-07-24
men, who skulking-
ly seek favour here, without risking it
at home – and this poor old man cannot
see it. He is amiable & inclined to
the adoption of judicious friends and
[left Margin] I did not see any of our Western friends – heard from none
except that Bill Brown
Name: William Brown
Birth: 1796-11-09
Death: 1867-06-17
is safe in Chicago
Name: City: Chicago
County: Cook
State: IL
Country: US
.
Page 3
the right kind of measures – but dear
me if he be President I see not why
his greatest flatterers will not control the
affairs of this nation & that is the same
trouble all over again. God send, however,
that he may be! He begs me to write
you & assure you that Ohio
Name: Ohio City:
County:
State: OH
Country: US
is safe – much
more so two states west & two south – &
he hopes for others east. I wish I could
believe Ohio safe.
I am thankful for the pamphlets
a [hole] – the copy is injured by
mailbag – can you not send me
another to hoard in a book?
Do not forget to send me the Knick-
erbocker that has your La Grange
Name: La Grange, NY City: La Grange
County: Dutchess
State: NY
Country: US
letter
in. And when you write Weed
Name: Thurlow Weed
Birth: 1797-11-15
Death: 1882-11-22
, please
direct him to send my journal to
Cincinnati – don't forget this.
I intended to have written you
the state of affairs between my own bosom
and our Fathers – he continues to in-
vade my head a little – and if I could
only believe that it would not be con-
temptious, I would decline reply but I
dare not & desire not to show disrespect;
to write as though my mind were in
[left Margin] We have indeed a delightful home, & the object of my mission finds
favour in the eyes of the people, & I am glad I am here
Page 4
peace, would be hypocritical as unjust to
myself – to recount the reiterate his cause
of complaint, as being hard ^for me^ to bear, would
doubtless be considered affronture and I am
at a loss, exactly how to keep the command-
ment "Honor thy F. & thy M. – but I shall try.
We are all in very good health & very
happy – wish you could drop in and see us –
am really rejoiced that Frances is so much
better – remember me very affectionately to her
Marcia
Name: Marcia Seward
Birth: 1794-07-23
Death: 1839-10-25
wrote her not long since. The Lord
bless you dear brother & sanctify you & prepare
you for His Heavenly Kingdom
BJ Seward
Hon. W. H. Seward
Auburn
New York
CINCINNATI OH DEC 13
Type: postmark
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
B.J. Seward
1835
Cincinnati 14 Dec 1835
My dear Brother,
It is comforting to find that we
are not forgotten by those we love – accept
my thanks for yours of the 1st ultimo & the
kindness of its contents.
You request me to transmit to our
unfortunate good sister Lockey
Person
$25 – being the amount you paid me for
the portrait of our honored father
Person
you did not get. This would of course
be right: but as the old gentlemen knows
the money is coming to you & promised
to pay it – and as this may have escaped
you at the moment of writing & moreover
as by this time he may have paid it
I will omit complyance with your request
until I hear again from you in relation
to it.
I hope ere this you have the un-
adorned head of dear sis
Person
face of little Fred
Person
frames I find improve them very much.
I thank you for the few items of
news about our Orange Co
Place
ed ^in^ your letter – they are dear to me – &
we hear little from them. I hope you
will always remember this when you write
[left Margin] I have but just returned from H. Louis
Unknown
& found your letter –no apology is necessary for the delay of my answer
Yes I see that you are to have a
Harrison
Person
Person
vention – and Henry Dana Ward's
Person
tion – all I fear to no purpose. But be-
fore all this – & before this letter reaches
you, there ^may^ be sounded a clarion that
shall so thrill this nation that all other
calls will be forgotten – or sink into insig-
nificence. I hope most sincerely – most
devoutly – that you may not be invol-
ved in the support of an unnecessary war –
and yet I greatly fear it. Had the
Chamber of deputies refused to authorize
payment, I think I understood you to
"go for war" – it was then my thought
that had you been 15 years older you
would have felt differently. But at this
time, much less, will it become us to
precipitate this nation into a war.
Poor old Harrison! I see him often –
have set by him by the hour & listened
to his conversation & the perusal of letters
from heartsick Van B.
Person
ly seek favour here, without risking it
at home – and this poor old man cannot
see it. He is amiable & inclined to
the adoption of judicious friends and
[left Margin] I did not see any of our Western friends – heard from none
except that Bill Brown
Person
Place
the right kind of measures – but dear
me if he be President I see not why
his greatest flatterers will not control the
affairs of this nation & that is the same
trouble all over again. God send, however,
that he may be! He begs me to write
you & assure you that Ohio
Place
more so two states west & two south – &
he hopes for others east. I wish I could
believe Ohio safe.
I am thankful for the pamphlets
a [hole] – the copy is injured by
mailbag – can you not send me
another to hoard in a book?
Do not forget to send me the Knick-
erbocker that has your La Grange
Place
in. And when you write Weed
Person
direct him to send my journal to
Cincinnati – don't forget this.
I intended to have written you
the state of affairs between my own bosom
and our Fathers – he continues to in-
vade my head a little – and if I could
only believe that it would not be con-
temptious, I would decline reply but I
dare not & desire not to show disrespect;
to write as though my mind were in
[left Margin] We have indeed a delightful home, & the object of my mission finds
favour in the eyes of the people, & I am glad I am here
peace, would be hypocritical as unjust to
myself – to recount the reiterate his cause
of complaint, as being hard ^for me^ to bear, would
doubtless be considered affronture and I am
at a loss, exactly how to keep the command-
ment "Honor thy F. & thy M. – but I shall try.
We are all in very good health & very
happy – wish you could drop in and see us –
am really rejoiced that Frances is so much
better – remember me very affectionately to her
Marcia
Person
bless you dear brother & sanctify you & prepare
you for His Heavenly Kingdom
BJ Seward
Hon. W. H. Seward
Auburn
New York
CINCINNATI OH DEC 13
Stamp
Person
1835
date:
Monday, December 14, 1835
receiver:
sender:
year: