Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 1, 1836
xml:
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 1, 1836
transcriberTranscriber:spp:mah
student editorTranscriber:spp:mhr
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1836-12-01
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 1, 1836
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: mah
revision: crb 2015-10-14
<>
Page 1
Cincinnati Dec 1. 1836
My dear Brother
I have long delayed the an-
swer of your letter, because I have
been continually in the belief that I
should in a very few days make ar-
rangements to set off to see you and
take an opportunity to answer it in
person. I have been meditating an
enterprize (official) in Cleveland
Name: City: Cleveland
County: Cuyahoga
State: OH
Country: US
& having
prepared the way, it only remained for
me to arrange matters here so that I
could leave them with safety, & go.
From Cleveland it seemed but a small
matter to slip over to your new office
& pay you a visit, & to do this, soon
has been my constant expectaition. But
I find myself a much more necessary
article here than I had supposed; I
have found myself it impossible to get
away.
Within three days I have been
sent for by my employers to proceed
to Phila
Name: City: Philadelphia
County: Philadelphia
State: PA
Country: US
and am now in a struggle
to get off in three days more. It
Page 2
is still my purpose to visit you. My
route will be from N.Y.
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
via Albany
Name: City: Albany
County: Albany
State: NY
Country: US
, Auburn
Westfield
Name: City: Westfield
County: Chautauqua
State: NY
Country: US
& home. So that by a running
fire I can see Fanny
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
, the boys
Name: Frederick Seward
Birth: 1830-07-08
Death: 1915-04-25
Name: Augustus Seward
Birth: 1826-10-01
Death: 1876-09-11
, the Judge
Name: Elijah Miller
Birth: 1772-04-11
Death: 1851-11-13
and yourself. You shall hear from me
again about it.
I have seen that you have been
in N.Y. & heard that you were in Phil
, and am glad. I have no late letter
from Cornelia
Name: Louisa Canfield
Birth: 1805
Death: 1839-01-04
, but hope to hear that you
found time to visit her. Her doctor
Name: Mahlon Canfield
Birth: 1798-11-26
Death: 1865-01-05
stopped a night with us on his way to
Illinois
Name: Illinois City:
County:
State: IL
Country: US
& an hour on his way back.
He likes Illinois, but Cornelia will not
I think, consent to go. I do wish she
was somewhere in the world where she
might find society & enjoy friends
Well we give it up, but not in
despair. Genl Harrison
Name: William Harrison
Birth: 1773-02-09
Death: 1841-04-04
has been greatly
honored, honored beyond his deserving.
And now if Congressmen will only do
what the country has done, leave little
Mattie
Name: Martin Van Buren
Birth: 1782-12-05
Death: 1862-07-24
in the minority, I will say
that the election has resulted most
happily. God send that it may
be so. I have had the pleasure
Page 3
of a couple of interviews with Mr Clay
Name: Henry Clay
Birth: 1777-04-12
Death: 1852-06-29
&
find him having more courage than
I had expected. I like Clay & al-
ways did, notwithstanding he would not
go antimasonry.
Stone
Name: City: Louisville
County: Jefferson
State: KY
Country: US
soaking, & shuffling, likely to get
through prety soon.
Marcia
Name: Marcia Seward
Birth: 1794-07-23
Death: 1839-10-25
is something better
in health than she was months
ago, but is still thin, weak &
pale. I have a thousand
anxieties about her, but I
know that she is in the hands of a
kind Heavenly Father. This she real-
izes, delightfully, and is calmer for
than I can be under our fears.
Perhaps a lesson of submission is necessary
for me, perhaps, oh I cannot write it!
It would seem to me that no man alive
would feel more broken up & ruined, in
the calamity hinted, at, than I should.
I pray to be delivered from the fear of it
& especially I pray to be submissive come
Page 4
what will.
Our family, otherwise, is remarkably
healthy. Give my kind regards to
sister F. & kiss the boys for all three for
Uncle
Your affectionate brother
B.J. Seward
Wm H. Seward Esq
Auburn
New York
Cincinnati. O. Dec 1
Type: postmark
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
B.J.Seward, Dec 1st
1836
Chicago
Cincinnati Dec 1. 1836
My dear Brother
I have long delayed the an-
swer of your letter, because I have
been continually in the belief that I
should in a very few days make ar-
rangements to set off to see you and
take an opportunity to answer it in
person. I have been meditating an
enterprize (official) in Cleveland
Place
prepared the way, it only remained for
me to arrange matters here so that I
could leave them with safety, & go.
From Cleveland it seemed but a small
matter to slip over to your new office
& pay you a visit, & to do this, soon
has been my constant expectaition. But
I find myself a much more necessary
article here than I had supposed; I
have found myself it impossible to get
away.
Within three days I have been
sent for by my employers to proceed
to Phila
Place
to get off in three days more. It
is still my purpose to visit you. My
route will be from N.Y.
Place
Place
Westfield
Place
fire I can see Fanny
Person
People
Person
and yourself. You shall hear from me
again about it.
I have seen that you have been
in N.Y. & heard that you were in Phil
, and am glad. I have no late letter
from Cornelia
Person
found time to visit her. Her doctor
Person
stopped a night with us on his way to
Illinois
Place
He likes Illinois, but Cornelia will not
I think, consent to go. I do wish she
was somewhere in the world where she
might find society & enjoy friends
Well we give it up, but not in
despair. Genl Harrison
Person
honored, honored beyond his deserving.
And now if Congressmen will only do
what the country has done, leave little
Mattie
Person
that the election has resulted most
happily. God send that it may
be so. I have had the pleasure
of a couple of interviews with Mr Clay
Person
find him having more courage than
I had expected. I like Clay & al-
ways did, notwithstanding he would not
go antimasonry.
Stone
Unknown
(of Rochester) is in LouisvillePlace
soaking, & shuffling, likely to get
through prety soon.
Marcia
Person
in health than she was months
ago, but is still thin, weak &
pale. I have a thousand
anxieties about her, but I
know that she is in the hands of a
kind Heavenly Father. This she real-
izes, delightfully, and is calmer for
than I can be under our fears.
Perhaps a lesson of submission is necessary
for me, perhaps, oh I cannot write it!
It would seem to me that no man alive
would feel more broken up & ruined, in
the calamity hinted, at, than I should.
I pray to be delivered from the fear of it
& especially I pray to be submissive come
what will.
Our family, otherwise, is remarkably
healthy. Give my kind regards to
sister F. & kiss the boys for all three for
Uncle
Your affectionate brother
B.J. Seward
Wm H. Seward Esq
Auburn
New York
Cincinnati. O. Dec 1
Stamp
Person
1836
Chicago
date:
Thursday, December 1, 1836
receiver:
sender:
year: