Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1838

  • Posted on: 10 March 2016
  • By: admin
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1838

transcriber

Transcriber:spp:keh

student editor

Transcriber:spp:sss

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1838-08-12

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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, August 12, 1838

action: sent

sender: Frances Seward
x

Person

Name: Frances Seward Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21

location: Auburn NY
x

Place

Name:  City:  Auburn County:  Cayuga State:  NY Country:  US

receiver: William Seward
x

Person

Name: William Seward Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10

location: Westfield NY
x

Place

Name:  City:  Westfield County:  Chautauqua State:  NY Country:  US

transcription: keh 

revision: ekk 2015-06-15

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Page 1

Sunday Aug. 12th -
My dearest Henry,
I received your letter (the first from
Westfield) Friday morning and should have written
immediately had I not been prevented by headache.
I went Teusday afternoon to Mr Hopkins
x

Person

Name: Josiah Hopkins Birth: 1786-04-25 Death: 1862-06-27
examin-
ation - there were very few persons there. Mr Lathrop
x

Person

Name: Leonard Lathrop Birth: 1796 Death: 1857-08-20

seemed to be the most important personage. I should
think him a pretty good scholar though rather a
dull man - his examination of the boys was
much less interesting than that of Mr Lucas
x

Person

Name: William Lucas Birth: 1799 Death: 1839-08-25
at
Mr Myres
Unknown
school - the boys seem to be well in-
structed - are much less advanced in their studies
than at Mr Myres school - this I should consider
no objection could I perceive that any more
attention was paid to the elementary branches.
I was sorry that I did not feel well enough to
go Wednesday morning. I lost Augustus
x

Person

Name: Augustus Seward Birth: 1826-10-01 Death: 1876-09-11
exam-
ination which he says I could not have heard
had I been there for he could not speak
loud though he tried very hard - he read
and parsed a sentence in Caesar - there
was a room full of spectators Wednesday.
I will indeavour to see Mr Hopkins when
he returns and talk with him about writing
and spelling. Gus says they spell once a week
without study and write only when they
choose which is pretty generally equivalent
to not writing at all.
Page 2

You must have had a pleasant excursion to Chautau- que
x

Place

Name:  City:   County:   State:   Country:  
- pleasant for you who enjoy hustle and
much company and many strange faces
you do enjoy it dearest or you would not always
be in the midst of it - it is distressing to me
when I am ill, and wearisome when I am well.
I am the former this morning or I believe I should
not have written that last sentence my head
is getting its old habits again. Freddy
x

Person

Name: Frederick Seward Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25
thinks
he would have enjoyed the trip in the new steam
boat exceedingly. Poor John
Unknown
, I would like to see
his letter - his is a melancholy fate. I do not know
how he submits to the separation from his little
boy. Did you see Mrs Tracy
x

Person

Name: Harriet Tracy Birth: 1800 Death: 1876
at Buffalo
x

Place

Name:  City:  Buffalo County:  Erie State:  NY Country:  US
. I suppose
not as you do not mention it. I should think
she would be very happy in the prospect of a
permanent home. Mr
x

Person

Name: John Porter Birth: 1790-10-24 Death: 1874-02-03
& Mrs Porter
x

Person

Name: Abigail Porter Birth: 1800-04-12 Death: 1886-03-29
of Albany
x

Place

Name:  City:  Albany County:  Albany State:  NY Country:  US

are at Mrs Weeds
x

Person

Name: Catherine Weed Birth: 1797 Death: 1858-07-03
. I called last evening - they
have given up housekeeping for the present. Mr Porter
is going to Buffalo next week - he regretted that
your were not at home seemed to think he might
see you when he went west which does not seem
at all probable to me. Mr Addison Dougherty
x

Person

Name: Addison Dougherty Birth:  Death: 

is here again - very sorry to miss you again - he
has come to accompany Ann Eliza
x

Person

Name: Ann Dougherty Birth: 1793 Death: 1849-04-19
home who has
recently received the afflicting intelligence of the
death of her only brother James
x

Person

Name: James Nicholson Birth: 1808 Death: 1838-08-30
- he was
a clergyman - living in Maryland
x

Place

Name:  City:   County:   State:   Country:  
- married
a sister of Dougherty
Unknown
's .
I can fancy you sitting in the office at Chautau-
que, or walking about the quick little town,
not continually tormented with idle reports
as you were here. Peter
x

Person

Name: Peter Crosby Birth:  Death: 
and Dr Humphreys
x

Person

Name: Erastus Humphreys Birth: 1785-05-17 Death: 1848-03-09

appear to have a deal of communication. I believe
Page 3

they have quarreled now about a note. The Dr
has been all along in the habit of questioning
Peter about the family and among other things has en
-quired what Kit Morgan
x

Person

Name: Christopher Morgan Birth: 1808-06-04 Death: 1877-04-03
came here for so frequently.
Tells Peter that you are altogether too young for a can-
didate for Governor and that he does not approve of
your being nominated. I supose we shall hear no more
of this now there is a breach. The Dr's conduct it
is ungentlemanly and contemptible but by no means
new - he disgusted me by questioning servants
about the affairs of the family long before I
was so cruelly convinced of his utter destitution
of feeling and principle. Worden
x

Person

Name: Alvah Worden Birth: 1797-03-06 Death: 1856-02-16
passed through
Friday morning on his way to New York
x

Place

Name:  City:  New York County:   State:  NY Country:  US
- he
left a note for me saying he had been sent for by
Sibley
x

Person

Name: Mark Sibley Birth: 1796-11-06 Death: 1852-09-08
who had had a relapse and was supposed
to be in a very dangerous situation. Worden hardly
expected to find him alive. Lazette
x

Person

Name: Lazette Worden Birth: 1803-11-01 Death: 1875-10-03
Frances
x

Person

Name: Frances Chesebro Birth: 1826-12-12 Death: 1909-08-24
an[ d ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

had just set out for Avon
x

Place

Name:  City:  Avon County:  Livingston State:  NY Country:  US
were as far as Bloomfield
x

Place

Name:  City:  Bloomfield County:  Ontario State:  NY Country:  US

on their way when they were overtaken by a messenger
with the letter containing the intelligence. They all
immediately returned and Worden set off for N.Y.
I am all alone in the house saving and excepting
the company of Miss Chitterbob
x

Person

Name: Chitterbob Pet Birth:  Death: 
- the little boys have
gone to Church with Clara
x

Person

Name: Clarinda McClallen Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05
and Mc Clallen
x

Person

Name: Hugh McClallen Birth: 1791-09-07 Death: 1860-11-16
. I am kept
at home by headache. Last night the young Magician
performed for the last time at the Museum - the little boys
were ^so^ disappointed that I could not consent to their going
that I was under the necessity of having an exhibition
of Phosphorus in my room - so we had volcanoes, magic
candles, burning islands &c in profusion. Our Helen
Unknown
's uncle
Unknown

keeps sending for her to come to Illinois
x

Place

Name: Illinois City:   County:   State:  IL Country:  US
where she can get 3$
a week - she does not seem much disposed to go and being
altogether the best girl we have had for a long time I do not
feel much disposed to let her. – – – Adieu dearest your own
Frances —

[left Margin] My love to all our friends. Clara is in very poor health
I am sorry she did not go with you but your visit
was so hurried that I did not think of it
until you were gone.

Page 4

William H. Seward
Westfield
Chautauque County
AUBURN N.Y. AUG 12
x

Stamp

Type: postmark

seward-pen
x

Person

Name: William Seward Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10
Frances A. Seward
August 12, 1838.

[bottom Margin] seward-pen
x

Person

Name: Frances Seward Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
What do you think is the matter with our dahlias they have
ceased growing and have no appearance of flower. I blli believe
they want you to look at them ever [ y ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 
day.
date: 
Sunday, August 12, 1838
year: