Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 1, 1839
xml:
Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 1, 1839
transcriberTranscriber:spp:nds
student editorTranscriber:spp:keh
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1839-04-01
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 1, 1839
action: sent
sender:
Benjamin Seward
Person
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
Person
location:
Westfield NY
Place
Name: City: Westfield
County: Chautauqua
State: NY
Country: US
Place
receiver:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
Albany NY
Place
Name: City: Albany
County: Albany
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: nds
revision: crb 2016-02-10
<>
Page 1
Westfield 1 April. 1839.
Dear H. –
After leaving Auburn
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
State: NY
Country: US
, I called
on Mr. Schermerhorm
Name: Abraham Schermerhorn
Birth: 1791-12-11
Death: 1855-08-22
, offering to open my
budget forthwith before him, but suggested
that it might be more satisfactory to him
to accompany me over to Batavia
Name: City: Batavia
County: Genesee
State: NY
Country: US
and
attend a settlement with the other parties
concerned. But he declined to do
either – alledging that he was now
perfectly satisfied, and if the papers
were left at Batavia, he would some-
day call & look over them if he should
think it worthwhile & not inconvenient.
I need scarcely say that the absence
of Mr. Cary
Name: Trumbull Cary
Birth: 1787-08-11
Death: 1869-06-20
defeated my object there. It
seemed to my mind, unwise if not unsafe
to leave my papers in Batavia: but
after a pleasant interview with Mr Lay
Name: George Lay
Birth: 1798-07-26
Death: 1860-10-21Certainty: Probable
& a promise to lay the papers before
him & Mr. Cary, in the course of a very
few months, I proceeded homeward &
made safe arrival on Friday night
. 9 days from Albany: all well here.
[left Margin] I have Rathbones
Name: Jared Rathbone
Birth: 1791-08-02
Death: 1845-05-13
deed – & Blatchfords
Name: Samuel Blatchford
Birth: 1820-03-09
Death: 1893-07-07
letter.
Page 2
I believe, I mentioned to you from
Auburn, that I had given Underwood
Name: Jonas Underwood
Birth: 1797-03-07
Death: 1864-01-05
your chick for $600. This I did, under-
standing that he had drawn nothing or
but a trifle here. I now find, that
two or three small bills he left orders
to be paid for him here amount to
something over a hundred dollars: &
beside this, he has drawn on you pay-
able here, & Smith
to pay, $675 – so that if all this be
paid, he will have $1400 – a sum larger
than you spoke of advancing to him
just now. – I know but little of
your obligations or the contract between
you – and my present impression is that
I must suspend the payment of the
$675 till I hear from you – & I shall
do so, unless I find it a clear case
that the contract calls for more. I
have felt a great delicacy in prying
into your contracts, for fear of officiousness
– but I now feel that it would be well
if I understood this matter better.
Page 3
My next will explain the state of the
office – suffice it for the present, that all
looks well – payments fair & money safe
– a good job has been done while I have
been absent.
Found a severe letter here in waiting
from father
Name: Samuel Seward
Birth: 1768-12-05
Death: 1849-08-24
, in which he censures me
without measure, for not fixing the day
when I wrote from N.Y.
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
about the iron
railing, for visiting Florida
Name: City: Florida
County: Orange
State: NY
Country: US
to
build the vault: & in part, for
& for not giving any encourage-
ment, that I would ever build
it; but exhibited the same cruel
indifference about it as ever before
. How differently two persons may
view the same thing! how easy it
is to misinterpret another persons
views & feelings. –
Saw much of Marvin
Name: Dudley Marvin
Birth: 1786-05-09
Death: 1856-06-25Certainty: Possible
on my way
home – he seems loyal – possibly from
compulsion. Lay, speaks of abolition dan-
gers – & disaffections toward Tallmadge
Name: Nathaniel Tallmadge
Birth: 1795-02-08
Death: 1864-11-02
– but
Uncle Cary can tell you more about this.
Everywhere, W.
with affectation. B.J.S.
Page 4
William H. Seward Esq.
Albany
N.Y.
Single.
Paid
Chg 59
WESTFIELD N.Y. APR 2
Type: postmark
April 1. 1839
Westfield 1 April. 1839.
Dear H. –
After leaving Auburn
Place
on Mr. Schermerhorm
Person
budget forthwith before him, but suggested
that it might be more satisfactory to him
to accompany me over to Batavia
Place
attend a settlement with the other parties
concerned. But he declined to do
either – alledging that he was now
perfectly satisfied, and if the papers
were left at Batavia, he would some-
day call & look over them if he should
think it worthwhile & not inconvenient.
I need scarcely say that the absence
of Mr. Cary
Person
seemed to my mind, unwise if not unsafe
to leave my papers in Batavia: but
after a pleasant interview with Mr Lay
Person
& a promise to lay the papers before
him & Mr. Cary, in the course of a very
few months, I proceeded homeward &
made safe arrival on Friday night
. 9 days from Albany: all well here.
[left Margin] I have Rathbones
Person
Person
I believe, I mentioned to you from
Auburn, that I had given Underwood
Person
your chick for $600. This I did, under-
standing that he had drawn nothing or
but a trifle here. I now find, that
two or three small bills he left orders
to be paid for him here amount to
something over a hundred dollars: &
beside this, he has drawn on you pay-
able here, & Smith
Unknown
has given assuranceto pay, $675 – so that if all this be
paid, he will have $1400 – a sum larger
than you spoke of advancing to him
just now. – I know but little of
your obligations or the contract between
you – and my present impression is that
I must suspend the payment of the
$675 till I hear from you – & I shall
do so, unless I find it a clear case
that the contract calls for more. I
have felt a great delicacy in prying
into your contracts, for fear of officiousness
– but I now feel that it would be well
if I understood this matter better.
My next will explain the state of the
office – suffice it for the present, that all
looks well – payments fair & money safe
– a good job has been done while I have
been absent.
Found a severe letter here in waiting
from father
Person
without measure, for not fixing the day
when I wrote from N.Y.
Place
railing, for visiting Florida
Place
build the vault: & in part, for
& for not giving any encourage-
ment, that I would ever build
it; but exhibited the same cruel
indifference about it as ever before
. How differently two persons may
view the same thing! how easy it
is to misinterpret another persons
views & feelings. –
Saw much of Marvin
Person
home – he seems loyal – possibly from
compulsion. Lay, speaks of abolition dan-
gers – & disaffections toward Tallmadge
Person
Uncle Cary can tell you more about this.
Everywhere, W.
Unknown
is spoken of as the Vice C.with affectation. B.J.S.
William H. Seward Esq.
Albany
N.Y.
Single.
Paid
Chg 59
WESTFIELD N.Y. APR 2
Stamp
Unknown
B. J. SewardApril 1. 1839
date:
Monday, April 1, 1839
receiver:
sender:
year: