Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 29, 1831
xml:
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 29, 1831
transcriberTranscriber:spp:gew
student editorTranscriber:spp:rag
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1831-01-29
In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to
person elements in the project's persons.xml authority file.
In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "pla" point to
place elements in the project's places.xml authority file.
In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to
person elements in the project's staff.xml authority file.
In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to
person elements in the project's bibl.xml authority file.
verical-align: super; font-size: 12px;
text-decoration: underline;
text-decoration: line-through;
color: red;
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, January 29, 1831
action: sent
sender:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
Albany NY
Place
Name: City: Albany
County:
State: NY
Country: US
Place
receiver:
Frances Seward
Person
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
Person
location:
Auburn NY
Place
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: gew
revision: dxt 2015-09-09
<>
Page 1
January 29th
I took a walk with Mr Tracy
Name: Albert Tracy
Birth: 1793-06-17
Death: 1859-09-12
to return
Judge Conkling’s
Name: Alfred Conkling
Birth: 1789-10-12
Death: 1874-02-05
call. He lives in
Lydius
It about a mile from the compact part
of the town, and in a place in some respects
resembling that part of Auburn in which
we live.
It had by this time reached half past
four. I sallied forth to find Mr Mancius
Name: Jacob Mancius
Birth: 1779-12
Death: 1833-11-07
house in Montgomery Street. When I saw
Page 2
him before, he met me just as I was
going out. Both were muffled in cloaks
and I knew I should not recognise him.
I rang the bell, a servant
and was answered that Mr Mancius was
at home. The girl went to the door at
the farther end of the hall, and as she
opened it disclosed a table, two gentlemen
Unknown
Unknown
seated there, with bottles and glasses.
“A gentleman wants to see me, where is he, in
the hall did you say”? and forth comes a
man
Name: Rensselaer Schuyler
Birth: 1773-01-29
Death: 1847-12-16
,
with a kind of bewildered air and
manner, which showed that I was no more
known to him than a visitor would have
been from Kamschatka
Name: Kamchatka Peninsula City:
County:
State:
Country: RU
.Presuming this to
be my host I offered extended my hand and
received his which was reluctantly extended held out
to me. “My name is Seward, Sir,” said I.
“Seward, Seward, yes Sir, Seward did you
say? Walk in, Mr Seward.” Then he
glanced at me again and opened a
door which displayed a bevy of young
ladies
Unknown
Unknown and I thought I was going to be
ushered into the midst of them, when my
host bestowed a bewildered look on my
person as I divested myself of my cloak and
hat and then hastily, as if something were
wrong, pulled to the door of the parlor and
led me in the dining-room. “Major Schuyler,
Page 3
Mr Seward, I think you said your name
was Seward. Take a chair Mr Seward,”
and so I was seated. I was perfectly
satisfied that my name was Seward,
and as to who I was, but my host had
no distinct idea on either of these points,
and I on my part was bewildered to know
if he was Mr Mancius or his brother
A third glass was filled for me. I soon
discovered that Major Schuyler was indignant
at my intrusion. So in order to disarm him
I observed, “We have a prospect of more
comfortable weather, Sir.” “Perhaps so,” said
he gruffly. Mine host asked me to
drink but with an air which seemed
to say “I wonder what the devil sent you
here”? Determined to know whether that
was actually the man I came to see
I said, “I precieve you do not recognize me
Mr Mancius, my name is Seward. I saw
you at the Eagle Tavern.” “Seward, Eagle
Tavern, yes Sir, please to take another
glass.” And still it was evident he had
no recollection even of my name. “You know
Sir that you spoke to me about a suit
that I was to defend, and I was to call
upon you for some papers to send to
Judge Miller
Name: Elijah Miller
Birth: 1772-04-11
Death: 1851-11-13
.” “Oh! Yes! now I know, now
I recollect you. You are Judge Miller’s
Page 4
son in law. Oh! yes, yes, do take another
glass of wine. I beg your pardon for not
remembering you, especially as I invited
you to call. How are you getting on in
the Legislature, Mr Seward?” “Why, very
well Sir, we are disposing of the business
as well as is usual.” Then Major Schuyler
relaxed his knitted brow, and said
“Are you in the legislature Sir?” “Yes Sir”
said I very meekly. “Well Sir, I have
a petition before your Honorable body,
and shall be obliged to you if on
examining it, you give it such support
as you consistently can.” “Oh, Oh thinks I
the weather is becoming more comfortable
after all. He went on to state the
object of his petition. I assured him
I should be happy to give it a favorable
consideration and added that I had
not before heard of it. “Yes Sir” said
he, “you must have heard of it, it
has been reported in the Assembly.”
“Ah,” said I, “that is the reason I have
not seen it.” “Why Sir, that is the reason
you must have seen it,” said he, “you
are in the Assembly I presume Sir?”
“No Sir,” said I, “I am in the other house.”
“Now Sir,” said he, “I beg to ask you in
God’s name how old you call yourself?”
Page 5
“Twenty nine years,” said I very meekly.
“Well! I swear I never would vote for you
for a Senator from your looks.”
“Ah!” said Mr Mancius, “that explains
why I did not know Mr Seward, he
was so young! I thought it was some
young gentlemen who had called to
see my daughters
Name: Margaret Yates
Birth: 1814
Death: 1882
Name: Anna Macomb
Birth: 1811-08-18
Death: 1893-07-09
.” I need not protract
this little story longer than to add
that we after this got to be on excellent
terms, and I departed questioning with
myself whether I had not better get a
wig.
I called in the evening at James Porters
Name: James Porter
Birth: 1793-01-06
Death: 1862-11-11
,
found him, his wife
Name: Eliza Porter
Birth: 1803-03-30
Death: 1866-03-02
, his daughter
young daughter
Looked at one of Mrs Lancaster Lipton’s
of Governor Throop
Name: Enos Throop
Birth: 1784-08-21
Death: 1874-11-01
. I must not forget to tell
you that I found on the table a book entitled
as follows “The fulfillment of a promise to her pupils to publish her fugitive Poems” by Mrs
Emma Willard
Name: Emma Willard
Birth: 1787-02-23
Death: 1870-04-15
, Principal of the Troy
Name: City: Troy
County: Rensselaer County
State: NY
Country: US
Female
Seminary. Glancing over a few pages, I saw two
lines in it as follows.
“And in like spirit of a freeman.
Great De Witt Clinton
Name: DeWitt Clinton
Birth: 1769-03-02
Death: 1828-02-11
broke
his kneepan.”
I shall buy this book and send it to you as soon
as I can find it.
Page 6
^tr. is 7 pages back^
I am becoming immersed in a swamp
of letters for laws, for canals, banks insurance,
companies, and for appointments. I found
twelve lying on my table tonight. Your
little letter last night was worth the
whole dozen.
January 29th
I took a walk with Mr Tracy
Person
Judge Conkling’s
Person
It about a mile from the compact part
of the town, and in a place in some respects
resembling that part of Auburn in which
we live.
It had by this time reached half past
four. I sallied forth to find Mr Mancius
Person
house in Montgomery Street. When I saw
him before, he met me just as I was
going out. Both were muffled in cloaks
and I knew I should not recognise him.
I rang the bell, a servant
Unknown
appeared. I askedand was answered that Mr Mancius was
at home. The girl went to the door at
the farther end of the hall, and as she
opened it disclosed a table, two gentlemen
People
Unknown
Unknown
seated there, with bottles and glasses.
“A gentleman wants to see me, where is he, in
the hall did you say”? and forth comes a
man
Person
manner, which showed that I was no more
known to him than a visitor would have
been from Kamschatka
Place
be my host I offered extended my hand and
received his which was reluctantly extended held out
to me. “My name is Seward, Sir,” said I.
“Seward, Seward, yes Sir, Seward did you
say? Walk in, Mr Seward.” Then he
glanced at me again and opened a
door which displayed a bevy of young
ladies
People
Unknown
Unknown
ushered into the midst of them, when my
host bestowed a bewildered look on my
person as I divested myself of my cloak and
hat and then hastily, as if something were
wrong, pulled to the door of the parlor and
led me in the dining-room. “Major Schuyler,
Mr Seward, I think you said your name
was Seward. Take a chair Mr Seward,”
and so I was seated. I was perfectly
satisfied that my name was Seward,
and as to who I was, but my host had
no distinct idea on either of these points,
and I on my part was bewildered to know
if he was Mr Mancius or his brother
Unknown
.A third glass was filled for me. I soon
discovered that Major Schuyler was indignant
at my intrusion. So in order to disarm him
I observed, “We have a prospect of more
comfortable weather, Sir.” “Perhaps so,” said
he gruffly. Mine host asked me to
drink but with an air which seemed
to say “I wonder what the devil sent you
here”? Determined to know whether that
was actually the man I came to see
I said, “I precieve you do not recognize me
Mr Mancius, my name is Seward. I saw
you at the Eagle Tavern.” “Seward, Eagle
Tavern, yes Sir, please to take another
glass.” And still it was evident he had
no recollection even of my name. “You know
Sir that you spoke to me about a suit
that I was to defend, and I was to call
upon you for some papers to send to
Judge Miller
Person
I recollect you. You are Judge Miller’s
son in law. Oh! yes, yes, do take another
glass of wine. I beg your pardon for not
remembering you, especially as I invited
you to call. How are you getting on in
the Legislature, Mr Seward?” “Why, very
well Sir, we are disposing of the business
as well as is usual.” Then Major Schuyler
relaxed his knitted brow, and said
“Are you in the legislature Sir?” “Yes Sir”
said I very meekly. “Well Sir, I have
a petition before your Honorable body,
and shall be obliged to you if on
examining it, you give it such support
as you consistently can.” “Oh, Oh thinks I
the weather is becoming more comfortable
after all. He went on to state the
object of his petition. I assured him
I should be happy to give it a favorable
consideration and added that I had
not before heard of it. “Yes Sir” said
he, “you must have heard of it, it
has been reported in the Assembly.”
“Ah,” said I, “that is the reason I have
not seen it.” “Why Sir, that is the reason
you must have seen it,” said he, “you
are in the Assembly I presume Sir?”
“No Sir,” said I, “I am in the other house.”
“Now Sir,” said he, “I beg to ask you in
God’s name how old you call yourself?”
“Twenty nine years,” said I very meekly.
“Well! I swear I never would vote for you
for a Senator from your looks.”
“Ah!” said Mr Mancius, “that explains
why I did not know Mr Seward, he
was so young! I thought it was some
young gentlemen who had called to
see my daughters
People
this little story longer than to add
that we after this got to be on excellent
terms, and I departed questioning with
myself whether I had not better get a
wig.
I called in the evening at James Porters
Person
found him, his wife
Person
Unknown
and ayoung daughter
Unknown
.Looked at one of Mrs Lancaster Lipton’s
Unknown
bustsof Governor Throop
Person
you that I found on the table a book entitled
as follows “The fulfillment of a promise to her pupils to publish her fugitive Poems” by Mrs
Emma Willard
Person
Place
Seminary. Glancing over a few pages, I saw two
lines in it as follows.
“And in like spirit of a freeman.
Great De Witt Clinton
Person
I shall buy this book and send it to you as soon
as I can find it.
^tr. is 7 pages back^
I am becoming immersed in a swamp
of letters for laws, for canals, banks insurance,
companies, and for appointments. I found
twelve lying on my table tonight. Your
little letter last night was worth the
whole dozen.
date:
Saturday, January 29, 1831
receiver:
sender:
year: