Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, October 16, 1836
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, October 16, 1836
transcriberTranscriber:spp:mec
student editorTranscriber:spp:keh
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1836-10-16
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to William Henry Seward, October 16, 1836
action: sent
sender:
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
receiver:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
Westfield NY
Place
Name: City: Westfield
County: Chautauqua County
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: mec
revision: crb 2015-10-09
<>
Page 1
so essential. if he only is required to "love much" to
whom "much is forgiven" you certainly need not be
an enthusiast to be a christian. God has blessed you
with a keener moral sense and a more even temper
than often falls to the lot of mortals - consequently your
errors and contrition are less frequent. But our bible
tells us that there is no man who sinneth not and
it is a truth which no one can doubt who carefully
examines his own heart. Trust in the merits of a
saviour an constant endeavour to follow his precepts
with frequent supplication for divine assistance
are the chief requisites to form a christian character.
"He that keepeth my commandments he it is that loveth
me" "For this is the love of God that we keep his command-
ments" "If ye continue in my word then are ye my
disciple indeed" are some of the texts which prove
that "pureness of living" is the only external evidence
which we can have of a saving belief. All those
internal evidences which are so much dwelt upon
vary with the disposition and temperament of the
persons who experience them, and I do not think
we have any scriptural authority for placing our
dependence on so fluctuating a foundation. I will
conclude in the words of of an article which
I have just been reading in an old magazine
"Where persevering faith and obedience are found,
I conceive that peace and joy are almost invariably
known ultimately to follow-"-
Monday morning. Dear Henry I have just
received your last letter written Wednesday
Page 3
morning. I am sorry that we may not expect you
home as soon as we anticipated. Gus
Name: Augustus Seward
Birth: 1826-10-01
Death: 1876-09-11
is very
much afraid the nuts will be all gathered before
he goes to Chautauqua
Name: Chautauqua County City:
County:
State: NY
Country: US
. Lazette
Name: Lazette Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01
Death: 1875-10-03
is here to day
she hears nothing from Worden
Name: Alvah Worden
Birth: 1797-03-06
Death: 1856-02-16
yet. I think she
is gaining strength but very slowly she is still
troubled with pain in her side. Mrs Benedict
Name: Susan Benedict
Birth: 1791
Death: 1869-12-30
came this morning. The wind is stripping the
leaves from the remaining branches of the trees
the sky is overcast and the mud about a
foot deep on the cross walks so that I do
not lose much by being confined to my room
Judge Conkling
Name: Alfred Conkling
Birth: 1789-10-12
Death: 1874-02-05
I hear is about accepting a
professorship at Clinton
Name: City: Clinton
County: Oneida County
State: NY
Country: US
but will remain here
through the winter. they have visited Mrs Porter
Name: Abigail Porter
Birth: 1800-04-12
Death: 1886-03-29
and Mrs Hills
Name: Sarah Hills
Birth: 1796
Death: 1863-04-22
. Bronson
Name: Parliament Bronson
Birth: 1792
Death: 1857-06-20
thinks Margaret
Conkling
Name: Margaret Conkling
Birth: 1814-01-27
Death: 1890
almost intelligent enough to appreciate
him. Aurelia Bissel
Name: City: Rochester
County: Monroe County
State: NY
Country: US
Mary
winter. Please to tell Harriet
Name: Harriet Bogart
Birth:
Death: 1888-08-20
that Peter
Name: Peter Crosby
Birth:
Death:
and
his wife
Name: Nicholas Bogart
Birth: 1801-12-24
Death: 1893
Maria was home last night. Dean has lost her
youngest child. they had considerable difficulty in
getting any men to assist at the burial. I
have not heard any thing from Willis
Name: Willis Bogart
Birth:
Death:
and take it
'granted that he is well. Darkness has come
over the land so good bye dearest your own Frances
Page 4
William H. Seward
Westfield
Chautauqua County
AuburnOct. 18, N.Y.
Type: postmark
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
F.A. Seward
Oct 18, 1836
Sunday Oct 16th
My dear Henry,
I wrote a few lines yesterday in a
hurried manner to assure you that we were all
well - the rain continues with occasional intermission
no going to church to day. McLallen
Name: Hugh McClallen
Birth: 1791
Death: 1860-11-16
went early
this morning to Albany
Name: City: Albany
County:
State: NY
Country: US
, returns some time this week.
Mrs George Wood
Name: Deborah Wood Bronson
Birth: 1810
Death: 1888-03-16
has a young daughter
is with her, this is all the news that I have heard
and this was communicated by Mrs M. Miller
Name: Mary Miller
Birth: 1785-04-24
Death: 1870-04-17
and Mrs Yates
Name: Elizabeth Yates
Birth: 1813-09-16
Death: 1891-03-23
who called yesterday afternoon. Maria
with her characteristick complaisance cobserved that
our babe was too pretty to have such a name as Cornelia
Name: Cornelia Seward
Birth: 1836-08-25
Death: 1837-01-14
.
She is very much inclined to give up housekeeping
because she had so much trouble in getting her plants
into the house! –– how many kinds of trouble there are
in the world, by the way that makes me think of
my own folly in allowing my finger to make me
write you a letter full of complaints. I have not
seen the Dr but once since and then said nothing
about it, my finger is no worse and therefore I
hope it will be better in time. I feel very often
that I have not that confidence and trust in the
goodness of God which I ought to have or I would
not [ yeild ]
Alternate Text: yield to despondency for trifles like these.
My dear Henry I think you can and will be a
Christian without either the enthusiasm or the remorse
which many persons feel and which many consider
Page 2My dear Henry,
I wrote a few lines yesterday in a
hurried manner to assure you that we were all
well - the rain continues with occasional intermission
no going to church to day. McLallen
Person
this morning to Albany
Place
Mrs George Wood
Person
Unknown
. Mrs DeanUnknown
is with her, this is all the news that I have heard
and this was communicated by Mrs M. Miller
Person
and Mrs Yates
Person
with her characteristick complaisance cobserved that
our babe was too pretty to have such a name as Cornelia
Person
She is very much inclined to give up housekeeping
because she had so much trouble in getting her plants
into the house! –– how many kinds of trouble there are
in the world, by the way that makes me think of
my own folly in allowing my finger to make me
write you a letter full of complaints. I have not
seen the Dr but once since and then said nothing
about it, my finger is no worse and therefore I
hope it will be better in time. I feel very often
that I have not that confidence and trust in the
goodness of God which I ought to have or I would
not [ yeild ]
Alternate Text
My dear Henry I think you can and will be a
Christian without either the enthusiasm or the remorse
which many persons feel and which many consider
so essential. if he only is required to "love much" to
whom "much is forgiven" you certainly need not be
an enthusiast to be a christian. God has blessed you
with a keener moral sense and a more even temper
than often falls to the lot of mortals - consequently your
errors and contrition are less frequent. But our bible
tells us that there is no man who sinneth not and
it is a truth which no one can doubt who carefully
examines his own heart. Trust in the merits of a
saviour an constant endeavour to follow his precepts
with frequent supplication for divine assistance
are the chief requisites to form a christian character.
"He that keepeth my commandments he it is that loveth
me" "For this is the love of God that we keep his command-
ments" "If ye continue in my word then are ye my
disciple indeed" are some of the texts which prove
that "pureness of living" is the only external evidence
which we can have of a saving belief. All those
internal evidences which are so much dwelt upon
vary with the disposition and temperament of the
persons who experience them, and I do not think
we have any scriptural authority for placing our
dependence on so fluctuating a foundation. I will
conclude in the words of of an article which
I have just been reading in an old magazine
"Where persevering faith and obedience are found,
I conceive that peace and joy are almost invariably
known ultimately to follow-"-
Monday morning. Dear Henry I have just
received your last letter written Wednesday
morning. I am sorry that we may not expect you
home as soon as we anticipated. Gus
Person
much afraid the nuts will be all gathered before
he goes to Chautauqua
Place
Person
she hears nothing from Worden
Person
is gaining strength but very slowly she is still
troubled with pain in her side. Mrs Benedict
Person
came this morning. The wind is stripping the
leaves from the remaining branches of the trees
the sky is overcast and the mud about a
foot deep on the cross walks so that I do
not lose much by being confined to my room
Judge Conkling
Person
professorship at Clinton
Place
through the winter. they have visited Mrs Porter
Person
Person
Person
Person
him. Aurelia Bissel
Unknown
has gone to RochesterPlace
Mary
Unknown
remains with Mrs Hills through the winter. Please to tell Harriet
Person
Person
his wife
Unknown
send abundance of love to her and NicholasPerson
Maria was home last night. Dean has lost her
youngest child. they had considerable difficulty in
getting any men to assist at the burial. I
have not heard any thing from Willis
Person
'granted that he is well. Darkness has come
over the land so good bye dearest your own Frances
William H. Seward
Westfield
Chautauqua County
AuburnOct. 18, N.Y.
Stamp
Person
Oct 18, 1836
date:
Sunday, October 16, 1836
receiver:
sender:
year: