Cincinnati March 17, 1837
My dear Brother
After a short & pleasant visit
with James Jackson, in which he told
me of his alarm for your safety, your man
carried me on, pleasantly & safely to Erie.
I paid his bill at that place & gave
him money to return with & requested him
to hand you back the bill you gave him
unbroken – I hope he did so & if not you
must let me know.
Early the following morning the stage
took me up and in two days & a night
brought me to Pittsburgh without interup-
ment, except in the last 20 miles which
were extremely muddy. Three days more
brought me in safety to Cincinnati, where
at twelve O'clock at night or a little after
I was lodged most gladly in the bosom
of my family. More hearts than one re-
joiced in my safe return – more than one
now swells with gratitude to God for His
preserving goodness of us all during
our separation[ . ]

Madam and I have been consulting
from time to time over your generous offer of
a place for us at Westfield. – The propo-
sition, tempting as it seems at first,
is encompassed with difficulties: our hearts
have fluttered over it – resolving to accept
and half resolving to reject it, alternately.
The great change in my mode of life – the
loss of the society of a circle of dear Chris-
tian females to Mrs S. – the embarrassment
it will occasion Augustus to change his
home – the injury it will, possibly, inflict
upon the Am. Union – and the difficulty
of finding a successor in my office, all
occasion me uneasiness, in accepting your
kind offer. Still, in the hope of benefitting
Marcias health and of rendering you
some humble service in the settlement of
the great estate in your hands and of
benefit to others, I am prepared to make
the sacrifice of feeling it will occasion
me & Marcia & Augustus will be equal-
ly cheerful in the change proposed.
But whatever may be the hesitancy on our
part, we do not fail to see the generosity

and kindness of the offer and are thankful
for it. It may never be in our power
to repay this liberality to you – but it
may, to your children – and we should
think meanly of our selves, if we were to
suppose for an instant that we should
want the disposition. In gratitude I do
believe is not an ingredient in the com-
position of either of us. a thousand
and a thousand times we thank
you for your kind offer & we pro-
pose to accept it in person without
delay.
It seems difficult to determine upon
the day when we shall be able to ^be^ with
you – perhaps not the day we proposed
– 1^st April. I am struggling to effect
arrangements so that I shall not
be obliged to use the draft you gave
me – if otherwise, I will inform you.
Marcia is scarcely as well as when
I left her – is rather thinner & more feeble
and needs Chautauqua air. All the rest
are well – and all astonished at the change
proposed. Marcia will accompany me

when I return – and it will be but a few
days after the first of April –
Pray find time to write our Father
of these arrangements – I would rather you
would do it.
I suppose that little Fred must have
gotten better or you would have [ wrtten ]
us about him – pray write us about
his health & then we shall be in no
suspense on the subject
Your Brother
B.J. Seward
Wm Henry Seward
Westfield
Chautauqua Co
New York
CINCINNATI OH Mar 18
B.J. Seward
March 18. 1837