Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 4, 1837
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 4, 1837
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:crb
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1837-10-04
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 4, 1837
action: sent
sender: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
location: Westfield, NY
receiver: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
location: Auburn, NY
transcription: crb
revision: ekk 2015-11-24
<>
Page
1
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield Oct. 4. 1837.
My dear Brother
Mr Calvin Rumsey
me to know of it could be possible for
him to obtain the floan of 14. or 15 hun-
dred dollars from now till 10 Jan. - The
general impression here is that I lend
no money & he begs me to refer the
application to you – which I very cheer-
fully, for his sake, do: although I gave
him no encouragement whatever. He
urges that you befriended him in this
way last autumn: and from what
he mentions of his affairs I presume
it would be an equal or greater ac-
commodation to him now. I assured
him that if you could do it for any-
one you would for him: & I said this
because I do believe he would do
anything he could for you. And if
it is proper to accommodate him, it
will also be a pleasure to me also
that it is done.
Page
2
and now since I am writing, allow me
to add, that in regard to the public
impression, our affairs are all going on
well. The settlers are anxious about
their business – but not distrustful of the
justice or even leniency of the office. Every-
day – almost every hour men are calling
before hand to know what will befall
them, when pay day comes of they pay
little or pay nothing. – The impression
is also I think pretty well over the
county, that we are not to be imposed
on with poor incurrent money, by those
who use their ingenuity to make other
use of better money – and still if nothing
else can be had, he will take a little
to make things easy with.
We shall I think succeed better
with our foreign bills then I had
supposed. – The opportunities for working
them off are more extensive & less trouble-
some than I had supposed was expected.
Yesterday I handed Patchin
nearly $2.000 Safety F. – & put up for
President Falconer
Page
3
Shepard
Lowry has gone after him. – A Mr
Bissell
arrested at Erie, for $20.00 lent him
by Shepard, on account of the Bank.
– Public report says the Lumbermans
has $70.000 in specie – I do not believe
it. – Mr Falconer must I think be held
against his will. Lowry will
one day break & the way he
is sucking in Irving, is exceed-
[ ingly ]
Reason: wax-seal dangerous to him also.
– at least all this I greatly
fear, although I do not find any
man to agree with me about it.
Bill Brown
Lockwood home. I have entirely
failed in my attempts to obtain
money from him, and from Cincinnati
with which to meet your note – al-
though I offered a sacrifice of $1000
to affect a sale. I guess you must
do what was your first suggestion,
let it lie. The Church history you
Page
4
seemed to fancy – & a volume or two
of valuable history in my shelves –
there you may credit on it toward the
interest – the price is in the set you have
I suppose, or my bill will show – or if you
would take all the books I have, you
may have them at half less than cost as
we have perused many of them & as they
are most of them small they would be
a pleasing collection for your growing chil-
dren & do good beside paying my debt.
But of this we will converse another day.
Your Brother B.J. Seward.
W.H. Seward Esq
Auburn N.Y.
WESTFIELD NY
OCT 6
Type: postmark
h
B.J. Seward
Oct 6. 1837
h
B.J. Seward
Oct. 6. 1837
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield Oct. 4. 1837.
My dear Brother
Mr Calvin Rumsey
Birth: 1793-02-24 Death: 1854-03-19
has called onme to know of it could be possible for
him to obtain the floan of 14. or 15 hun-
dred dollars from now till 10 Jan. - The
general impression here is that I lend
no money & he begs me to refer the
application to you – which I very cheer-
fully, for his sake, do: although I gave
him no encouragement whatever. He
urges that you befriended him in this
way last autumn: and from what
he mentions of his affairs I presume
it would be an equal or greater ac-
commodation to him now. I assured
him that if you could do it for any-
one you would for him: & I said this
because I do believe he would do
anything he could for you. And if
it is proper to accommodate him, it
will also be a pleasure to me also
that it is done.
and now since I am writing, allow me
to add, that in regard to the public
impression, our affairs are all going on
well. The settlers are anxious about
their business – but not distrustful of the
justice or even leniency of the office. Every-
day – almost every hour men are calling
before hand to know what will befall
them, when pay day comes of they pay
little or pay nothing. – The impression
is also I think pretty well over the
county, that we are not to be imposed
on with poor incurrent money, by those
who use their ingenuity to make other
use of better money – and still if nothing
else can be had, he will take a little
to make things easy with.
We shall I think succeed better
with our foreign bills then I had
supposed. – The opportunities for working
them off are more extensive & less trouble-
some than I had supposed was expected.
Yesterday I handed Patchin
Birth: 1805-05-17 Death: 1892-05-17
nearly $2.000 Safety F. – & put up for
President Falconer
Birth: 1780-12-22 Death: 1851-10-20
almost $1.500Shepard
Birth: 1802-04-05 Death: 1881-08Certainty: Probable
is still in New York – and Lowry has gone after him. – A Mr
Bissell
Birth: 1797-01-17 Death: 1861-11-09
of Toledo, Ind. was last weekarrested at Erie, for $20.00 lent him
by Shepard, on account of the Bank.
– Public report says the Lumbermans
has $70.000 in specie – I do not believe
it. – Mr Falconer must I think be held
against his will. Lowry will
one day break & the way he
is sucking in Irving, is exceed-
[ ingly ]
Supplied
– at least all this I greatly
fear, although I do not find any
man to agree with me about it.
Bill Brown
Certainty: Probable
has recalled littleLockwood home. I have entirely
failed in my attempts to obtain
money from him, and from Cincinnati
with which to meet your note – al-
though I offered a sacrifice of $1000
to affect a sale. I guess you must
do what was your first suggestion,
let it lie. The Church history you
seemed to fancy – & a volume or two
of valuable history in my shelves –
there you may credit on it toward the
interest – the price is in the set you have
I suppose, or my bill will show – or if you
would take all the books I have, you
may have them at half less than cost as
we have perused many of them & as they
are most of them small they would be
a pleasing collection for your growing chil-
dren & do good beside paying my debt.
But of this we will converse another day.
Your Brother B.J. Seward.
W.H. Seward Esq
Auburn N.Y.
WESTFIELD NY
OCT 6
Stamp
h
Hand Shift
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10William Seward
Oct 6. 1837
h
Hand Shift
Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25Certainty: Probable
Frederick Seward
Oct. 6. 1837