Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 11, 1838
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 11, 1838
transcriberTranscriber:spp:ahf
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1838-04-11
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 11, 1838
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 County
State: NY
Country: US
Place
receiver:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
Person
location:
New York NY
Place
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: ahf
revision: ekk 2015-11-23
<>
Page 1
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield April 11. 1838
Dear Henry
Your kind favour of the 7th is to
hand. The account you give of the mode of
spending your time & the demands made
upon you by the public is what might be
expected in the present aspect of affairs.
I suppose you must bear it; a while longer
at least. Nor should you regard it as all
lost time, although it may seem so in com-
parison with office duty. Remember that it
is by this description of wolf racing, [ plitical ]
Alternate Text: political
vagrancy, more than in any other way
you are to get near the people & instruct
them in their duties & their interests.
Amazing! that the Regency should now
pretend a friendship to the Southern tier,
of counties & the Erie & N.Y. R.R.! I do
believe there never existed a set of men
counting so largely upon the gullibility
of the people as these same Regency
Politicians! But they have calculated
once, I think, without their best & will find
Page 2
themselves mistaken. I am glad matters retain a favourable
position for you personally. Plumb
Name: Alvin Plumb
Birth: 1802-06-09
Death: 1877-08-31
was up
a few days since (has his $500) & made
searching inquiries & shewed deep interest.
I notice of late, that men from the South
in the county, speak of you & your prospects
when at the office, quite frequently. From other
parts, I hear little or nothing except from
a few leading whigs of your personal friendship,
I hope all things will work well.
In regard to the schedules, if by the
term you mean, the list of Bonds & M. made
by S.
Name: Junius Smith
Birth: 1807-05-13
Death: 1864-07-29
& the lists of articles made by myself
I am certain you have there with you.
The lists of modifications made by Judge Peacock
Name: William Peacock
Birth: 1780-02-22
Death: 1877-02-21
after the purchase, that were pre-
posed by Mr Humphrey
Name: George Humphreys
Birth: 1814-03-15
Death: 1885-06-09
, were observed to be
still here, in the bottom of his desk, & were
carefully put up & sent to the Batavia
Name: City: Batavia
County: Genesee
State: NY
Country: US
by
Mr Hungerford
Name: Sextus Hungerford
Birth: 1806-01-14
Death: 1867-05-15
, on Monday morning. The copy
of your contract with the H.L.Co, used by you
while here, is also discovered to be here.
But as there ^are^ several copies of it, I have
not thought it necessary to send it after
you.
Page 3
Our business continues small. We have
not recieved five hundred dollars in ten days.
But we have leisure to bring up other
things: of other things beside leisure, favoured.
Haight
Name: Fletcher Haight
Birth: 1799-11-28
Death: 1866-02-23
has applied for a service as a surveyor
in the recent Indian purchase in this state
& on some railroad routes, but & therefore
feels at loose ends, Smith has had an
overhauling, turned all manner of colours
is alarmed & is at work for a few days
for dear life. But he is young, & being
surrounded by bad influences & under
[ Haights ]
Reason: wax-seal example & my own which I
am [ s ]
Reason: wax-sealorry to say is anything else than
a close confinement to business, he is
not likely to hold out very long.
We are [ threatning ]
Alternate Text: threatening the men who have
Mortgages here unsigned: with a view to bring
them in to execute their papers:, of which
there are 20 remaining. On examination it
turns out that many discharge Mortgages
have never been prepared, & we propose to
send out 14 foreclosure cases, against delin-
quents of 18 months standing & scatter them
among all the lawyers & all the newspapers.
Tew
Name: George Tew
Birth: 1804-04
Death: 1875-11-27
sends in his bill for recording, he
has entered almost all the mortgages at $1.15.
I thought I had understood from you that the
Page 4
price had been agreed upon at a dollar.
My health is still feeble. Feeling as I do
that when I am away, little is doing: & that little,
liable to be a little wrong, I seem unable to get
my own consent to leave this office. and although
little is doing at any time, there is yet enough
to keep me talking & talking till my strength
is gone & I am from day to day left with im-
provement, still I think I shall soon get matters
so as to be able to break away & do better.
Jo Whites
Name: Jonas White
Birth: 1813
Death: 1876Certainty: Probable
brother
money, & he has saved his property but not his rep-
utation or his pride.
Your grateful Brother
B.J.S.
W. H. Seward Esq
Care Am. L. Ins. & Trust Co
New York City.
Westfield N.Y. APR 12
Type: postmark
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
B. J. Seward
April 11. 1838
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield April 11. 1838
Dear Henry
Your kind favour of the 7th is to
hand. The account you give of the mode of
spending your time & the demands made
upon you by the public is what might be
expected in the present aspect of affairs.
I suppose you must bear it; a while longer
at least. Nor should you regard it as all
lost time, although it may seem so in com-
parison with office duty. Remember that it
is by this description of wolf racing, [ plitical ]
Alternate Text
vagrancy, more than in any other way
you are to get near the people & instruct
them in their duties & their interests.
Amazing! that the Regency should now
pretend a friendship to the Southern tier,
of counties & the Erie & N.Y. R.R.! I do
believe there never existed a set of men
counting so largely upon the gullibility
of the people as these same Regency
Politicians! But they have calculated
once, I think, without their best & will find
themselves mistaken. I am glad matters retain a favourable
position for you personally. Plumb
Person
a few days since (has his $500) & made
searching inquiries & shewed deep interest.
I notice of late, that men from the South
in the county, speak of you & your prospects
when at the office, quite frequently. From other
parts, I hear little or nothing except from
a few leading whigs of your personal friendship,
I hope all things will work well.
In regard to the schedules, if by the
term you mean, the list of Bonds & M. made
by S.
Person
I am certain you have there with you.
The lists of modifications made by Judge Peacock
Person
posed by Mr Humphrey
Person
still here, in the bottom of his desk, & were
carefully put up & sent to the Batavia
Place
Mr Hungerford
Person
of your contract with the H.L.Co, used by you
while here, is also discovered to be here.
But as there ^are^ several copies of it, I have
not thought it necessary to send it after
you.
Our business continues small. We have
not recieved five hundred dollars in ten days.
But we have leisure to bring up other
things: of other things beside leisure, favoured.
Haight
Person
in the recent Indian purchase in this state
& on some railroad routes, but & therefore
feels at loose ends, Smith has had an
overhauling, turned all manner of colours
is alarmed & is at work for a few days
for dear life. But he is young, & being
surrounded by bad influences & under
[ Haights ]
Supplied
am [ s ]
Supplied
a close confinement to business, he is
not likely to hold out very long.
We are [ threatning ]
Alternate Text
Mortgages here unsigned: with a view to bring
them in to execute their papers:, of which
there are 20 remaining. On examination it
turns out that many discharge Mortgages
have never been prepared, & we propose to
send out 14 foreclosure cases, against delin-
quents of 18 months standing & scatter them
among all the lawyers & all the newspapers.
Tew
Person
has entered almost all the mortgages at $1.15.
I thought I had understood from you that the
price had been agreed upon at a dollar.
My health is still feeble. Feeling as I do
that when I am away, little is doing: & that little,
liable to be a little wrong, I seem unable to get
my own consent to leave this office. and although
little is doing at any time, there is yet enough
to keep me talking & talking till my strength
is gone & I am from day to day left with im-
provement, still I think I shall soon get matters
so as to be able to break away & do better.
Jo Whites
Person
Unknown
, it is said, has advanced himmoney, & he has saved his property but not his rep-
utation or his pride.
Your grateful Brother
B.J.S.
W. H. Seward Esq
Care Am. L. Ins. & Trust Co
New York City.
Westfield N.Y. APR 12
Stamp
Person
April 11. 1838
date:
Wednesday, April 11, 1838
receiver:
sender:
year:
place_node: