Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, May 4, 1838
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, May 4, 1838
transcriberTranscriber:spp:kac
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1838-05-04
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, May 4, 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: kac
revision: ekk 2015-11-23
<>
Page 1
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield May 4 1838
W. H. Seward Esq
Dear Brother
Your last letter left me
so in doubt as to your future move-
ments, that I have known ^neither^ when to
write you, or where to send my letters.
Matters grow smaller & smaller
here, every week. Some days we do
not receive a dollar—on some we do
not take a single Bond & M. & it is but
rare that we effect the sale of a piece
of wild land. Our receipts have been
about four hundred dollars per week in
Cash—and we have taken $7.500 or $8.000
in Bonds & Mortgages since the 1st of April
—but have not renewed more than seven
or ten one year articles. Few persons
comparatively, call at this time—but
this few generally come with troublesome
& tedious errands.
Finding no place cheaper, we have
[left Margin] Abell
Name: Moseley Abell
Birth: 1781-02-24
Death: 1858-09-24Certainty: Probable
of the Johnson House Fredonia
Name: City: Fredonia
County: Chautauqua County
State: NY
Country: US
will write you about raising some funds
for him—begs me to add a word. I supposed it would be painful
to the poor fellow
to mention the par-
ticulars, & so I did
not ask & know
nothing—only that
he is needy.
Page 2
concluded to occupy our present office room
—except that we have given up the little
north room & are now under rent of $40
per annum—& discontinue when we please.
Mr. Haight
Name: Fletcher Haight
Birth: 1799-11-28
Death: 1866-02-23
has left us—went off
dissatisfied and complains all over town
that he situated himself for a permanent
business, & is now out of employ. He is
daily with Peacock
Name: William Peacock
Birth: 1780-02-22
Death: 1877-02-21
at work at something
I know not what, in the room above us.
I seldom see him; him — but when I do, I
design to call on him with great kindness
to explain to me, what I hear he tells
others of your bad faith: his own reflections
I suppose him will shut his mouth.
Augustus
Name: Augustus Seward
Birth: 1820-05-18
Death: 1889-05-08
is assisting in the office
- We are completing the incomplete mort-
gages—writing up the unprepared deeds
copying deed boundaries in the deed re-
gistry book—mapping the sales in the deed
atlas—opening new books of account &c &c
and it seems as if we should never get
even with our office business.
The dun letters to those holding
Page 3
one year articles are gone forth—but they
bring us no customers. Nor has the last
lot of mortgage foreclosures, answered the pur-
pose of stirring up delinquents much be-
yond the persons sued. Our object is to
strengthen the impression that our business
must have attention; at least—& payments
of interest in every case—extraordinaries ex-
cepted; while at the same time there seems
absolute necessity for lenity in cases not a
few.
I have written to J. L. Rathbone
Name: Jared Rathbone
Birth: 1791-08-02
Death: 1845-05-13
to inquire if he will give up a lot
in stockton
Name: City: Stockton
County: Chautauqua
State: NY
Country: US
, if the occupant succeeds
in raising the funds necessary & finds
a partner to take a part. His an-
swer has not yet come to hand.
also to Thurlow Weed
Name: Thurlow Weed
Birth: 1797-11-15
Death: 1882-11-22
to beg off the
lot that Brown
Name: City: Mina
County: Chautauqua County
State: NY
Country: US
& sent
a quit claim for him to sign. Pray re-
member it when you come along & pay
the acknowledging fees: — & explain it should
my letter to him need explanation.
As usual, several things are tied
up till you return & give direction. We
Page 4
shall all rejoice to see you here again.
Your Grateful Brother
B.J. Seward
Wm H. Seward Esq.
Care AM Life Ins. & Trust Co
New York City
Single.
WESTFIELD N.Y. MAY 5
Type: postmark
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
B. J. Seward
May 4, 1838
Chautauqua Land Office
Westfield May 4 1838
W. H. Seward Esq
Dear Brother
Your last letter left me
so in doubt as to your future move-
ments, that I have known ^neither^ when to
write you, or where to send my letters.
Matters grow smaller & smaller
here, every week. Some days we do
not receive a dollar—on some we do
not take a single Bond & M. & it is but
rare that we effect the sale of a piece
of wild land. Our receipts have been
about four hundred dollars per week in
Cash—and we have taken $7.500 or $8.000
in Bonds & Mortgages since the 1st of April
—but have not renewed more than seven
or ten one year articles. Few persons
comparatively, call at this time—but
this few generally come with troublesome
& tedious errands.
Finding no place cheaper, we have
[left Margin] Abell
Person
Place
for him—begs me to add a word. I supposed it would be painful
to the poor fellow
to mention the par-
ticulars, & so I did
not ask & know
nothing—only that
he is needy.
concluded to occupy our present office room
—except that we have given up the little
north room & are now under rent of $40
per annum—& discontinue when we please.
Mr. Haight
Person
dissatisfied and complains all over town
that he situated himself for a permanent
business, & is now out of employ. He is
daily with Peacock
Person
I know not what, in the room above us.
I seldom see him; him — but when I do, I
design to call on him with great kindness
to explain to me, what I hear he tells
others of your bad faith: his own reflections
I suppose him will shut his mouth.
Augustus
Person
- We are completing the incomplete mort-
gages—writing up the unprepared deeds
copying deed boundaries in the deed re-
gistry book—mapping the sales in the deed
atlas—opening new books of account &c &c
and it seems as if we should never get
even with our office business.
The dun letters to those holding
one year articles are gone forth—but they
bring us no customers. Nor has the last
lot of mortgage foreclosures, answered the pur-
pose of stirring up delinquents much be-
yond the persons sued. Our object is to
strengthen the impression that our business
must have attention; at least—& payments
of interest in every case—extraordinaries ex-
cepted; while at the same time there seems
absolute necessity for lenity in cases not a
few.
I have written to J. L. Rathbone
Person
to inquire if he will give up a lot
in stockton
Place
in raising the funds necessary & finds
a partner to take a part. His an-
swer has not yet come to hand.
also to Thurlow Weed
Person
lot that Brown
Unknown
lives on in MinaPlace
a quit claim for him to sign. Pray re-
member it when you come along & pay
the acknowledging fees: — & explain it should
my letter to him need explanation.
As usual, several things are tied
up till you return & give direction. We
shall all rejoice to see you here again.
Your Grateful Brother
B.J. Seward
Wm H. Seward Esq.
Care AM Life Ins. & Trust Co
New York City
Single.
WESTFIELD N.Y. MAY 5
Stamp
Person
May 4, 1838
date:
Friday, May 4, 1838
receiver:
sender:
year: