Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 18, 1839
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 18, 1839
transcriberTranscriber:spp:dwr
student editorTranscriber:spp:mah
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1839-04-18
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, April 18, 1839
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:
Albany NY
Place
Name: City: Albany
County:
State: NY
Country: US
Place
transcription: dwr
revision: crb 2016-02-10
<>
Page 1
Chautauque Land Office
Westfeild April 18. 1839
Dear Henry
Tempting offers were made to me
on my return by the Fredonians to settle there:
and in Dunkirk
Name: City: Dunkirk
County: Chautauqua County
State: NY
Country: US
the inducement was made to
be very inviting also: — but land office reasons
made me hesitate. Without cutting off the hope
that conversations between you & Walter Smith
Name: Walter Smith
Birth: 1800-03-21
Death: 1874-09-21
ex-
cited in relation to the latter place, or the de-
sire of friends in the former, to interest me in
their enterprizes I took the judgment of Mullet
Name: James Mullett
Birth: 1784-10-17
Death: 1858-09-10
&
others and in accordance with their wishes
determined to settle in neither for the present.
Gentlemen in Fredonia
Name: City: Fredonia
County: Chautauqua County
State: NY
Country: US
are drumming up about
the county to see if they can raise funds or
means with which to establish a Bank
& hope some day to interest you.
I have taken the Farnsworth
Name: Asa Farnsworth
Birth: 1801-02-20
Death: 1883-04-30
house, be-
tween Col Rumseys
Name: Stephen Rumsey
Birth: 1785-06-01
Death: 1873-07-31
& Mr Huse
Name: Nathaniel Huse
Birth: 1781
Death: 1863-03-04
for 1 yr. at $200,
& expect to move next week.
I think I mentioned to you ^before^ that I had
advanced $600 to Underwood
Name: Cyrus Underwood
Birth: 1801-09-16
Death: 1881-10-12Certainty: Probable
while at Auburn
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
State: NY
Country: US
.
Upon the authority of your late letter, I have
taken up his drafts on you here, amounting
I now find to about $1.900 more.
Two weeks ago I forwarded to Mr Blatchford
Name: Samuel Blatchford
Birth: 1820-03-09
Death: 1893-07-07
Page 2
the necessary lists, by which to make out the letter
of attorney — returns I suppose will come in good time.
Agreeably to Mr Duers
Name: George Duer
Birth: 1812-05
Death: 1888
request, I have
effected an arrangement with the Jamestown Bank
by which they recieve our funds to the credit of
the Trust Co — sending a check at the end of 50 days
to Mr Duer. This is the best arrangement to be
had: and under it, the balance of our Bank a/c was
transferred April 9. to the Cr. of the Trustees $4.344.33
due 14th May._ This increases our Cr with the
Trust Co to $68.507. 91/100
By addressing a circular to such of the At-
torneys in the Co, an economical arrangement
has been secured for foreclosing where that becomes
necessary. I send you a “J. Journal” containing
one of our running advertisements — much of
the expense, as accruing by the former mode
will now be saved to the settler. another ad-
vertisement may be seen in the “Magulle L.”
& similar tables will be sent this week to
Fredonian & Dunkirk papers. — Other tables
will follow, as fast as we can make them
out. — Thus far, all is straight forward
work — but about Articles, the course is not
so clear. To feel our way along, we have
divided round among the lawyers some
12 or 15 Cases — which will enable us to deter-
mine what may be best as a general rule.
Alarm is spreading — but no impatience is ex-
ressed — The blame is thrown upon the Trust Co
Page 3
and even they, I believe get off without odium
William Duer
Name: William Duer
Birth: 1805-05-25
Death: 1879-08-25
writes me from Oswego
Name: City: Oswego
County: Oswego County
State: NY
Country: US
but sends me no form of an extension. After
learning his fathers
Name: John Duer
Birth: 1782-10-07
Death: 1858-08-08
determination not to be sat-
isfied with the extension now heretofore in use
I purposely left the question open — supposing
you could settle it better than I could. Pos-
sibly Mr Duer may recede — but he seemed
bent upon having a new B. & M. with secure An
interest.
Young Duer sends me the form of a
certificate of appraizal — setting forth a brief
description of lot — and its value — upon
a recent examination — the number of
acres cleared — value of buildings &c
&c to be signed by some persons
which his certificate calls “we” — and
appended to this, he has a second cer-
tificate for me to sign, sitting forth that I
am acquainted with the signers of the first
certificate — believe them capable — & from what
I know of the land, give ^full^ cridit to their state-
ment. To all this I return for answer
that I am so occupied with efforts to bring
up our business, after absence from it that I
have been unable to enter upon the duties
to which he calls my attention. I thank
him for his suggestions & promise him
to take them up for action the first hour
Page 4
I can — and all report to him ere long
of my progress in the matter. Thus is the
present state of affairs before you.
all well — remember me affectionately to
Frances
Name: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
and all — Yours as ever B.J. Seward
W. H. Seward Esq
Albany
N.Y.
Westfield N.Y. APR 19
Type: postmark
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
B. J. Seward
Apl 18. 1839
Chautauque Land Office
Westfeild April 18. 1839
Dear Henry
Tempting offers were made to me
on my return by the Fredonians to settle there:
and in Dunkirk
Place
be very inviting also: — but land office reasons
made me hesitate. Without cutting off the hope
that conversations between you & Walter Smith
Person
cited in relation to the latter place, or the de-
sire of friends in the former, to interest me in
their enterprizes I took the judgment of Mullet
Person
others and in accordance with their wishes
determined to settle in neither for the present.
Gentlemen in Fredonia
Place
the county to see if they can raise funds or
means with which to establish a Bank
& hope some day to interest you.
I have taken the Farnsworth
Person
tween Col Rumseys
Person
Person
& expect to move next week.
I think I mentioned to you ^before^ that I had
advanced $600 to Underwood
Person
Place
Upon the authority of your late letter, I have
taken up his drafts on you here, amounting
I now find to about $1.900 more.
Two weeks ago I forwarded to Mr Blatchford
Person
the necessary lists, by which to make out the letter
of attorney — returns I suppose will come in good time.
Agreeably to Mr Duers
Person
effected an arrangement with the Jamestown Bank
by which they recieve our funds to the credit of
the Trust Co — sending a check at the end of 50 days
to Mr Duer. This is the best arrangement to be
had: and under it, the balance of our Bank a/c was
transferred April 9. to the Cr. of the Trustees $4.344.33
due 14th May._ This increases our Cr with the
Trust Co to $68.507. 91/100
By addressing a circular to such of the At-
torneys in the Co, an economical arrangement
has been secured for foreclosing where that becomes
necessary. I send you a “J. Journal” containing
one of our running advertisements — much of
the expense, as accruing by the former mode
will now be saved to the settler. another ad-
vertisement may be seen in the “Magulle L.”
& similar tables will be sent this week to
Fredonian & Dunkirk papers. — Other tables
will follow, as fast as we can make them
out. — Thus far, all is straight forward
work — but about Articles, the course is not
so clear. To feel our way along, we have
divided round among the lawyers some
12 or 15 Cases — which will enable us to deter-
mine what may be best as a general rule.
Alarm is spreading — but no impatience is ex-
ressed — The blame is thrown upon the Trust Co
and even they, I believe get off without odium
William Duer
Person
Place
but sends me no form of an extension. After
learning his fathers
Person
isfied with the extension now heretofore in use
I purposely left the question open — supposing
you could settle it better than I could. Pos-
sibly Mr Duer may recede — but he seemed
bent upon having a new B. & M. with secure An
interest.
Young Duer sends me the form of a
certificate of appraizal — setting forth a brief
description of lot — and its value — upon
a recent examination — the number of
acres cleared — value of buildings &c
&c to be signed by some persons
which his certificate calls “we” — and
appended to this, he has a second cer-
tificate for me to sign, sitting forth that I
am acquainted with the signers of the first
certificate — believe them capable — & from what
I know of the land, give ^full^ cridit to their state-
ment. To all this I return for answer
that I am so occupied with efforts to bring
up our business, after absence from it that I
have been unable to enter upon the duties
to which he calls my attention. I thank
him for his suggestions & promise him
to take them up for action the first hour
I can — and all report to him ere long
of my progress in the matter. Thus is the
present state of affairs before you.
all well — remember me affectionately to
Frances
Person
W. H. Seward Esq
Albany
N.Y.
Westfield N.Y. APR 19
Stamp
Person
Apl 18. 1839
date:
Thursday, April 18, 1839
receiver:
sender:
year: