Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 21, 1839
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 21, 1839
transcriberTranscriber:spp:mah
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1839-10-21
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, October 21, 1839
action: sent
sender:
Benjamin Seward
Person
Name: Benjamin Seward
Birth: 1793-08-23
Death: 1841-02-24
Person
location:
Auburn NY
Place
Name: City: Auburn
County: Cayuga
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: mah
revision: ekk 2016-01-29
<>
Page 1
Auburn, N.Y. Oct 21. 1839
Dear Henry
I have completed the
contract with Groot
Name: Philip Groot
Birth: 1807
Death: 1871-08-18Certainty: Probable
, come to an un-
derstanding with Catlin
Name: Ebenezer Catlin
Birth: 1783
Death: 1861
& completed
arrangements as far as can be till
we learn from the Comptroller
Name: Azariah Flagg
Birth: 1790-11-28
Death: 1793-11-24
how
much is due the state. sen. Hall
Name: Willis Hall
Birth: 1801
Death: 1868
,
Jonas Underwood
Name: Jonas Underwood
Birth: 1797-03-07
Death: 1864-01-05
, Jones
the Beardsleys
Name: Catharine Beardsley
Birth: 1818-07-22
Death: 1896-03-03
Name: William Beardsley
Birth: 1816-03-27
Death: 1900-01-25
, Mrs Lucas
Name: Phebe Lucas
Birth: 1794-01-12
Death: 1876-05-12Certainty: Probable
& all
and have endeavored to learn the
situation of the Trust estate here &
to do what I can at present to
take care of it.
W.C. Beardsley declines the Agen-
cy of the “Brick row”, it is given
to Witherill
Name: Harlow Witherwill
Birth: 1791
Death: 1871-11-16Certainty: Probable
, the Theatre man hangs
fire, but those matters are all in a
way of recieving attention.
Page 2
I am greatly pleased with the
operations here, and with the prop-
erty in hand: but it needs a master
badly. I am of opinion that unless
it can have some special attention
& repairs, the Steele
adjoining had better be sold. Al-
ready the houses & barns are shuttered
& the fences falling to decay. After
November perhaps you can better
determine what shall be done with
it. I have a plan to submit
when you shall have time to consider
it.
Cook & M. are just waking up to
the realities of their situation, & feel
agitated & alarmed. They dispair
of keeping up their payments, except
by exchanges of wild land for
farms here, in the manner you have done.
But their used land is tied up, & they
ask me as a first step to authorize
the sale of wild land for pay not
Page 3
provided for in their covenant, or to go
to New York
Name: City: New York
County:
State: NY
Country: US
to obtain leave there, &
they ask me to go now, from here.
I refer them to you. I foresee
that ^if^ we refuse to aid them in an effort
with the Trust Co, their failure will be
laid to us, if we try & fail, the blame
will be laid at their door. They
seem ambitious to turn out and
trade off their lands to pay off
your bond, & offer Cooks house
to assist the payment, and they
ask to know if there are any
terms, upon which will take [ t ]
Alternate Text: it.
All well here. I shall leave
here in the morning
Your grateful Brother
B.J. Seward
Page 4
Wm H. Seward Esqr
Albany
N.Y.
Auburn N.Y. Oct 22
Type: postmark

Oct 21. 1839
Auburn, N.Y. Oct 21. 1839
Dear Henry
I have completed the
contract with Groot
Person
derstanding with Catlin
Person
arrangements as far as can be till
we learn from the Comptroller
Person
much is due the state. sen. Hall
Person
Jonas Underwood
Person
Unknown
, CookUnknown
& M.Unknown
the Beardsleys
People
Person
and have endeavored to learn the
situation of the Trust estate here &
to do what I can at present to
take care of it.
W.C. Beardsley declines the Agen-
cy of the “Brick row”, it is given
to Witherill
Person
fire, but those matters are all in a
way of recieving attention.
I am greatly pleased with the
operations here, and with the prop-
erty in hand: but it needs a master
badly. I am of opinion that unless
it can have some special attention
& repairs, the Steele
Unknown
farm & landsadjoining had better be sold. Al-
ready the houses & barns are shuttered
& the fences falling to decay. After
November perhaps you can better
determine what shall be done with
it. I have a plan to submit
when you shall have time to consider
it.
Cook & M. are just waking up to
the realities of their situation, & feel
agitated & alarmed. They dispair
of keeping up their payments, except
by exchanges of wild land for
farms here, in the manner you have done.
But their used land is tied up, & they
ask me as a first step to authorize
the sale of wild land for pay not
provided for in their covenant, or to go
to New York
Place
they ask me to go now, from here.
I refer them to you. I foresee
that ^if^ we refuse to aid them in an effort
with the Trust Co, their failure will be
laid to us, if we try & fail, the blame
will be laid at their door. They
seem ambitious to turn out and
trade off their lands to pay off
your bond, & offer Cooks house
to assist the payment, and they
ask to know if there are any
terms, upon which will take [ t ]
Alternate Text
All well here. I shall leave
here in the morning
Your grateful Brother
B.J. Seward
Wm H. Seward Esqr
Albany
N.Y.
Auburn N.Y. Oct 22
Stamp
Unknown
B.J. SewardOct 21. 1839
date:
Monday, October 21, 1839
receiver:
sender:
year:
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