Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, January 16, 1838
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, January 16, 1838
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:keh
student editorTranscriber:spp:sss
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1838-01-16
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, January 16, 1838
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: New York, NY
transcription: keh
revision: crb 2015-11-10
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Page
1
Chautauque Land Office
Westfield Jan. 16, 1838
Dear Henry
The line I gave you at
Auburn, at the expiration of the week
you left, may not have reached you:
I therefore repeat, that our business,
as the 1st approached & passed over, swelled
to 40, 50, 60 & even 70 transactions in a day
and we received an average of more
than a thousand dollars per day for
a few of the days specified: & a large
share of it was for interest: for the im-
pression has become general that well take
interest & ask no more on articles, bonds
or anything.
But our snow left us & mud & bad
roads succeeded – & with them a wonderful
falling off of business. Our reciepts
some days have been trifling – one day
not a cent.
Our recipts have amounted to
Page
2
something over ten thousand dollars.
Of this $400 are sent to Erie for
payment, $4,395 transmitted to Mr VanH.
by Col Rumsey
husbanding toward the payment of taxes.
In regard to the difficult question
about uncurrent money I must not omit
to mention that I have been compelled
to take it. From those who were able
to pay the S. Fund I have rejected the
other – and the avowed rule has been that
we would take it only where it was ne-
cessary to save a settler from a suit.
I suppose that I have rarely discounted
a mans money in this way who has
not seen me refuse the same favour to
his more prospered neighbor – so that
I trust the office is not only held guilt-
less of a disposition to shave, but shows
a disposition in the last extremety to
accommodate the unfortunate.
Multitudes come & ask for a
small extension of time to pay interest
in – to such I give assurance that we
do not mean to be unreasonable & shall
Page
3
have no pleasure in setting their names in
an ugly list – but I excuse myself from
fixing any other day than the 1st day
of Jan. – & if they trespass upon terms
so easy, they must judge for themselves
how far it will do to go.
Nearly every proceeding for foreclosure
and ejectment is arrested by adjustment
– & every notice to delinquents sent
out in Sept, has brought its man
ex[ cept ]
Reason: hole three – which I propose to
p[ ress a law ]
Reason: holesuit as soon as I can
fin[ d tim ]
Reason: holee. Many men come
"to see about" their business, who do not
propose to attend to it till "next week"
& consume my time.
We have had up several pre-
ty flargrant trespass cases – & get along
with them very well.
Your pencil was picked up
near Gales
days since. I wish you had it to be
repaired.
We were delighted to hear that
you had sister Fanny
Page
4
fied that we should be left to hear it
from a stage passenger.
Your grateful brother
B.J.Seward
W. H. Seward Esq
Care Am. Life & Trust Co
New York City
Single.
WESTFIELD N.Y.
JAN 18
Type: postmark
h
B. J Seward
Jan 16, 1838
Chautauque Land Office
Westfield Jan. 16, 1838
Dear Henry
The line I gave you at
Auburn, at the expiration of the week
you left, may not have reached you:
I therefore repeat, that our business,
as the 1st approached & passed over, swelled
to 40, 50, 60 & even 70 transactions in a day
and we received an average of more
than a thousand dollars per day for
a few of the days specified: & a large
share of it was for interest: for the im-
pression has become general that well take
interest & ask no more on articles, bonds
or anything.
But our snow left us & mud & bad
roads succeeded – & with them a wonderful
falling off of business. Our reciepts
some days have been trifling – one day
not a cent.
Our recipts have amounted to
something over ten thousand dollars.
Of this $400 are sent to Erie for
payment, $4,395 transmitted to Mr VanH.
Birth: 1799-12-23
by Col Rumsey
Birth: 1785-06-01 Death: 1873-07-31
: & the residue I amhusbanding toward the payment of taxes.
In regard to the difficult question
about uncurrent money I must not omit
to mention that I have been compelled
to take it. From those who were able
to pay the S. Fund I have rejected the
other – and the avowed rule has been that
we would take it only where it was ne-
cessary to save a settler from a suit.
I suppose that I have rarely discounted
a mans money in this way who has
not seen me refuse the same favour to
his more prospered neighbor – so that
I trust the office is not only held guilt-
less of a disposition to shave, but shows
a disposition in the last extremety to
accommodate the unfortunate.
Multitudes come & ask for a
small extension of time to pay interest
in – to such I give assurance that we
do not mean to be unreasonable & shall
have no pleasure in setting their names in
an ugly list – but I excuse myself from
fixing any other day than the 1st day
of Jan. – & if they trespass upon terms
so easy, they must judge for themselves
how far it will do to go.
Nearly every proceeding for foreclosure
and ejectment is arrested by adjustment
– & every notice to delinquents sent
out in Sept, has brought its man
ex[ cept ]
Supplied
p[ ress a law ]
Supplied
fin[ d tim ]
Supplied
"to see about" their business, who do not
propose to attend to it till "next week"
& consume my time.
We have had up several pre-
ty flargrant trespass cases – & get along
with them very well.
Your pencil was picked up
near Gales
Birth: 1792-02-29 Death: 1864
stable, badly bruised a fewdays since. I wish you had it to be
repaired.
We were delighted to hear that
you had sister Fanny
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
with you – & morti-fied that we should be left to hear it
from a stage passenger.
Your grateful brother
B.J.Seward
W. H. Seward Esq
Care Am. Life & Trust Co
New York City
Single.
WESTFIELD N.Y.
JAN 18
Stamp
h
Hand Shift
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10William Seward
Jan 16, 1838