Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, September 2, 1838

  • Posted on: 19 December 2017
  • By: admin
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, September 2, 1838
x

transcriber

Transcriber:spp:axa

student editor

Transcriber:spp:lmd

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1838-09-02

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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, September 2, 1838

action: sent

sender: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24  Death: 1865-06-21

location: Auburn, NY

receiver: Lazette Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01  Death: 1875-10-03

location: Canandaigua, NY

transcription: axa 

revision: tap 2017-11-15

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Page 1

Sunday Aug 2nd – 1838
x

Editorial Note

While Frances Miller Seward dated this letter as being written in August, external sources suggest that September is the actual date. September 2, 1838 was a Sunday, while August 2 was a Thursday. Jane Perry’s baby, whose death is reported in this letter, died on August 30, 1838. The wedding of Benedict and Maria Beach Spencer occurred on September 5, which would fit this letter’s reference to it occurring on “next Wednesday.” Also, another letter in the collection from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden is dated August 2, and the date is verified by its postmark.

My dearest Sister,
I waited yesterday for your
letter which did not come until night and then
I could not answer it — I have been so hurried
all the week that I did not think any thing
about your expecting me at Canandaigua — I have
devoted nearly six hours of each day to Augustus
Birth: 1826-10-01 Death: 1876-09-11

and his arithmetic — his school commences tomorrow
and he was anxious to come up with his class
the time he lost by my going to Utica occasioned
the hurry — beside this I have had Ellen Andrews
Unknown

doing some plain sewing which I was obliged
to baste and give a great many directions about
after all the stitches were intolerably long — Jane
Perry’s
Birth: 1810 Death: 1877-01-07
baby
Birth: 1837 Death: 1838-08-29
died Wednesday — very unexpectedly
to us as we had but the day before heard that
it was unwell — Poor Jane grieves very much — We
all attended the funeral Thursday afternoon — she
was ill only a week with teething and summer complaint
Last Sunday evening Henry
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10
went to the American to call
upon Washington Irving
Birth: 1783-04-03 Death: 1859-11-28
who had been in church — was
on his way to Geneva to attend the wedding of
a nephew
Birth: 1809-05-09 Death: 1880-12-20
, brother of the clergyman
Birth: 1806-09-24 Death: 1878-09-10
— He came
home with Henry and spent part of the evening
Miss Paris
Birth: 1813-05-13 Death: 1885-08-08
his niece came with him — How
different he appeared from the Washington Irving I
had pictured in my fancy — he is a stout gentleman
about 5 1/2 high — very ordinary face nothing about
it to distinguish him from common mortals — and
then his voice is more like old Dr Rudds
Birth: 1779-05-24 Death: 1848-04-15
than
Page 2

any other I ever heard — perhaps he had a cold — he is
very plain gentlemanly and affable but in no way
remarkable in his appearance — not a particle of
as ostentation about him — he does not seem in the
least sensible that he has written so many beautiful
books — his niece was a warmhearted sprightly
intelligent girl — Pa
Birth: 1772-04-11 Death: 1851-11-13
says she is not very young, he
knew her father — but this I did not discern — they
came at twillight — Peter Myres
Birth: 1812-08-04 Death: 1878-10-30
was with them I
suppose on account of his being a poet — They promised
us a longer visit if they returned this way which
I presume they will not — Next Wedensday Maria Beach
Birth: 1821 Death: 1888-02-20

is to be married to Spencer Benedict
Birth: 1812-10-18 Death: 1899-04-11
— he is here — took
tea with us last evening — they are making great
preparations for the occasion — 12 dresses are being
made at Miss Gillets
Unknown
— the cards of invitation
were engraved at Albany — While I was at Utica
Miss Beach went round in their new carriage
and left her card with all to whom she purposed
giving invitations — Yesterday morning the cards
of invitation were distributed — two cards tied
with white ribbon one “Spencer S– Benedict” the
other “Miss M. Beach” — in very small letters
under the name – Mr “At home Aug 5th at eight oclock”
these cards were enclosed in half a sheet of letter
paper tied with white ribbon on the outside
of which I am very sorry to say appeared the
superscription Mr Seward & Lady Mr McClallen
Birth: 1791-09-07 Death: 1860-11-16
& Lady
Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05

horrible — dont the laws of etiquette say any thing
on this subject — it is mauvais ton certainly
I put in those two French words to let you know that I am
taking French lessons among a thousand other things. I intend
to teach Fan
Birth: 1826-12-12 Death: 1909-08-24
and the boys
x Birth: 1830-07-08  Death: 1915-04-25  Birth: 1826-10-01  Death: 1876-09-11 
Mr Roberts
Unknown
is my teacher a young
man who was educated at Montreal — it is one of my desires
to keep my boys with me a little longer — Henry wants to send
x

Editorial Note

The letter ends abruptly here, suggesting that there are missing pages.