Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 21, 1838
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 21, 1838
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:ahf
student editorTranscriber:spp:ekk
Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1838-12-21
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Letter from Benjamin Jennings Seward to William Henry Seward, December 21, 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: Albany, NY
transcription: ahf
revision: ekk 2015-10-28
<>
Page
1
Westfield 21 Dec. 38
Dr H.
Supposing you to be overburthened with
cares, I have omitted to mention many of
my own, about which I should have been
glad to consult you. But a crisis has come
in regard to a single point about which
it is needful to have your judgment.
McClurg
his house & now sends Dickson
it, with the purpose as I suppose of proceeding
to put me out. I have no means of buying
and without buying I know not where to
get in. Rumsey
Rignolds
not well suit the size of my large family
and they only offer on terms (except Rum-
sey, whose establishment has sad defects)
where the extravagance of the price is to
make up for a bad bargain or be an in-
ducement to be at the inconvenience of
turning out for my sake.
Thus situated I rode out to Fre-
donia yesterday to find a house. Abell
Page
2
offers me, the house he built for himself
& showed me through it. I did not ask
his price, for I was not able to buy,
but the house suits me [ prety ]
Alternate Text: pretty well, it is
much such a house as I left in Cin-
cinnati, plain & good, & I would be con-
tent with it. And Mullet
he had himself the offer of it & came
near buying it at about half of what
Abel was says it cost him, says it is
remarkably cheap & the [ tittle ]
Alternate Text: title clear.
I have heard you speak of get-
ting a house in Dunkirk or St.Clairs-
ville, and if you are so obliging as to buy
me a house, it is due to you to deter-
mine when & where. Nor would I take
any such step as the removal of the
land office, without your concurrence.
Seeing Since I could not see you to ask your
judgment, I thought it proper to con-
sult your friends. Mullet[ , ]
Reason: French
Reason:
Dixon, Plumb
that nothing need be feared in regard to
Page
3
public opinion, by such a step, & Plumb
took occasion to give the opinion again
that it would be unwise to give the col-
lection of your B&M. to the Bank, since
it is, to use his phrase, engineered by Com-
missioner Davies
I have never felt myself authorized
to divert a dollar of the receipts of the
office from the Trust Co, beyond the an econom-
ical expenditure, & therefore cannot
be without leave, & any purpchase
e for you. But I have suf-
[ ficient ]
Reason: wax-seal that if you would allow it
for $2,000. Cary
Say for $500, to be taken out of the
receipts of the office for a time necessa-
ry to turn property, my purpose [ coud ]
Alternate Text: could
be answered & that too without an ultimate
diversion of a dollar. Perhaps less than
this, would answer, perhaps part of
the payments might not be required at
once. I wish to do this & all things
else with care & by advisement, pray
tell me what you think?
Page
4
I have your line, can have the papers up
to any day in readiness at any time you
will appoint. Fix the day, notify your copart-
ners & inform me of it & I will be with you.
Mullet has just this moment arrived, is anxious
offers me his own house, says, anything, since the
settlements of the L. O. have become with pol-
iticks, anything to make it go smooth. Is much
in favour of my plan of collecting B&M. But
more of this when we meet.
Thank you, thank you, for your affectionate
regards for me & mine. Believe me to be devo-
tedly yours in gratitude
B.J.S.
W H Seward Esq
Albany
N.Y.
Westfield N.Y.
DEC 22
Type: postmark
h
B. J. Seward Westfield
Dec 21. 1838
Westfield 21 Dec. 38
Dr H.
Supposing you to be overburthened with
cares, I have omitted to mention many of
my own, about which I should have been
glad to consult you. But a crisis has come
in regard to a single point about which
it is needful to have your judgment.
McClurg
Birth: 1785 Death: 1872-05-26
has some months since askedhis house & now sends Dickson
Birth: 1787-07-23 Death: 1875-04-19
to demandit, with the purpose as I suppose of proceeding
to put me out. I have no means of buying
and without buying I know not where to
get in. Rumsey
Birth: 1785-06-01 Death: 1873-07-31Certainty: Probable
, Huse
Birth: 1781 Death: 1863-03-04Certainty: Probable
, RockwellUnknown
andRignolds
Unknown
will sell, but their fixtures donot well suit the size of my large family
and they only offer on terms (except Rum-
sey, whose establishment has sad defects)
where the extravagance of the price is to
make up for a bad bargain or be an in-
ducement to be at the inconvenience of
turning out for my sake.
Thus situated I rode out to Fre-
donia yesterday to find a house. Abell
Birth: 1781-02-24 Death: 1858-09-24
offers me, the house he built for himself
& showed me through it. I did not ask
his price, for I was not able to buy,
but the house suits me [ prety ]
Alternate Text
much such a house as I left in Cin-
cinnati, plain & good, & I would be con-
tent with it. And Mullet
Birth: 1784-10-17 Death: 1858-09-10
tells me thathe had himself the offer of it & came
near buying it at about half of what
Abel was says it cost him, says it is
remarkably cheap & the [ tittle ]
Alternate Text
I have heard you speak of get-
ting a house in Dunkirk or St.Clairs-
ville, and if you are so obliging as to buy
me a house, it is due to you to deter-
mine when & where. Nor would I take
any such step as the removal of the
land office, without your concurrence.
Seeing Since I could not see you to ask your
judgment, I thought it proper to con-
sult your friends. Mullet[ , ]
Supplied
Birth: 1798 Death: 1865-01-29
[ , ] Supplied
Dixon, Plumb
Birth: 1802-06-09 Death: 1877-08-31
& others are of opinionthat nothing need be feared in regard to
public opinion, by such a step, & Plumb
took occasion to give the opinion again
that it would be unwise to give the col-
lection of your B&M. to the Bank, since
it is, to use his phrase, engineered by Com-
missioner Davies
Birth: 1788 Death: 1867-06-24
.I have never felt myself authorized
to divert a dollar of the receipts of the
office from the Trust Co, beyond the an econom-
ical expenditure, & therefore cannot
be without leave, & any purpchase
e for you. But I have suf-
[ ficient ]
Supplied
for $2,000. Cary
Birth: 1787-08-11 Death: 1869-06-20Certainty: Probable
& S.Unknown
for $1000 each &Say for $500, to be taken out of the
receipts of the office for a time necessa-
ry to turn property, my purpose [ coud ]
Alternate Text
be answered & that too without an ultimate
diversion of a dollar. Perhaps less than
this, would answer, perhaps part of
the payments might not be required at
once. I wish to do this & all things
else with care & by advisement, pray
tell me what you think?
I have your line, can have the papers up
to any day in readiness at any time you
will appoint. Fix the day, notify your copart-
ners & inform me of it & I will be with you.
Mullet has just this moment arrived, is anxious
offers me his own house, says, anything, since the
settlements of the L. O. have become with pol-
iticks, anything to make it go smooth. Is much
in favour of my plan of collecting B&M. But
more of this when we meet.
Thank you, thank you, for your affectionate
regards for me & mine. Believe me to be devo-
tedly yours in gratitude
B.J.S.
W H Seward Esq
Albany
N.Y.
Westfield N.Y.
DEC 22
Stamp
h
Hand Shift
Birth: 1820-03-09 Death: 1893-07-07Samuel Blatchford
Dec 21. 1838