Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, February, 1861
xml:
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, February,
1861
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:cnk
student editorTranscriber:spp:les
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1861-02
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, February, 1861
action: sent
sender: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
location: Auburn, NY
receiver: Frederick Seward
Birth: 1830-07-08
Death: 1915-04-25
location: Washington D.C., US
transcription: cnk
revision: agw 2020-12-28
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Page 1
Private
My dear Son,
I have often regretted
that I did not talk with
you more fully of Wills
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
affairs
when in Albany - What I
say to you now I can say
to no other person without
misapprehension – Will has
known McDougall
Birth: 1839-09-14 Death: 1914-05-24
7 or 8 years
for the last 3 they have
been intimate friends –
They began to talk of a partner-
ship long ago – Will was
anxious to commence some
independent business before
his marriage but
money was wanting for a
tom beginning – so Mc
Dougall went to Mobile
with a salary of 15000
a year – When he came
home to attend Will's wedding
he was induced by the
prospect of a partnership
with Will to remain here –
His creditor
Unknown
released him from his liabilities with
the understanding that
capital was to be furnished
for their business immediately
after election – After election
the time was prolonged
until Mr Blatchford
Birth: 1820-03-09 Death: 1893-07-07
was ready – now it is put off
until the 4th of March
and then your Father
Birth: 1835-01-09 Death: 1926
says if I should think
it best &c &c – No man
accustomed to business
would look upon this as
a certain assurance – I
am unable to tell at this
distance whether it means
at >a want of confidence
in one or both of the
parties or the difficulty
of getting money –
I am entirely satisfied
that now is the time for
Will to commence if ever –
He has met already with
disappointment enough to
cool his ardour & lessen
his confidence in the future
There is a possibility that the
time may come when he
will cease to exert himself
to be independent – He is
already more subdued than
I ever expected to see him –
I have really known n Mc-
Dougall but one year –
I find much in his
character to respect – his
integrity has won for him
the confidence of the business
men of the town while
his gentle manner has
made him a universal
favorite – You alluded
to his failure in his first
speculation – You must
remember that he was then
then only 19 years old and
with his temperament
one failure would suffice
to produce caution –
I am so confident that
no time should be lost
in determining this matter
favourably that if the
money cannot be obtained
from Mr Blatchford im-
mediately after the 4th of March
I shall take steps to procure
it myself by giving a
mortgage on all I really
own – the house in which
we live – I have not
breathed this purpose to any
human being & shall not
now – Will would not
take money so obtained
& your father would
only be irritated by such
a suggestion – So I trust
to your affection to keep
my secret – I yet
hope so extreme a measure
may not be necessary
In the mean time pray
use your influence to obtain
the loan from Blatchford
All this I would have
written to your father
20 years ago Although
I love & respect him no
less now, I distrust
my influence – if I
ever possessed sufficient
I do not now – I doubt
whether I ever could have
changed a settled purpose
I do not distrust his
kindness but he is so
entirely engrossed by
public affairs that he has
no time to consider domes-
tic troubles – I would
not so urge this matter
did I not know that
these disappointments are
injuring Will – He is
generous & constant – he
feels that he is doing
injustice to his friend in
keeping him so long without
employment yet he
cannot make up his
mind to relinquish the
project which all his
friends I believe admit
is not an unwise one.
There is I infer a systematic
attempt on the part of Dr
Willard
Birth: 1825-06-19 Death: 1865-04-02
and some othersUnknown
interested, to prevent the
establishment of a new firm
which will interfere with
their interest –
I have struggled for
10 years to place Augustus
Birth: 1826-10-01 Death: 1876-09-11
in a situation more in accordance
with his character – In this
I have utterly failed – I
hope I may be spared
the sorrow of seeing a
noble boy like Will
sinking under an accumulation
of adverse circumstances of
which he is too generous to
complain – Help me if you
[right Margin] can – & may God bless you always
Mother