Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 8, 1861
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Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 8, 1861
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:mhb
student editorTranscriber:spp:cnk
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1861-12-08
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Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, December 8, 1861
action: sent
sender: Frances Seward
Birth: 1844-12-09
Death: 1866-10-29
location: Philadelphia, PA
receiver: Lazette Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01
Death: 1875-10-03
location: UnknownUnknown
transcription: mhb
revision: crb 2018-01-24
<>
Page
1
Philadelphia—Dec. 8th/ 61
My dear Aunty,
Oh! What a delight-
ful day we have had – A
family gathering only in-
complete because you, and
Aunt Clara
ny
wished you had been. Yester-
day morning a telegraph
came, telling us that “We
will be (at the Continental
Hotel at this evening, and
expect you to dinner at six-“
and signed by father
Who the other participants
in that inclusive “we” were
Mother
selves all day in guessing –
and before six prepared our-
Page
2
selves for the dinner – but no
one came for us, and about
eight o’clock another telegraph
informed us that being delay-
ed until the next train they
would not be in until
half past ten – So we gave
up seeing them till half
past that night – This
morning a carriage drove
up, and in came the “Major”
come to take us to breakfast–
so with him we went he
looks much better than when
in W Auburn— stouter—
he takes the most wonder-
ful pains to conceal or rather
to avoid anything military
in his appearance – indeed
he has a regulation hat,
which you know comes
fastened up on one side
with a feather in it, and he
Page
3
has taken off the feather
and bent out the brim –
But, to the Continental–
supposing Gus and father
to be alone we went into
the private parlor, when
Who should come to meet
us but Fred
the door opened and in walk-
ed Anna
Boyd
the back-ground – Father
came down before long, and
we all sat down to breakfast
in a private room, a large
family party as you perceive –
Father said he was very sorry
you "Aunty" was not with
us –All look well – Anna’s
face unusually full I thought.
About one o’clock we all went
to walk, visiting the grave
of Benjamin Franklin
Page
4
marked by a plain slab
laid on the ground, on
one end of which was engraven
"Benjamin and Deborah
Franklin
1790
Next to it was the slab of
his daughter Sarah
her husband Richard Bache
parents of the Professer
Bache
Dinner at a little after two,
at three we took carriages
and drove till four, when
Mother & I left them at the
depot, to return to Washing-
ton. And so it is all over – and
has been so pleasant that
one can’t describe it at all –
All this perambulating
may seem a little strange
on my part, as Mother says
she wrote you yesterday before
Page
5
breakfast that I was sick
in bed – I did keep my bed
until late in the afternoon,
when we made ready to go,
and having a good nights
rest felt much better this
morning, and tonight al-
most as well as usual.
I suppose Jenny is at home
again ere this please tell her
that Anna gave me a few
hints which I thought might
be useful to her— Firstly she
had asked the Generals
the men most needed, and
the invariable reply was mittens –
Secondly, she had enquired both
of the Generals & Miss Dix
were wanted most in the
hospitals, and they said fl
woolen shirts. The first thing
Page
6
the men do when they receive
the long hospitals shirts is to
tear off quite a piece to
shorten them—those large
shirts and drawers are useful
only for surgical operations,
for which they are good – but
there are few such cases – the
men come to the hospitals
wearing woolen shirts and
cannot leave them off, so
they are forced to have those
washed in which they came.
The papers tell us of the sailing
of the Baltic—with the 75th
on board – Father says he has
heard them very highly spoken
of as the best regiment
of the new volunteers— The artillery
Co. passed through here, how
I wish I could have seen them –
One of the Philadelphia papers
had a very complimentary notice
Page
7
of them.
Please ask Jenny if she
can get Julia Warden’s
from Sarah Dill
A long letter from Julia
which I cannot answer –
not knowing how to address it –
How is Charles Warden
Expect Trip’s
write very often, your letters
come like sunshine here – how
I should like to see you all! but
I must say “Good night –” — I
had a letter from Mary
Titus
Amanda Schooley
who says her health is not
at all good – Much love to all –
Your affectionate niece
Fanny
(niece no 1)
P.S. Tomorrow is my seventeenth
birth-day – so you see it has been
already celebrated.
Philadelphia—Dec. 8th/ 61
My dear Aunty,
Oh! What a delight-
ful day we have had – A
family gathering only in-
complete because you, and
Aunt Clara
Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05
, Will
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
and Jen-ny
Birth: 1839-11-18 Death: 1913-11-09
were not here as we allwished you had been. Yester-
day morning a telegraph
came, telling us that “We
will be (at the Continental
Hotel at this evening, and
expect you to dinner at six-“
and signed by father
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10
—Who the other participants
in that inclusive “we” were
Mother
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
and I employed our-selves all day in guessing –
and before six prepared our-
selves for the dinner – but no
one came for us, and about
eight o’clock another telegraph
informed us that being delay-
ed until the next train they
would not be in until
half past ten – So we gave
up seeing them till half
past that night – This
morning a carriage drove
up, and in came the “Major”
Birth: 1826-10-01 Death: 1876-09-11
–come to take us to breakfast–
so with him we went he
looks much better than when
in W Auburn— stouter—
he takes the most wonder-
ful pains to conceal or rather
to avoid anything military
in his appearance – indeed
he has a regulation hat,
which you know comes
fastened up on one side
with a feather in it, and he
has taken off the feather
and bent out the brim –
But, to the Continental–
supposing Gus and father
to be alone we went into
the private parlor, when
Who should come to meet
us but Fred
Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25
– simultaneously the door opened and in walk-
ed Anna
Birth: 1834-03-29 Death: 1919-05-02
, followed by MaggieBoyd
Birth: 1842-08-13 Death: 1908-11-28
, with John Butler
Birth: 1827
inthe back-ground – Father
came down before long, and
we all sat down to breakfast
in a private room, a large
family party as you perceive –
Father said he was very sorry
you "Aunty" was not with
us –All look well – Anna’s
face unusually full I thought.
About one o’clock we all went
to walk, visiting the grave
of Benjamin Franklin
Birth: 1706-01-17 Death: 1790-04-17
,marked by a plain slab
laid on the ground, on
one end of which was engraven
"Benjamin and Deborah
Death: 1774-12-19
Franklin
1790
Next to it was the slab of
his daughter Sarah
Birth: 1743-09-11 Death: 1808-10-05
, andher husband Richard Bache
Birth: 1737-09-12 Death: 1811-07-29
,parents of the Professer
Bache
Birth: 1806-07-19 Death: 1867-02-17Certainty: Possible
.Dinner at a little after two,
at three we took carriages
and drove till four, when
Mother & I left them at the
depot, to return to Washing-
ton. And so it is all over – and
has been so pleasant that
one can’t describe it at all –
All this perambulating
may seem a little strange
on my part, as Mother says
she wrote you yesterday before
breakfast that I was sick
in bed – I did keep my bed
until late in the afternoon,
when we made ready to go,
and having a good nights
rest felt much better this
morning, and tonight al-
most as well as usual.
I suppose Jenny is at home
again ere this please tell her
that Anna gave me a few
hints which I thought might
be useful to her— Firstly she
had asked the Generals
Unknown
whatthe men most needed, and
the invariable reply was mittens –
Secondly, she had enquired both
of the Generals & Miss Dix
Birth: 1802-04-04 Death: 1887-07-17
whatwere wanted most in the
hospitals, and they said fl
woolen shirts. The first thing
the men do when they receive
the long hospitals shirts is to
tear off quite a piece to
shorten them—those large
shirts and drawers are useful
only for surgical operations,
for which they are good – but
there are few such cases – the
men come to the hospitals
wearing woolen shirts and
cannot leave them off, so
they are forced to have those
washed in which they came.
The papers tell us of the sailing
of the Baltic—with the 75th
on board – Father says he has
heard them very highly spoken
of as the best regiment
of the new volunteers— The artillery
Co. passed through here, how
I wish I could have seen them –
One of the Philadelphia papers
had a very complimentary notice
of them.
Please ask Jenny if she
can get Julia Warden’s
Birth: 1839-04-03 Death: 1866-01-11
address from Sarah Dill
Birth: 1840-07-03 Death: 1923
. I have A long letter from Julia
which I cannot answer –
not knowing how to address it –
How is Charles Warden
Birth: 1833-07-10 Death: 1883-08-30
? IExpect Trip’s
Birth: 1851-06-13 Death: 1862
letter soon – dowrite very often, your letters
come like sunshine here – how
I should like to see you all! but
I must say “Good night –” — I
had a letter from Mary
Titus
Birth: 1846-01-11 Death: 1913-03-14
yesterday, and one from Amanda Schooley
Birth: 1842-02-01 Death: 1916-05-13
today,who says her health is not
at all good – Much love to all –
Your affectionate niece
Fanny
(niece no 1)
P.S. Tomorrow is my seventeenth
birth-day – so you see it has been
already celebrated.