Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, February 1, 1831

  • Posted on: 11 January 2016
  • By: admin
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, February 1, 1831
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:crb

student editor

Transcriber:spp:sss

Distributor:Seward Family Papers Project

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1831-02-01

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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, February 1, 1831

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location:
Unknown

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

location: Unknown
Unknown

transcription: crb 

revision: ekk 2015-09-16

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Page 1

operate to defeat the very purposes
for which they are practiced. They
even go so far sometimes as to electioneer
our landlords to obtain the exercise of
their influence.
. When we see how soon
all recollection departs from most men
of the being whom the world vainly
supposed to be "bone of their bone and
flesh of their flesh
," why should we
think it strange that Miss Fanny
Wright
Birth: 1795 Death: 1852
should think it best most
philiosophical and natural to make
the marriage contract one of limited
duration.

February 1st
I have just come from Mrs Van Vechten
Birth: 1801 Death: 1852-12-06
's
party. I presented myself at the door
at precisely at a quarter before nine.
The fashionable time is from eight till
nine. I was shown into the Library where
I unrobed ^divested^ myself of cloak, &c meeting there
Mr Bleecker
Birth: 1779-10-09 Death: 1849-07-19Certainty: Probable
I went arm in arm with him
jostling through the crowd to shake hands
with Ten Broeck Van Vechten
Birth: 1801-05-10 Death: 1841-06-20
, twelve years ago
my class-mate and now one of the sober
and staid housekeepers of this ancient
city. Although it was contrary to college
Page 2

laws to marry, Ten Broeck fell in love
with a Miss Rorbach, a pretty little girl
daughter of a steamboat Captain, ran
away with and married her, and then
asked and obtained his fathers
Birth: 1762-12-05 Death: 1837-01-06
consent
to the union. Once only I remember to
have seen the bewitching beauty at Mrs
Schuylers
Birth: 1772-08-23 Death: 1848-04-10
, tonight - I saw her leaning on
her husband's arm, a matron
Elderly married woman, or an elderly lady; the female head of a household • In an especial sense, a nurse in a hospital •
of about
thirty years. She remembered our interview
at Mrs Schuylers. The apartments were
two rooms less spacious ^though more^ and elegant than
our own. The style of the damask curtains
in the best of taste. Into these rooms
were crowded about seventy ladies and
gentleman, and they
were as Albany people
are generally allowed to be very handsome. ^justified Albany's reputation of
having a large proportion of handsome people.^

Two fiddlers were playing for a cotillion in
the front room. I knew several of the
gentleme an and a few of the ladies, and
so contrived to be at ease. At nine o'clock
the lieut. Governors
Birth: 1813-10-10 Death: 1896-12-25
^ daughters
xdaughters
x
Unknown

Unknown
^
arrived and it was
evident they were regarded as belles. In
a few minutes ^came^ Governor
Birth: 1795-08-07 Death: 1834-06-29
and Mrs Throop
Birth: 1795-08-07 Death: 1834-06-29
and
E.T. Throop Martin
Birth: 1808-11-25 Death: 1883-09-19
and Miss Aiken
Birth: 1790-10-08 Death: 1867-03-02
. Waiters
carried about lemonade and sangaree and
cake. Madeira wine was in the gentlemens
dressingroom. Except in the extremes of the fashion
^that the ladies short sleeves were in^
of the ladies short sleeves, the
assembly was the counter part of a similar
Page 3

one at Auburn. Dancing continued till
two when there was a general rush of
girls and boys upstairs. I followed
and by making a cranes neck of my
own was able to see that the successful
ones were doing honors to an entertainment
of some kind. After the ladies had retired
from the supper room, the gentlemen crowded ^gathered^
round the table which bore a beautiful
set of china with pickeled oysters, tongue,
sandwiches, cake, ice-creams, jellies, bla[ n ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 
c-
mange &c with Madeira, Champaign, Bur-
gundy & Hock. I discovered that it was
considered proper and fashionable to retire
at any time after supper, so being fatigued
I came up with the Speaker of the Assembly
Birth: 1788 Death: 1867-06-24

at an early hour.
^(Here insert Caucus of Feb 3rd)^ Wednesday February 2nd
Yesterday was the day for the appointment-
of United States Senator
Birth: 1786-12-12 Death: 1857-07-04
, and State Treasurer
Birth: 1784-04-20
.
At twelve o'clock the President of the Senate
Birth: 1779-11-24 Death: 1843-11-03

announced "The hour has arrived, which
was fixed for the appointment by both houses
of the Legislature of a suitable person to
represent the State in the Senate of the
United States. Is it the pleasure of the Senate
to procede ^proceed^ to the nomination of a candidate
on the part of the Senate" Being answered
in the affirmative, he precded ^proceeded^ "Each