Saturday June 18^th
My dear Henry,
The melon oranges &c came
yesterday – we have had quite a feast
I was very sorry you were not here to
partake of the melon it was said to
be one of the best and sweetest imaginable
I enjoyed the strawberries and to day the
green peas – I sent some of the melon
to our neighbors Mrs. Miller and Hills
which was very gratifying – I will
writ write to Mrs. Doane the first day
I feel tolerably well — I have been in
the bed half of the day to day –
I am much obliged for your offer of
Hetty for a cook but I think she would
be quite dissatisfied in the country she
thought Albany altogether too little of a
city to suit her – withal she does
not intend going out to service much
longer having purchased some land on
which she is to build a house – At
present I think think there is no immediate

prospect of a change in our family – Clara
and McClallen both became very much
dissatisfied with their house it was so
far out of town and finally McClallen
has rented it to another man who moved
in yesterday — They propose getting a
house more in the center of the village
but none is fixed upon at present –
I fancy Clara would be quite as well
pleased to stay here until Fall indeed
she is not particularly anxious to go
at all – I am glad she is not going
so far off I could hardly have
walked there once a week –
The village has been in considerable
alarm about Mrs Wood's death which
was not occasioned by billious fever
but by some unknown disease of
a very terrible character – She was
served with a violent pain in her thumb
which extended to her arm and accompanied
with inflammation and swelling – finally
it affected her whole system occasioning
death the eighth day – mortification commencing
previous to her death – Since her
death the physicians have concluded
the disease was erysipilas of an aggravated
and description – acknowledging at first

that they were wholly unacquainted with
it – Mrs Fosgate came in the other day
and asked me how I felt about having
the plague in the country – I replied
smiling that I was not aware of the
existence of so great a calamity – She seemed
to think me rather too incredulous – and in
addition to t Mrs Wood's death said the
plague was prevailing about Utica and
many other places — There have been
many deaths in Tompkins County but the
disease is as I hear violent inflammation
of the throat — I am glad to hear
your father is recovering – We are
all well as usual – Pa quite recovered
from lameness – Abbey was very much
rejoiced to hear of her brothers health and
safe arrival – I received a letter from
Augustus Wednesday in which he does not
mention having been sick – he says he has
now every week 3 papers 2 Journals and the
Tribune – being more than he is able to
read he proposes having two of them
stopped — you will know better about
this than I — Your own Frances—
To day is Willie's birth day – Fred had made him
a present of a company of soldiers – He wishes me
to send a kiss in this letter to Pa and says
he would like to send some of his soldiers

William H. Seward
Albany
AUBURN
JUN
18
N.Y.
hMrs Seward
June 198 1842