Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, February 15, 1849
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Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, February 15, 1849
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:srr
student editorTranscriber:spp:keh
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1849-02-15
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Letter from Augustus Henry Seward to Frances Alvah Worden, February 15, 1849
action: sent
sender: Augustus Seward
Birth: 1826-10-01
Death: 1876-09-11
location: Fort Towson, OK
receiver: Frances Chesebro
Birth: 1826-12-12
Death: 1909-08-24
location: Canandaigua, NY
transcription: srr
revision: crb 2016-05-27
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Page
1
Fort Towson
Feb. 15th. 1849
My dear Cousin,
I was rendered unhappy
by the receipt of a letter from Mother
saying that your health was so much
impaired that it was it was thought necess
-ary for you to visit Dr —, but hope
that this may find you greatly im-
proved if not entirely recovered,
But one letter has passed between us I
believe since we parted, but I trust you
will not suppose that I think of you
the less, or do not continue to hope
for your well being on that account,
My correspondence has only been with
Mother with now and then a letter to
some other one of the family or to
a friend; Willie
series of letters with me on the subject
of ponies in general and Choctaw
ponies in particular, but I am af-
raid from the turn it has taken
(not being able to send him one) that
like the others it will not be of very
great duration.
Page
2
I am writing from Fort Towson, quite
a pretty Military Fort situated in the
Choctaw Nation some 8 miles to the
North of Red River and 40 miles west
of the Arkansas boundary; the town of
Doaksville some 3/4 of a mile ^distant^ is the
Capital, seat of Government or what
not, of this community - it consists of
5 or 6 trading stores, one blacksmiths
shop, one tin shop, one saddlers shop,
and an apothecary's, with the requisite
number of inhabitants to carry there
mercantile and etc ^avocations into^ operations
The inhabitants of this Nation are compos-
ed of Indians, Half-Breeds, Quarter-Breeds,
and in fact every shade between Indian
and White Man; these are the land-
holders, aristocracy, or whatever you may
call them, of the republic, they have their
shooting-matches, ball-plays, races, the
while “gentlemen and ladies of color”
do all the work, the Indian Government
is a kind of floating concern, and gen-
erally takes occasion to swim in that
part of the stream where there is least
disturbance, though it is deemed sufficient
for the regulation of the community
in ordinary circumstances, that is when
the indians do not kill more than one
Page
3
a month of each other, and the quarr-
els are merely personal; but if they be-
come of a cliqueish or clannish char-
acter then the Garrison is called upon
to interfere and the offenders are taken
to trail before the US District Court
of Arkansas. Texas the land of —
rascals is close by, but it is getting to
be quite an orderly country now, the
offscourings
on its borders or have left for a less civ-
ilized community; I attended a ball in
Clarksville about 40 miles from here
in t[ he ]
Reason: state last Christmas, and [ en- ]
Reason:
joyed myself very much; the society
is not what is termed the “elite” but
it is quite respectable. We have comm-
enced gardening here and it is only
the middle of February, from all accounts
we will be amply repaid for all the
labor bestowed, the soil being immeas-
urely rich, vegetables, sweet-potatoes in
particular, growing to rather an uncom-
mon size and weight, talking of weight
I have gained sixteen pounds in
the three months that I have soj-
ourned here, something of an indication
that I may follow in the footsteps of
my Maternal Grandfather
Page
4
for I cannot realise your being seriously
indisposed, you looked so well when at
Auburn, I know that you must have
recovered by this time, and with that
hope send you a letter not very sentimental
to be sure, nor much in the love letter
style, but just a cousinly kind of a letter
from one who was worried to hear of your
illness to one who he hopes will not forget
him.
Affectionate Cousin
Aug H Seward
Miss Frances Worden
Fort Towson
Feb. 15th. 1849
My dear Cousin,
I was rendered unhappy
by the receipt of a letter from Mother
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
,saying that your health was so much
impaired that it was it was thought necess
-ary for you to visit Dr —, but hope
that this may find you greatly im-
proved if not entirely recovered,
But one letter has passed between us I
believe since we parted, but I trust you
will not suppose that I think of you
the less, or do not continue to hope
for your well being on that account,
My correspondence has only been with
Mother with now and then a letter to
some other one of the family or to
a friend; Willie
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
has commenced a series of letters with me on the subject
of ponies in general and Choctaw
ponies in particular, but I am af-
raid from the turn it has taken
(not being able to send him one) that
like the others it will not be of very
great duration.
I am writing from Fort Towson, quite
a pretty Military Fort situated in the
Choctaw Nation some 8 miles to the
North of Red River and 40 miles west
of the Arkansas boundary; the town of
Doaksville some 3/4 of a mile ^distant^ is the
Capital, seat of Government or what
not, of this community - it consists of
5 or 6 trading stores, one blacksmiths
shop, one tin shop, one saddlers shop,
and an apothecary's, with the requisite
number of inhabitants to carry there
mercantile and etc ^avocations into^ operations
The inhabitants of this Nation are compos-
ed of Indians, Half-Breeds, Quarter-Breeds,
and in fact every shade between Indian
and White Man; these are the land-
holders, aristocracy, or whatever you may
call them, of the republic, they have their
shooting-matches, ball-plays, races, the
while “gentlemen and ladies of color”
do all the work, the Indian Government
is a kind of floating concern, and gen-
erally takes occasion to swim in that
part of the stream where there is least
disturbance, though it is deemed sufficient
for the regulation of the community
in ordinary circumstances, that is when
the indians do not kill more than one
a month of each other, and the quarr-
els are merely personal; but if they be-
come of a cliqueish or clannish char-
acter then the Garrison is called upon
to interfere and the offenders are taken
to trail before the US District Court
of Arkansas. Texas the land of —
rascals is close by, but it is getting to
be quite an orderly country now, the
offscourings
That which is scoured off; hence, refuse; rejected matter; that which is
vile or deprised •
of its inhabitants are eitheron its borders or have left for a less civ-
ilized community; I attended a ball in
Clarksville about 40 miles from here
in t[ he ]
Supplied
Supplied
joyed myself very much; the society
is not what is termed the “elite” but
it is quite respectable. We have comm-
enced gardening here and it is only
the middle of February, from all accounts
we will be amply repaid for all the
labor bestowed, the soil being immeas-
urely rich, vegetables, sweet-potatoes in
particular, growing to rather an uncom-
mon size and weight, talking of weight
I have gained sixteen pounds in
the three months that I have soj-
ourned here, something of an indication
that I may follow in the footsteps of
my Maternal Grandfather
Birth: 1772-04-11 Death: 1851-11-13
.for I cannot realise your being seriously
indisposed, you looked so well when at
Auburn, I know that you must have
recovered by this time, and with that
hope send you a letter not very sentimental
to be sure, nor much in the love letter
style, but just a cousinly kind of a letter
from one who was worried to hear of your
illness to one who he hopes will not forget
him.
Affectionate Cousin
Aug H Seward
Miss Frances Worden