Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, April 14, 1852
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Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, April 14, 1852
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:maf
student editorTranscriber:spp:crb
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1852-04-14
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Letter from George Washington Seward to William Henry Seward, April 14, 1852
action: sent
sender: George Seward
Birth: 1808-08-26
Death: 1888-12-07
location: Florida, NY
receiver: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
location: UnknownUnknown
transcription: maf
revision: tap 2019-03-22
<>
Page
1
Florida April 14th 1852
William H. Seward,
Sir
There is an end of all
human patience, to me it appears as
you can resist all appeal from the heirs
of Samuel S Seward
can treat them and their rights and feelings
with impunity, I hope for your own sake
that I may be wrong and that you are acting
a part which will when explained remove
all resentment and complaint,
The object of this letter is to inform you
of the necessity of our coming to an under-
standing, of saying kindly yet firmly that we
are either to affirm the relation of Brothers
in every sense of the word or to be come Enemies
the decision is in your own breast, I sincerely
and earnestly desire the former and I assure
you that so far as I know there is nothing
Page
2
to prevent it, but I also say that a further
delay until the first of May of a fair and
amicable adjustment of my share and rights
under and by the Will of your Father in accor-
dance with what you have promised will
result in the latter, from that day I shall
take such steps as under the circumstances
I may feel disposed to without any reference
either to your wishes or any motive of fore-
bearance towards the memory of your Father
He relied on you to shield and protect
his name and farm, by his ungenerous and
unjust treatment of me he has released
me from every inducement if not every oblige-
tion to forbear and shield his memory, it
depends on yourself whether his acts and
character shall be or shall not be exposed
to the world, the publicity of which shall man-
tle with shame your own face and cause each
one who bears the name Seward to blush
for the posterity –
Sir, you may not longer withhold the rights
and crush in the dust the heart of a Brother
whose regard has caused him to with hold
thus far and which even now would
Page
3
promote your interest and prosperity, with
impunity,
The Cup which you have commended to my life
may ere long be returned to your own and you
made to drink deep of its disappointments
and sorrows, It may be well for you Henry
to remember that
“There sits a Judge
“No King can corrupt.
I will add that I act for myself thus far
and no one has any knowledge or will be in the
least responsible for any act of mine and that
this letter is the result of reflection on some
circumstances which has come to my knowledge
and some events which has taken place, to-
gether with the apprehension that further de-
lay may be intended,
I am aware that you may disregard it
and so your Father disregarded the feelings, the
rights and counsel of One entitled to his
fullest confidence and affection who for the sake
of her
endures long years of mortifi -
cation and persecution, it is my crime that I
sympathized with her, He prepared for him-
self a dying bed which place upon what es-
timate you may foreshadowed future ret-
Page
4
ribution, while her faith could scatter the
cloud and enabled triumphantly to enter the
dark valley saying “For I know in Whom I
have trusted believed, and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have commit-
ted unto him against that day”
It may be wise for you and for me to take
counsel of the contrast and seek to fulfill
that law of Love which only avails us in the
hour of greatest need,
Past attempts on my part to establish
this near and fraternal relation of Brothers
having failed I shall decline it in future
until I have authority from you to do so
Geo. W. Seward
Florida April 14th 1852
William H. Seward,
Sir
There is an end of all
human patience, to me it appears as
you can resist all appeal from the heirs
of Samuel S Seward
Birth: 1768-12-05 Death: 1849-08-24
deceased,
that you feel youcan treat them and their rights and feelings
with impunity, I hope for your own sake
that I may be wrong and that you are acting
a part which will when explained remove
all resentment and complaint,
The object of this letter is to inform you
of the necessity of our coming to an under-
standing, of saying kindly yet firmly that we
are either to affirm the relation of Brothers
in every sense of the word or to be come Enemies
the decision is in your own breast, I sincerely
and earnestly desire the former and I assure
you that so far as I know there is nothing
to prevent it, but I also say that a further
delay until the first of May of a fair and
amicable adjustment of my share and rights
under and by the Will of your Father in accor-
dance with what you have promised will
result in the latter, from that day I shall
take such steps as under the circumstances
I may feel disposed to without any reference
either to your wishes or any motive of fore-
bearance towards the memory of your Father
He relied on you to shield and protect
his name and farm, by his ungenerous and
unjust treatment of me he has released
me from every inducement if not every oblige-
tion to forbear and shield his memory, it
depends on yourself whether his acts and
character shall be or shall not be exposed
to the world, the publicity of which shall man-
tle with shame your own face and cause each
one who bears the name Seward to blush
for the posterity –
Sir, you may not longer withhold the rights
and crush in the dust the heart of a Brother
whose regard has caused him to with hold
thus far and which even now would
promote your interest and prosperity, with
impunity,
The Cup which you have commended to my life
may ere long be returned to your own and you
made to drink deep of its disappointments
and sorrows, It may be well for you Henry
to remember that
“There sits a Judge
“No King can corrupt.
I will add that I act for myself thus far
and no one has any knowledge or will be in the
least responsible for any act of mine and that
this letter is the result of reflection on some
circumstances which has come to my knowledge
and some events which has taken place, to-
gether with the apprehension that further de-
lay may be intended,
I am aware that you may disregard it
and so your Father disregarded the feelings, the
rights and counsel of One entitled to his
fullest confidence and affection who for the sake
of her
Birth: 1805 Death: 1839-01-04
children
Birth: 1834-07-25
Death: 1922-02-28
Birth: 1832-02-20
Death: 1876-01-14
Birth: 1829-12-04
Death: 1867-10-25
cation and persecution, it is my crime that I
sympathized with her, He prepared for him-
self a dying bed which place upon what es-
timate you may foreshadowed future ret-
ribution, while her faith could scatter the
cloud and enabled triumphantly to enter the
dark valley saying “For I know in Whom I
have trusted believed, and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have commit-
ted unto him against that day”
It may be wise for you and for me to take
counsel of the contrast and seek to fulfill
that law of Love which only avails us in the
hour of greatest need,
Past attempts on my part to establish
this near and fraternal relation of Brothers
having failed I shall decline it in future
until I have authority from you to do so
Geo. W. Seward