Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 30, 1856

  • Posted on: 4 May 2022
  • By: admin
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 30, 1856
x

transcriber

Transcriber:spp:nwh

student editor

Transcriber:spp:amr

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1856-05-30

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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, May 30, 1856

action: sent

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

location: Washington D.C., US

receiver: Lazette Worden
Birth: 1803-11-01  Death: 1875-10-03

location: Auburn, NY

transcription: amr 

revision: jxw 2021-10-14

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Page 1

Washington May 30th
My dear Sister
Your letter came
last night with one
to Fanny
Birth: 1844-12-09 Death: 1866-10-29
, it is very
beautiful beyond my
expectations or conception
and must have some
influence, but I cannot
send it now — Charles
Sumner
Birth: 1811-01-06 Death: 1874-03-11
continues danger-
ously ill — I believe I wrote
the evening I had been
there — I went again
the next morning but
saw neither Charles
or George
Birth: 1817-02-05 Death: 1863-10-06
— the message
at the door said
he was about the same –
They sent for Henry
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10

Page 2

yesterday evening – He
found Charles more
comfortable than he had
been — the ulceration
of his wounds occasioned
extreme pain from
which he was then par-
tially relieved but extremely
^very^ weak — his physician
still considering his situation
extremely critical—
Green
Birth: 1800 Death: 1868-12-25
has been round to
day and reports that
there is no change though
he saw no one but
the servant — Henry will
go again in the morning
It is sad sad enough
to think of a man
of such physical
powers reduced to help-
Page 3

lessness by violence which
he had no power to
resist — what shadows
we all are — I find
it exceedingly difficult
to maintain a right
spirit under these
dispensations — Mrs. Hall
Birth: 1823 Death: 1913-05-11

asked me yesterday if I
thought Brooks
Birth: 1819-08-06 Death: 1857-01-27
would
be hung if Mr Sumner
died – I told her I thought
he ought to be hung now
but that in the event
of Mr Sumners death
no law would be enforced
endangering the life of
Brooks — none are punished
here but the poor slaves
who rebel against their
Page 4

master and for these han[ g ]
x

Supplied

Reason: hole
ing
is considered too mild a
penalty — I did not suppose
any thing could make slavery any
more hateful to me than it
was before but the events of
this winter have deepened that
furrow in my soul — and
the certainty that we are all
becoming slaves ourselves is
not calculated to make the
grievance more tolerable —
The long expected letter from
Augustus
Birth: 1826-10-01 Death: 1876-09-11
came to day — He is
to leave Key West the 10t of June
and will be here about the
15t — This put all my
arrangements afloat again
I made up my mind to stay
unless I had some positive
assurance he would come
North — This afternoon I
went to the Coast Survey
office to see Prof Bache
Birth: 1806-07-19 Death: 1867-02-17

Page 5

& enquire whether the Sec –
of War
Birth: 1808-06-03 Death: 1889-12-06
could send
him immediately away —
The Prof. said the Sec
had the power but it was
not customary to withdraw
any officer from the survey
without 2 or 3 weeks
notice to the department
no such notice having been
given he had already
assigned Augustus his
Summers work at the North
and could at least assure
me that he would have
time allowed him to go
home – So we leave on
Monday always supposing
there is no unfavorable
change in Charles Sumners
condition or rather supposing
that he may by that time
Page 6

be out of danger — If he
is not Henry ought not
to leave & I will wait
longer – I will write
again tomorrow evening –
Love to Clara
Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05
& Will
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29

Your own Sister —