Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 17, 1859

  • Posted on: 8 February 2019
  • By: admin
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 17, 1859
x

transcriber

Transcriber:spp:keh

student editor

Transcriber:spp:sss

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1859-03-17

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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Lazette Miller Worden, March 17, 1859

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: Unknown
Unknown

transcription: keh 

revision: ekk 2015-07-16

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Page 1

Thursday March 16th 17th
My dear Sister
I am up early this morning
and intend to write to you be-
fore the burden of the day comes[ . ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

Your letter of Monday came last
night. I fear you are far from
well yet, but I know how much
you must be relieved to have Frank
Birth: 1854-02-13 Death: 1931-05-23

well again. I think Frances
Birth: 1826-12-12 Death: 1909-08-24
must
have gone home Teusday and
that you will be back at
Clara
Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05
's by the time this letter
gets there. How sad it is
that Anna
Birth: 1834-03-29 Death: 1919-05-02
has gone home to a
house so soon desolated by the
death of her little sister
Birth: 1850-06-09 Death: 1859-03-13
. She wrote
to me as soon as she reached home
expressing great anxiety about Susy
though I think until Anna returned
no one thought her ^situation^ dangerous[ . ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

Page 2

The symptoms which she described
alarmed me. I wrote directly
To to Fred
Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25
to employ counsel
^in addition to Dr Pays
Unknown
^
but before my letter had left
the city, his came, announcing
Susy's death, & the affliction
of the family. Anna loves her
sister very tenderly more as a
mother than a sister, and will
suffer much – poor little Molly
x

 


too will miss her inseparable
companion for a long, long time.
I hope Frances went home
with improved health. I was
disappointed not to see her
but I have no doubt her de-
cision was wise. There has
never been a Spring since I came
here when the roads have been
so bad – we have seldom
more than 3 days without
rain. It is not a very good
prospect for our driving home
Page 3

but I do not consider that
a fixed arrangement yet.
There are so many plans, so
many suggestions, that one is
almost bewildered by their
multiplicity. Yesterday we
drove to Al Arlington after many
attempts to get the party all
ready to go at one time. I went
in the carriage with Lord Napier
Birth: 1819-09-19 Death: 1898-12-19

and Mr Leutzy
Birth: 1816-05-24 Death: 1868-07-18
the artist
with the express stipulation that
they were not to talk to me.
The consequence was that I had the
pleasure of listening to the intelligent
conversation of two men in place
of the diluted talk which they
would have felt it necessary to
have addressed to me in person.
Their subject was of course the
fine arts, a subject which seemed
equally inexhaustible to both &
equally well understood.

[top Margin] sees through a
very dark glass.
I hope you may
be able to get
Dr Blake
Unknown
's address.
Love to Clara
Sister –

Page 4

Arlington is delightfully situated
overlooking the Potomac and
the whole of Washington from
which it is only separated by the
River, though we drove many
miles, over very bad roads,
to reach it by the circuitous
route which is the only way
by land. I must confess I
was disappointed in the pictures
and relics of Washingtons
Birth: 1732-02-22 Death: 1799-12-14
home
which I have always heard were
to be seen there. There are many
portraits but few good pictures[ . ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

Washington by Peale
Birth: 1741-04-15 Death: 1827-02-22
at the age of
40 is the most prominent – one
of Lafayette
Birth: 1757-09-06 Death: 1834-05-20
by the same artist
about the same time when he
could not have been much more
than 20 was also interesting, also
one of Mrs Custis
Birth: 1731-06-13 Death: 1802-05-22
before her marriage
with Washington, but they were
not the p pictures my fancy head
Page 5

had painted therefore I was un-
reasonably disappointed. When we
returned we all went to dine with
the Napiers
x Birth: 1823-12-20  Death: 1911-08-24  Birth: 1819-09-19  Death: 1898-12-19 
– the Sartiges
x Birth: 1827-03-11  Death: 1915-04-04  Birth: 1809-01-17  Death: 1892-10-05 
being the
only other guests. I felt very
well after my quiet drive but
the dinner with an immense
mass of light streaming in my
head, gave me the sensation of being
in a fiery furnace. There is much
to tell you which I will reserve
merely saying that our host &
hostess are not quite equal
to M. & Madame Sartiges in the
posession of the 6th sense. The
evening I spent there was much
more pleasant. I came away as
soon as I could after the coffee
leaving Henry
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10
there, who did not
return unil until late. I have
not yet (at noon) recovered from
the effect of the gas and a
Page 6

very powerful piano played by
a young Southerner – for my
especial amusement. I think
I will not be persuaded
To influence by argument, advice, or intreaty • To convince by arguments, or reasons offered •
to go
again to so unsuitable a place.
I think Lady Napier has very
little nervous sensibility, consequently
she does not comprehend the
condition of a person whose nerves
are unnaturally acute from
disease – very few do.
I am sorry you missed H.W. Beecher
Birth: 1813-06-24 Death: 1887-03-08
's
lecture. He keeps a portion of
the world moving. I go on
steadily with my preparations for home[ . ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

I wish Lord Lyons
Birth: 1817-04-06 Death: 1887-12-05
would come –
my impression is that we shall be ready
to leave about as soon as the Napiers[ . ]
x

Supplied

Reason: 

I had hoped they would precede us.
Will
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
and Fanny
Birth: 1844-12-09 Death: 1866-10-29
are driving to try
a small open carriage. Nicholas
Birth: 1801-12-24 Death: 1893-02-15
thinks
it will kill the horses or rather injure them
irremediably to drive home, but Nicholas