Letter from Anna Wharton Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 18, 1861
xml:
Letter from Anna Wharton Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 18,
1861
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:mea
student editorTranscriber:spp:lmd
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1861-06-18
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Letter from Anna Wharton Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 18, 1861
action: sent
sender: Anna Seward
Birth: 1834-03-29
Death: 1919-05-02
location: Washington D.C., US
receiver: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
location: Auburn, NY
transcription: mea
revision: amc 2021-03-18
<>
Page 1
Tuesday Evening
June 18 th
My dear Mother
Here is a
Photograph of our House,
taken for me by an ama-
teur Photographer
Unknown
. We were at the Cayuga
encampment ^o^ n Sunday.
It is a lovely place on the
Kalorama grounds, back of
the house. There is an open
lawn, gently sloping on all
sides surrounded by cedar-
woods & a pure running-
brook. The tents are at the
edge of the s cedars. I was in
the staff officers tents & think
them the best I have seen.
Each officer has one to him-
self, they are floored & have
camp-beds. Fred
Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25
was so much pleased with the beds that
he has bought himself one
for the hot weather. In Mr
Fowlers
Birth: 1824 Death: 1872
tent hung a picture of his wife
Birth: 1834-03-18 Death: 1897-03-03
, which he assur- ed me was not nearly as
handsome as herself. He is
Postmaster. There is a slit
cut in the side of his tent
below which hangs the
mail-bag. I asked for
Mrs Titus'
Birth: 1820-05-18 Death: 1895-12-19
son
Birth: 1842-08-29 Death: 1884-11-06
. He looked very well, said he was con-
tented & happy. We met
Mr Fletcher
Birth: 1814-03-24 Death: 1874-04-15
there, he had come over to Evening-prayers.
Dr Dimon
Birth: 1816-09-19 Death: 1889-07-22
said he was very kind to them, had sent them
two or three gallons of milk
every morning for the sick ones.
Clarence
Birth: 1828-10-07 Death: 1897-07-24
is well. We hear today that Captain Baker
Birth: 1819 Death: 1873-05
is under arrest for being drunk
I would like very much
to see your garden, & I would
like you to see mine.
Perhaps you don’t know
we have a garden too.
To be sure it is very sunny
& we can only go into it early
in the morning & in the
afternoon, but then it is
better than none & Father
Birth: 1801-05-16 Death: 1872-10-10
enjoys smoking there.
It was a dreary waste paved
with broken bottles and
oyster-shells when we came
here, but I had it dug up
& sodded, a walk made &
some beds cut in the turf,
planted some gay flowers,
a few evergreens & now we
think it very pretty.
We have bought a
blue & drab carpet for one
of the Parlors, a sofa & chairs
covered with blue, the
small chairs are gilded.
There is a very elegant
rose-wood book-case and
writing-desk the doors
lined with blue – this
belongs to the Assistant
Sec’y of State – officially. There
are also two gilt tables I
bought of Mrs Gwin
Birth: 1815-06-04 Death: 1901-06-26
. It is a very pretty room, & I think
you will like it.
The resources of the State
Dept are inexhaustible. We
have from there a full
length portrait of Webster
Birth: 1782-01-18 Death: 1852-10-24
, portraits of Washington
Birth: 1732-02-22 Death: 1799-12-14
, Jack- son
Birth: 1767-03-15 Death: 1845-06-08
, & Clay
Birth: 1777-04-12 Death: 1852-06-29
speaking in the
Senate. I have borrowed
a bronze ornamented clock,
two statuettes, a bronze model
of the Jackson equestrian
Statue, two or three pairs of
candel-sticks, & when we
have company I send for
the Silver pitcher.
There is also a dozen
mahogany chairs belonging
to the Asst Sec’y.
I think I wrote ^that^ I ^had^ bought
a round dining-table. The
old one we use for side-
tables. The old sideboard
from the Office I had
scraped & varnished, a
shelf put over the top, it is
now handsomer then any
new one in town. We can
dine twenty-four. We are
to have a Diplomatic din-
ner on Saturday. I have
been so disappointed about
the China. There was an
agent
Unknown
from Honghwaits here in April. I sent by him
an order to fill out our
set. You know there was
but eighteen of the smaller
plates. They were to be
finished the first of May,
but have not come yet.
They write that all their
men have gone to the
wars. I sent you the
Silver last week.
Whenever it is necessary
for Eliza to go home, please
let me know. She says
she would like to live
with Aunt Clara
Birth: 1793-05-01 Death: 1862-09-05
, but she will not while Kate
Birth: 1837 Death: 1878-04-08
is there. The weather has
been delightfully cool since
Saturday, before that there
were several very hot days.
Father & Fred are both
very well. When you
send Eliza clothes when ^will^
you please send Fathers
linen shirts – & thin coats.
There is no obstruction to
the Express. We receive pack-
ages from New-York almost
every day.
Love to all. Aff’y your daughter
Anna.
Anna
June 18
1861