Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Sarah Dare Hance, July 30, 1864

  • Posted on: 26 May 2021
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Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Sarah Dare Hance, July 30, 1864
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:msf

student editor

Transcriber:spp:smc

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1864-07-30

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Letter from Frances Adeline Seward to Sarah Dare Hance, July 30, 1864

action: sent

sender: Frances Seward
Birth: 1844-12-09  Death: 1866-10-29

location: Auburn, NY

receiver: Sarah Hance
Birth: 1820-01-25  Death: 1867-06-10

location: Macedon, NY

transcription: msf 

revision: jxw 2021-01-29

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Page 1

Auburn July 30th 1864
My dear Miss Hance,
Not a moment lon-
ger will I delay the letter which
from week to week I have
intended to write you. Your
letter to Aunty
Birth: 1803-11-01 Death: 1875-10-03
arrived yesterday,
& she has probably this morning
finished an answer, relieving your
anxiety about my dear brother
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29

telling you that he is here
with us, after many narrow
escapes, & great dangers. Aunty
will I suppose have left
nothing for me to write on
that subject, the most inter-
esting to us all.
We have spoken & thought
of you often this summer, &
I have been putting off my
letter because I wished to

[top Margin]
ment of yours
will be such as to interfere with
your coming — for we always
enjoy having
you with us – & expect it —
as a sort of right of ours, once a year.
Meantime & ever, truly your affectionate
Fanny

Page 2

wait till a time when we could
best make a visit agreeable
to you, & then to ask you
if you could not pay us one.
And that time seemed just ap-
proaching when, in the midst
of our anxiety, came the first
dreadful report about my brother —
Which we received the contra-
diction in twelve hours after.
Had I known your suspense I
should have written you at
once — but as several of our
papers contained the two reports
in the same issue, I did not think
but all would have the contra-
diction.
At present we have a sort of
military hospital. Will on his
crutches, & Col. Mac Dougall
Birth: 1839-09-14 Death: 1914-05-24

just getting over a fever —
We do not see our Washington
family this summer, but hear
Page 3

frequently from them all.
Aunty's health has been miser-
able — causing us great anxiety,
for many months — It seems
now really improving. Mother's
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21

general health is much
improved — She is stronger
than in years. For a
few days however she has
been very sick with cold & cough —
but is better now.
My summer has been in a
different way almost as busy
as my winter was. The latter
looked back upon, is a series
of of delightful remembrances –
of interesting people & places —
I did not escape quinsey
of course — had an attack in
November ^December^ here, & another, com-
bined with diptheria, in New
York
, where I went in April
to visit a friend, (Miss Hills
Unknown
Anne Collins Wyeth Robinson
Birth: 1848-04-04 Death: 1894-01-05
or Ellen Ann Barnes
Birth: 1842-05-06 Death: 1908-11-07
) &
Page 4

to attend the Sanitary Fair.
There are some questions in
your long unanswered letter
to which I will make my
late reply. One is about
our dear little Nelly
Birth: 1862-09-11 Death: 1921-10-05
. I wish
you could see her e — she is
the sweetest little Fairy
(Brownie perhaps I should
say, for her housewife —qual-
ities begin to manifest them-
selves) the brightest little bit
of sunshine you can imagine.
You ask about Mrs Wright's
Birth: 1806-12-25 Death: 1875-01-04

son
Birth: 1842-12-11 Death: 1902
— his recovery was wonder-
ful — he wa is of course un-
able to return to the army —
so resigned – but he is able
to be about like any one else —
& even to attend to business.
I shall hope to be able
some day to give you one
of my mother's photographs.
The books I have read
Page 5

are (since January) set down
on my book list — these "Romola"
x


(author
Birth: 1819-11-22 Death: 1880-12-22
of Adam Bede
 Publisher: Harper & Brothers Place of Publication:New York, NY Date: 1859
) did you read
it – a very powerful book —
"The Castle of Otranto"
 Publisher: Adam & Charles Black Place of Publication:Edinburgh Date: 1863
an old
English Romance – of the old
style — "The Attic Philosopher"
(Emily Souvestre
Birth: 1806-04-15 Death: 1854-07-05
) very cheery –
Mrs Jamesons
Birth: 1794-05-17 Death: 1860-03-17
"Italian Painters"
 Publisher: Ticknor and Fields Place of Publication:Boston Date: 1859

a volume of Lowell's
Birth: 1819-02-22 Death: 1891-08-12
poems
Author: James R. Lowell Publisher: Ticknor and Fields Place of Publication:Boston Date: 1862

^the^ two last volumes of the Life
& Letters of Washington Irving
 Publisher:  G.P. Putnam Place of Publication:New York Date: 1863-1864

very interesting — "Prue & I"
 Publisher: Dix, Edwards & Co. Place of Publication:New York Date: 1857

by George William Curtis
Birth: 1824-02-24 Death: 1892-08-31
– such
a gem of a book — some day
I want to tell you how de-
lightfully I have made the
acquaintance of the author,
quite as charming as his
works. "Country Living,
& Country Thinking"
 Publisher: Ticknor and Fields Place of Publication:Boston Date: 1864
— I would
like you to read some of that
very much — it is so fresh & true –
Page 6

"Reveries of a Bachelor"
 Publisher: Baker and Scribner Place of Publication:New York Date: 1850
LK Marvel
Birth: 1822-04-12 Death: 1908-12-15

the most dainty dreaming — "Picciola"
 Publisher: Leavitt & Allen Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1862

in French — "Dr Antonio"
Author: G. Ruffini Publisher: Carleton Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1864
a capital
novel written in English by an
Italian
Birth: 1807-09-20 Death: 1881-11-03
– & given me by one of
his advisers
Birth: 1808-07-25 Death: 1881-08-04
. "Lotus Eating"
 Publisher: Harper & Brothers Place of Publication:New York Date: 1852

by G.W. Curtis — & Bulwers
x

 


"Devereux"
Author: Edward Bulwer Lytton Publisher: J. & J. Harper Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1829
— which I liked much —
& thought instructive if it
was a novel – because of its
historical allusions & char-
acters. Now I am en-
gaged in translating reading
in the original Mme de
Stael's
Birth: 1766-04-22 Death: 1817-07-14
"Germany"
 Publisher: Hurd and Houghton Place of Publication:New York Date: 1864
& in English
that new book which has
made such a sensation "The
Chronicles of the Schonberg-
Cotta family—"
Author: M. W. Dodd Publisher: Privately printed Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1864
perhaps
you are reading it too — does
it not give one capital
ideas of Luther's times.
Frances
Birth: 1826-12-12 Death: 1909-08-24
& Frank
Birth: 1854-02-13 Death: 1931-05-23
were well the
Page 7

last time Aunty heard from them —
I believe they had been to spend
a week at the lodge on the
Canandaigua lake.
I see Nettie Titus
Birth: 1825
frequently —
her health is very variable — some-
times she is able to walk about
her room. Her mother
Birth: 1788 Death: 1864-11
is
in a very feeble state — has
heart disease — at one time they
thought her failing very fast —
but she grew stronger.
Mary Titus
Birth: 1846-01-11 Death: 1913-03-14
has finished school —
& has been making a visit in
Rochester, which she has enjoyed very
much.
I forgot to tell you that the "Gail
Hamilton" who wrote "Country
Living & Country Thinking" is Miss
Mary Dodge
Birth: 1833-03-31 Death: 1896-08-17
of Massachusssetts
who was once governess to Fanny
Bailey
Birth: 1844
– perhaps you may have
seen her in Washington — but
Page 8

I think it was after you were
there.
I hope you will excuse this
scrawling — picked up at chance
intervals, & some of it done
with a very tired hand – as its must show.
How is your hand? How
are you? You see I have
not read a line of the Waver-
lies
Author: Walter Scott Publisher: Carey & Hart Place of Publication:Philadelphia Date: 1846
— they are in reserve for
reading together — & I hope we
may also read the lecture
or Crusades
Author: Walter Scott Publisher: E. Duyckinck Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1825
which you mention.
Mother sends love – she is not
yet well of her ill turn.
Will is improving — Aunty
pretty well (for her) this
today — I finish this Mon-
day — Aug — 1st I hope
to write you soon that
we are so situated that
we could make a visit
pleasant for you — & when
we can I hope no arrange-
Page 9

Miss Sarah D. Hance
Macedon Center
Wayne Co
N. York
AUBURN, N.Y.
AUG 2
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