Frances Adeline Seward (née Miller; September 25, 1805 – June 21, 1865) was the First Lady of New York and the wife of William Henry Seward, a senator in the New York legislature, Governor of New York, a senator from New York and United States Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln.
Frances Adeline Seward | |
|---|---|
 Frances Adeline Seward in 1844 | |
| First Lady of New York | |
| In role January 1, 1839 – December 31, 1842 | |
| Preceded by | Dolly Newell Marcy |
| Succeeded by | Catharine Lawyer Bouck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frances Adeline Miller September 25, 1805 Cayuga County, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 21, 1865 (aged 59) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Augustus, Frederick, William Jr., and Frances |
| Residence | William H. Seward House |
| Education | Troy Female Seminary |
Early life
editFrances Adeline Miller was born on September 25, 1805, in Cayuga County, New York. She was the daughter of Judge Elijah Miller (1772–1851)[1] and Hannah Foote Miller (1778–1811), who was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied at the Troy Female Seminary (now known as Emma Willard School).[2]
Life
editFrances was deeply committed to the abolitionist movement. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their Auburn home as a safehouse to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. Seward's frequent travel and political work suggest that it was Frances who played the more active role in Auburn abolitionist activities. In the excitement following the rescue and safe transport of fugitive slave William "Jerry" Henry in Syracuse on October 1, 1851, Frances wrote to her husband, "two fugitives have gone to Canada—one of them our acquaintance John."[3]
Another time she wrote, "A man by the name of William Johnson will apply to you for assistance to purchase the freedom of his daughter. You will see that I have given him something by his book. I told him I thought you would give him more."[4] In early 1859, the Sewards sold a small piece of land on the outskirts of Auburn to the well-known former slave and activist Harriet Tubman, with whom the Sewards were well-acquainted with.[5]
Frances also played a crucial role in her husband's political and legal decisions. For example, during the 1846 Freeman trial in Auburn, New York, William H. Seward acted as the defense lawyer for William Freeman, an African American man charged with murdering four members of the Van Nest family. Before agreeing to represent Freeman in court, Frances and William were consistently harassed by Auburnites not to defend Freeman. Ultimately, it was because of Frances' appeal, and adamant belief that Freeman was in fact insane in order to commit such a crime without a clear motive, that her husband declared his intention to defend Freeman in court. [6]
Assassination attempt
edit
On April 14, 1865, Frances' husband and three of their children (Frederick, Augustus, and Fanny) were injured in an assassination attempt on her husband in their house.[7]
The man responsible was Lewis Powell, a conspirator of John Wilkes Booth. Booth had shot President Lincoln the same night; Lincoln died early the next morning. The attack put Frances into a state of great anxiety about her family. She feared Frederick would die of his injuries, although he survived.[citation needed]
Personal life
editOn October 20, 1824, Frances Adeline Miller married New York attorney William Henry Seward (1801–1872), after meeting him through his sister, a classmate, in 1821. Her life and growing awareness as a "sub-rosa abolitionist" and champion of women's rights, is portrayed in the nonfiction book "The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights."[8] The couple raised five children:
- Augustus Henry Seward (1826–1876)
- Frederick William Seward (1830–1915)
- Cornelia Seward (1836–1837), who died young of smallpox.[9]
- William Henry Seward Jr. (1839–1920)
- Frances Adeline "Fanny" Seward (1844–1866)
Frances died on June 21, 1865, of a heart attack, two months after the assassination attempt.[1] She was buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York.
References
edit- ^ a b "Death of Mrs. William H. Seward". New York Times. June 22, 1865. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ MacLean, Maggie (October 2010). "Frances Seward". civilwarwomenblog.com. Civil War Women | Women of the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras 1849-1877. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Frances Seward to William Seward Oct. 16 [1851] University of Rochester Rush Rhees Library Special Collections
- ^ Frances Seward to William Seward July 1, 1852. University of Rochester Rush Rhees Library Special Collections.
- ^ Bernstein, Robin (2024). Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit. The University of Chicago Press.
- ^ Bernstein, Robin (2024). Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit. The University of Chicago Press. p. 118-131.
- ^ Doris Kearns Goodwin. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005).
- ^ Wickenden, Dorothy (2021-03-30). The Agitators. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-6073-5.
- ^ Johnson, Patricia C. (Autumn 1978). "University of Rochester Library Bulletin: "I Could Not be Well or Happy at Home . . . When Called to the Councils of My Country," Politics and the Seward Family". University of Rochester Library Bulletin. XXXI (1). Retrieved September 19, 2016.
Further reading
edit- Swisshelm, Jane G. (July 31, 1865). "The Seward Family: Interesting Facts and Reminiscences of Seward by Mrs. Swisshelm". New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- Wickenden, Dorothy (January 25, 2021). "Annals of History - Civil Wars". The New Yorker Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
External links
edit- Frances Seward Civil War Women at History of American Women
- Seward Family Digital Archive Letters and photographs by and about members of the Seward family.