|
a.
|
Note: ichigan circa 1868. Elizabeth died --- in ---, at age unknown. She married Dwight A. Hitchcock --- in ---. Dwight was born --- in ---. Dwight & Elizabeth had children: Anna L & Frances Allison [d. 30 May 1906].
Send email to preparer: kalamcc@AOL.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
E. S. Hitchcock Mar. 23, 1884
103 Woodland Ave., Detroit, Mich. On the ninth of May, I will be sixty-nine years - in my seventieth year - just think of it! And I so young. I was born in Beekman Street, New York, in 1815. My father died in 1817 - and I never knew him.
I think the greatest hunger of my life has been to know my father. I believe that he was a thoroughly honest, honorable man - learned, progressive; full of human love - too far advanced for the time in which he lived; the first man who introduced vaccination in the city of New York. For this he was much censured, not only by the faculty, who pronounced it one of "Young Dr. Seaman's visionary schemes" but also by the Society of Friends who labored with him declaring it an unnatural proceeding. He was a good deal persecuted but spent time and a great deal of money on it and never gave up. He was a friend of Dr. Jenner and went to England to talk to him about it.
Yes, father was forward in many movements. He was the first man to analyze the waters of Saratoga; the first to educate woman as trained nurses giving to a class free lectures, the same as he did to his young men students. This was a great innovation as women in those days were given little opportunity for education outside of select schools and seminaries. He completed his studies with Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Philadelphia, and this is how that came about.
My grandfather, Willett Seaman, gave to my father, his son Valentine, as good an education in the medical line as New York afforded. Philadelphia, however stood higher in this branch of science so when father had taken his degree as a physician, he was anxious to supplement it by a course of lectures and studies in Philadelphia.
Now, Grandfather Willett was a rich man, having ships at sea, and among the wealthy, stood with the best - but he belonged to the Society of Friends who believed that too much time might be spent in learning, so he refused my father's request to continue his education.
Even then father has attained some notoriety for, somehow, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who stood as the highest authority in the medical profession, had heard of the youth's desire and of the father's refusal to grant it and he sent word to young Valentine that if he wished this opportunity of advancement that he, Dr. Rush, would take him into his office and into his home, and would give him every advantage without payment. If ever he was able to pay him he might but, if not, he was glad to benefit the cause by helping an earnest student.
So father went; happy though poor.
I think grandfather took the money he spent on father's education out of his share of the estate, saying that the daughters had not had such an amount. He intended to be a very just man. I guess he was; only father was kept very poor. The old gentleman thought it a waste of time and money - this Philadelphia scheme.
My mother, Anne Ferris, had boarded with Grandfather Willett going to school in New York. Her home was at Throggs Neck, Westchester, but her parents wishing to give her a better education than could be had there, sent her to New York, distance 14 miles.
The young Anne was very attractive, it appears, and when Grandfather John Ferris was going to New York to look up among Friends, a home for his daughter, Grandmother Marianna, said, "John thee will remember when looking for a home for Anne to be careful to get one where there are no young men, for Anne is so pretty, it might not be well." So Grandfather John in hunting about chanced to hear of Willett Seaman, who had a large house and a most exemplary family, among them a goodly number of sons for the pretty Anne to meet.
When Grandfather returned to his wife, Marianna, she met him with a natural inquiry. "Oh, yes, I found a good place, Friend Seaman, Willett Seaman's, thee knew, my dear, a most desirable place."
"But", said Grandmother, "He has many sons, John, I beg thee to be careful. Does thee think it well to trust our Anne?"
"Don't distress thyself, Marianna, our daughter can never fall in love with one of those Seaman boys, thee may trust her. They are a homely set of youths." So the pretty and gentle Anne came under the roof of Willett Seaman - Nature took care of its own.
Now when my father wanted to go to Philadelphia, and did go, there was a terrible tumult in his heart. The months had found a growing kindness between the school girl from Westchester and the young student. Well! What of it? Grandfather John did not feel afraid nor Grandmother Marianna either. But as the beautiful fingers of Anne embroidered the satin work case, all lined with pink, young Valentine watched the process with delight. Her hand was perfect, both in whiteness and shape, no wonder Valentine liked to look at it and admire its anatomy. And was it strange that after the case was finished, the carnations all shaded, the roses in full bloom, with a few forget-me-nots withal; was it a wonder if there was a great admiration for it all and a request to have it for a few days to look at in his room. Ah! Valentine.
Well, so it was and when it was returned, it was filled with scissors, with gilt handles and all the needed articles adjusted in the small depositories. How often have I looked over them all. The scissors never lost their temper in all the years.
Valentine went to Philadelphia and Anne went home for vacation, but when the student returned there seemed to be a shadow in his path. He had never told his love, and she had hidden hers. But the moment came and two hearts were happy.
One day when I was a young girl, I said to mother, who was never communicative, "How did it come to pass that you came to love one another? Thee so timid and Father so young and modest."
She said, "I felt very quiet. I did not know if Valentine cared for me or not. I did not want him to know that I cared for him. He had seen so many girls in Philadelphia; we had not corresponded and so, of course, in this matter of love, which never yet ran smooth, there was an anxious distress of apparent indifference; both uncertain; both hiding their hearts."
"But, how did it come about, Mother?" I asked. "Well," she said, Looking back through the long years, "I will tell thee." "After awhile, both of us being unhappy, we were sitting alone one evening. We never had much light; the candles on the table burned low; the fire on the hearth was burned low as well, and the great sticks of hickory were covered with ashes. We had not spoken much when thy Father came beside me, and taking the tongs began heaping the coals together. Presently a bright flame sprang up and everything grew light. He turned and looked at me and I think there were tears in his eyes. He put aside the tongs, and then he took my hand and said "Anne, how brightly the fire burns new that the live coals are laid together that just knew were buried under the ashes. Shall I hope that coals of living light may be hidden under the ashes that seemed to have gathered over the past between me and thee? May I hope that a careful hand might draw all together and that light and warmth might make us to know that we loved one another?"
And so the Gate Beautiful flew open on its golden hinges and the garden of the Lord appeared, and the love that knew no shadow and no turning was theirs forever.
After Father's return from Philadelphia, he felt too poor to marry. He soon had a good practice but Grandfather Seaman said, "Now Valentine, I have been at much expense for thy education and I shall expect thee to pay thy bread and pay thy sisters for making thy shirts and other sewing they do for thee. So Father, in calculating, thought it would be as easy to keep house as to board at home and in 1794, he and Anne were married.
Grandfather Ferris gave his daughter a handsome outfit and five thousand dollars. There was one lot of dimity costing $100, and much silver, fine glass and everything very excellent and abundant. It was some years, however, before Father had paid the debt he felt bound to pay to Dr. Rush. Then one day he came into the room where Mother was sitting and threw down a dollar. "There Anne," he said, "I give this to thee. It is the first dollar I ever owned of my own making. I have paid Dr. Rush and now I am free and independent."
"But Mother," I said, "How was it that the pretty Anne married one to those homely boys, and thee so fond of beauty?"
"Oh, my dear," Mother answered, "Thy Father was not such a very homely man. He had beautiful eyes, a fine nose, a handsome forehead, soft fine hair. Oh, your Father was not a homely man." We always laughed when Mother talked of Father's beauty, and as I had no idea of his looks, only a small black silhouette, I was willing to believe it all. To me he seemed the perfect man from my earliest recollections.
He was buried in North St. in the Friend's burying ground. North St. was on the right hand of the Bowery nearly opposite Houston St. I was in the great enclosure many times; saw my dear brother, the doctor, my beautiful sister, Marianna, Aunt Betsy Cock, and the Doctor's dear little Bobby. It was a dreary spot, a bleak treeless stretch of graves. How I used to long to know just where my Father laid. No one knew. Friends did not approve of any stone or indication of the spot where their dead were buried, deeming it best that the body should be forgotten - the spirit, only, remembered. Ah, how they taught against Nature; not a stone, not a line, not a bush, not a flower. As far as I could understand, the plot was fenced in and the bodies laid one beside the other in line until the space was all taken up. This ground was free to all members of this society and their servants, and if any person sent a request to have a friend interred here, it was allowed free of expense, no matter whether they were rich or poor; no plot was set aside for the poor, all honored alike in the grave.
When a couple belonging to the Society of Friends desire to marry they were expected to send in their proposal of marriage six weeks before the time of the wedding. This was read before a business meeting. A committee was then appointed by the meeting to visit the young couple and to make inquiries regarding the matter; if parents had consented and there were no objections
The case as it stood being reported, the young people appeared before the meeting and requested an answer to their proposal. The manner of the ceremony was this and it was called Passing Meeting.
Friends met twice a week - First Day and Fourth Day. The first Fourth Day of the month was called the Monthly Meeting; the last Fourth Day was the preparative - other Fourth Days were meetings for worship only. The business meetings were held by the men and women apart. The first hour of the meeting was for worship which was often held in silence; then the men retired to the basement then each group transacted its own business. Thus, in Passing Meeting the young couple walked up the isle alone and seated themselves facing the congregation. After a short sitting, in which generally some kindly words were spoken, the couple rose, the young man asking an answer to their proposal of marriage, to which a response of approval was given by the clerk of the meeting. I think it was two weeks after Passing Meeting that the marriage took place on the Fourth Day Meeting at the close of the sitting of Friends. This was always public, the bridal party sitting under the gallery, this gallery being the high seat where the elders were seated facing the congregation. Generally, much tenderness was expressed by the elder Friends in a little address or in prayer. At the later part of the meeting the couple joined hands and pledged themselves to be faithful and loving until death. The word obey was never uttered.
A certificate was signed by witnesses and friends and the ceremony ended. Of course, there was no clergyman or minister in the Society. The bridal party then went home to a bridal dinner attended by two overseers sent by the Meeting to that everything was conducted in an orderly manner becoming two Friends. So you will see that it was quite a long affair this marriage process; they were for a good while the observed of all observers, some six weeks from the time the proposal of marriage was sent in.
The Society kept close track of its members in the most tactful way. If entire unity did not appear to be felt between man and wife two of the kindliest, gentlest women were sent to visit the wife and two men of the highest standing to visit the husband. They advised and "labored" with them and sought to bring about harmony. All this was done without the knowledge of anyone besides those directly concerned, and was only reported at the Select Meeting, its business being very grave; the disowning of a member; the silencing of anyone who did not give clear doctrine; if anyone trafficked in liquor; or engaged in business beyond his ability to perform. The latter were kindly dealt with, and aided if Friends thought best, if they were reckless and persisted in their poor methods, the case was considered hopeless and the membership forfeited. The poor were cared for in a way which preserved their feeling of independence. All money transactions came under the care of the Select Meeting. After Father died, Mother was never called upon for money. She asked why, and was told that left as she was with so large a family Friends deemed it well to relive her of any burden in their power. Now Mother could well have afforded to pay, for Father left a large estate, the interest being more than was needed, but the Friends said "The demand might be great at some future time."
A Quaker beggar was never heard of. If any member was in actual need, loads of wood were left at the door; food was provided, and all the necessities of life. If a man's work was required, neighbors would quietly and unobtrusively perform the task.
[Excerpts from a Journal of Eliza Seaman Leggett compiled by her granddaughter, Elizabeth Seaman Hitchcock, Detroit]
Note: 106 i. Elizabeth Seaman20 Christian was born in Detroit, Wayne County, M
|
