Frances Adeline Miller Seward (September 25, 1805 – June 21, 1865) was the First Lady of New York and the wife of

William Henry Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senate, United States Senat ...

, a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in the

New York legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official t ...

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

, a

from New York and

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

Early life

Frances Adeline Miller was born on September 25, 1805, in

Cayuga County, New York Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Conf ...

. She was the daughter of Judge

Elijah Miller Elijah Miller (April 11, 1772 – November 13, 1851) was a lawyer and judge in Auburn, New York. Early life and career Miller was born on April 11, 1772. He was the son of Josiah Miller (1749–1817). He became a lawyer, and then a Judg ...

(1772–1851) and Hannah Foote Miller (1778–1811), who was born in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

. She studied at the Troy Female Seminary (now known as

Emma Willard School The Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York, on Mount Ida, offering grades 9–1 ...

Life

Frances was deeply committed to the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

movement. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

home as a safehouse to fugitive slaves on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. 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." 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." 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 Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, us ...

Assassination attempt

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. The man responsible was Lewis Powell a.k.a. Lewis Paine, a conspirator of

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

. 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 thought that Frederick would die of his injuries, although he survived.

Personal life

On October 20, 1824, Frances Adeline Miller married New York attorney

(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." The couple raised five children: *

Augustus Henry Seward Augustus Henry Seward (October 1, 1826 – September 11, 1876) was the son of William H. Seward and Frances Adeline Seward. He was a career officer in the United States Army, and attained the rank of brevet Colonel. Early life Augustus H. Seward ...

(1826–1876) * Frederick William Seward (1830–1915) *Cornelia Seward (1836–1837), who died young of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. * William Henry Seward Jr. (1839–1920) *

Frances Adeline "Fanny" Seward Frances Adeline Seward (December 9, 1844 – October 29, 1866) was the daughter of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward and his wife Frances Adeline Miller. The last of five children born to the Sewards, she was their only daught ...

(1844–1866) Frances died on June 21, 1865, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, two months after the assassination attempt. She was buried at

Fort Hill Cemetery Fort Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Auburn, New York, United States. It was incorporated on May 15, 1851 under its official name: "Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn". It is known for its headstones of notable people ...

in Auburn, New York.

References

External links