68. CAPT. CHARLES⁵ SEYMOUR (Timothy⁴, John³, John², Richard¹), baptized at West Hartford, Conn., 29 Jan. 1738, died there 16 May (14 May, gravestone) 1802; married at West Hartford, 3 Dec. 1767, Lucy⁵ WHITMAN, born at West Hartford, 10 Jan. 1745, died there 4 May 1810 (gravestone), daughter of Deacon John⁴ (Samuel³, Zachariah², John¹) and Abigail (Pantry).

He was commissioned Lieutenant of the Fourth Hartford Company in May, 1776. His regiment was in the rear-guard in the. retreat after the battle of Long Island. Letters written to his wife from the Army are of great interest, and are printed below. He commanded his company, though with the rank of Lieutenant, both in 1776 and in 1777.

New York August 20 1776.

I take this opportunity to Write a few Lines to you hoping this will find you
and Little Girls well as they Leave me at Present through the goodnes of God in
whome we hope to Trust. We arrived at York Sunday morning at 7 0 clock, Having a
wett Passage. Att the Time we arrived there began a Firing att the Ships that
were a going out of the North River. Which Lasted about half an hour there was
No man killed upon our Side, two. men wounded Not Dangrusly, The whole Company
are all well att present and in high Sperits Expecting the Enemy Every day it is
Suposed the Forren Troops are all Arrived. Give my Compliments to Mrs. Hooker, I
must beg her Pardon for Not writing to Her. I am in Grate hurry, a Providing for
the Company. So I remain your Loving Husband till Death. Plese to write to me
Every opportunity.

Charles Seymour

N.B. Give my Complyments to all Friends. you may Direct your Leters to me att
New York in Major Nuberry's Ridgiment in Little Dock Street.

New York August 31 1776

Dear madam I take this oportunity to Right to you hoping these Will Find you
well. and our Little Girls as they Leve me att Present through the Goodness of
God hoping it Be. Continued to us all. there is ten in my Company that are not
Fit for Duty None of them So but that they Can Walk a Bout. Some of them very
much Scart to here the cannon Rore which are every Day. our army has had a very
Bluddy Battle on Long Hand they Lost a Grat many on Both Sides the Number is Not
known our people were obliged to Leve the Iland in the Night which Took us all
Night to Fetch them over I Believe there was more than Twenty-Thousand of them
Lieut. Gillet and Joseph muggd are Killed or Taken which are all that Belong to
our Place that we Know of. they Left the Hand Last thursday Night we Lie upon
our Arms Day and Night Expecting to meat our ennemy Every hour. our people Have
Left the Governer's Hand. Some of the Ships are within 2 miles of this Sitty.
they Have Broke one man's Leg this Day not Twenty Rods from our Lodging. we have
meat and Bread a Nuff but No sace but what Costs very Dear. it is unsertin How
Long the militia will be Kept Here. I Recived your Letter which I was very Glad
to See, and have from you. Tell Sister Hooker that I am much obliged to her for
her Letter, her Brothers are Both well, I Belive. So I Remain your Loveing
Husband

Charles Seymour.

P. S. Plese to write as often as you Can. give my Regards to Rachel and Brothers
and Sisters. Paper is very pore & Scarce.

New York September 8 1776.

Dear and Beloved wife after my Kind Regards to you and our Little Girls I take
this opportunity to write a few Lines to Let you Know that I am in Good Helth
hoping they will find you and ours So. I have no News but Camp News it is the
General Talk that there was Fifteen hundred of our men Killed and Taken upon
Long Iland and Eighteen Hundred of the Innemy Shared the Same Fate. we are Moved
out of the Citty about 3 miles; we Lay upon the Ground Four Nights, whear we
shall be Next I Cannot Tel. there has bin a heavy Fiering this Day att hel Gate,
and it is thought the ennemy are Trying to Cross there. I cannot Tell when we
Shall be relessed. I Cannot Direct anything about the bisness att home. I would
have you Do the best you Can. Be Please to write to me as often as you Can there
is a bout half our men not Fit for Duty; Ensign Kellogg is not very well. Give
my Compliments to all Inquiering Friends. Tell Sister Hooker that I saw one of
her Brothers and he told me the other was well. So I Remain your well wisher and
Beloved Husband untill Deth

Charles Seymour

September 9 1776. I Received your Letter this Day which I was very glad to See
and here the Contents. Your Cheess was well accepted, it is Sold hear for 1/4 a
Pound. my helth is yet Continued, Which God be thanked therefor hoping It Still
may be Continued to us all. there is no News. the cannon Roar all a Round us
which Scares many.

N.B. these from your Loving Husband Till Death there is Some Sick Some Scartsome
a coming home.

Charles Seymour

Westchester September 20 1776 2 mile above Kings Bridge.

Dear Madam after my Regards to you & our Little Girls, I would Inform you that I
Have bin very week for a few days but am Some better hoping through Divine
Providence I may Recover Strength Again. hoping these Lines will Find you & our
Little Girls and all Frinds well. as for News we Have a grate deal of it that
a'nt Trew. the Enemy Landed a Sunday morning under the reach of their Cannon
about 3 miles above New York, our pepille killed about a thousand of them and
they Killed but a few of our men, they took 3 Cor[p]ral Selah hart was one; our
peple got every thing out of the Citty. I can not Send you a List for I Don't
know but the Creters are dead I hope we shall be Relefed within a few Days. feed
the west moing first then the back mowing with Wells, It is one third his then
Jones' Lott.

So I Remain your Loveing Husband Till Death

Charles Seymour.

N.B. Give my Regards to all inquiring friends, Rachel, Sister Hooker and all the
Rest. alleyn is very well. I ha'nt heard from Rhodrick Since the fight, he was a
munge the thickest of it their Rugment

Piekskil April 22 1777

Dear Madam After my Kind Regards to you and our Family I would in Form you that
I am in Good Helth through the Goodness of God. Hoping these will find you So
and our Children and Friends. we Have Had a very wet Time to march in, I was
obliged to put my Horse in the wagon att waterbury and march a foot. Plese to
Send my frock if you Have a proper opertunity. we Have but Little News; there
was two Tories Shot hear yesterday that went to the Enemy, and was taken by our
men. there was Three of our Scouts Taken Last night by Tories, one of them Got
away very much wounded. I Have Sent my Horse Home by Capt. Bidwell. Plese to
write to me as often as you Have oportunitys. So I Remain your Loving Husband
Till Death

Charles Seymour

In a letter written many years ago to the author of this book, Miss Talcott wrote that her great-grandfather, Capt. Charles Seymour, had in his possession a drawing of the Seymour wings, and that other members of his family had copies of the same in embroidery, all derived, probably, from the use by the First Mayor's father, and by the First Mayor, of arms charged with the wings of the Seymours of Penhow. A miniature on ivory, painted about the time of his marriage, is reproduced herein.

Will of Capt. Charles Seymour of Hartford, dated 6 Jan. 1802, proved 10 June 1802, bequeathed to wife Lucy, to son Charles, to two daughters Lucy Whitman and Ruth Benjamin, to two daughters Sally Seymour and Laury Seymour who are both unmarried. Inventory of above estate taken 8 Sept. 1802. Distribution made 17 Mar. 1803.

Charles Seymour of Hartford was appointed administrator of the estate of Lucy Seymour late of Hartford deceased, 2 Aug. 1810. Inventory of her estate taken 15 Nov. 1810. Amount, $1523.41.

CHARLES SEYMOUR⁹ WHITMAN (1868- ), son of Rev. John Seymour⁸ and Lillie (Arne), grandson of Seymour⁷ and Maria (Bulkley), was a great-grandson of Lucy⁶ (Seymour) Whitman above. He was born in Hanover, Conn., 28 Aug. 1868, and was graduated from Amherst (A.B., 1890), and from New York University (LL.B., 1894). He has received also several honorary degrees, M.A. in 1904 from Williams, and LL.D. from New York and Amherst in 1913, from Williams in 1914, and from Hamilton in 1918.

After practicing law a few years, he became Assistant Corporation Counsel, New York (1901-1903), a member and later president of the Board of City Managers (1904-1907), Judge of the Court of General Sessions, New York, 1907, by appointment of Governor Hughes, and District Attorney of New York County (1910- 1914). He was elected Governor of New York, running on the Republican ticket, and served two terms, from 1 Jan. 1915 to 31 Dec. 1918.

Thereafter he resumed the practice of law in New York City, and served as Commissioner of Port Authority of New York. He was president of the American Bar Association, 1926-7; and is member of the State Bar Association, the Bar Association of the City of New York, Alpha Delta Phi, Society of the Cincinnati, Sons of the Revolution, Society of Colonial Wars, St. Nicholas Society, and New England Society. Clubs: University, Metropolitan, Century, Down Town Association, Union League, Piping Rock. He is a Presbyterian, and a Mason.

He married, 22 Dec. 1908, Olive Hitchcock, who died 29 May 1926.

At a dinner of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati in New York, at which Governor Whitman of New York was one of the after-dinner speakers, when the author was introduced to him the Governor spoke up and said, “I am myself twice a Seymour.” The author with equal promptness replied, “I congratulate you, Governor Whitman, on being twice a Seymour.”

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