In Their Own Words: Daily Life in the Antebellum Rural Delaware County New York Area

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Family and Daily Life Homepage | 1851 letter from Harvey Seaman to his parents

 Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8

Note: For serious researchers only.  Very hard to read, as is the original.

Route as traced via Google Maps.

Audio excerpts from the entire letter (mp3 format) Voiceover by Nancy Burnett (burnetnc@oneonta.edu), Communication Arts Department, SUNY College at Oneonta.

1851 Letter from Harvey Seaman to parents in Delancey, Delaware County, NY describing a trip by sail from New York to California via Cape Horn. Excerpts from page 5:

'St. Catherine the principal City is situated at the extremity of the harbour some ten miles from our anchorage. Having an opportunity I with the first mate and three or four others went {illeg} in a boat maned be two natives..."

"Being Catholics they take the most pride in their churches of any other ediface. I was in several and not one was {illeg} the costliness of crosses, images, and various other figurative representations..."

" I here saw a Gent and Female ride horse back (which by the way is the principal mode of travelling) the lady wore a long pink dress, a broad hat highly decorated with ribbons of various colors..."

"While in the City we stoped at a Hotell they charged the rate of $1.50 per day. There had been California ships here before and they had learned how to charge..."

Courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association Archives, 46549 State Hwy 10, Delhi, NY, 13753

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