Olive Risley Seward

[Gene C]

William Seward adopted Olive Risley in 1870 when she was 26 years. She (and her sister Harriet) then traveled with Mr Seward extensively through 1870-1871 through Asia, Middle East & Europe.

Can someone tell me more than I can read on Wikipedia about this relationship and who she is?

[L Verge]

Linda Anderson should be a good source for answering this. I think that the Surratt Courier carried a brief article on Olive a few years back. I know that there was a bit of whispering going on about Olive and "Uncle" Henry for awhile--a lot before he adopted her and still some afterwards. I often wondered if she was a substitute for the deceased daughter, Fanny, and that he adopted her to make the relationship more palatable to the public.

---

I should have added that it was profitable for Olive. Not only did she see the world, but she shared Seward's estate with his sons upon his death.

[Rsmyth]

I believe she was the substitute for his wife.

[Linda Anderson]

I think that Olive seems to have been a substitute for not only Seward's wife, Frances, but also for his daughter Fanny who was about the same age as Olive. I can only imagine the tremendous physical and emotional pain Seward was in after Powell's attack and the subsequent deaths of Frances on June 21, 1865 and Fanny on October, 29, 1866.

"Olive Risley was the daughter of Anson Risley, a prominent civil servant who later worked for the Secretary of the Treasury. After the death of his wife Frances in 1865 and his daughter Fanny in 1866, Olive became William Seward's close companion during the last four years of his life, beginning in 1868. She was forty years his junior.

"In order to curtail gossip and family concerns about their relationship, Seward adopted Olive in 1870. She and her sister Harriet Risley traveled extensively with Seward through Asia, the Middle East and Europe in 1870-1871, an experience recorded in the book William H. Seward's Travels Around the World, published in 1873, a best-selling work of its day for which Olive Risley Seward was credited as editor. She and Seward's three surviving sons were named joint heirs of the Seward estate."

civilwarwomenblog.com http://www.civilwarwomenblog.com/2010/10...eward.html

In October 1868, Gideon Welles recorded in his diary that "There is much speculation in relation to a projected marriage between Secretary Seward and a Miss Risley. He is in his sixty-eighth year and and she is in her twenty-eighth. I give the rumor no credit. Yet his conduct is calculated to make gossip. For the last six weeks he has passed my house daily to visit her." William Henry Seward: Lincoln's Right Hand. John Taylor.

Seward stopped writing his autobiography to work on the travel book with Olive. After he finished the book, he was too weak to continue with his autobiography so his son Fred Seward completed it after Seward's death in 1872.

Seward and Olive were in China when Seward made his will on November 5, 1870, after he adopted Olive. (Her father was still alive.) Seward left "the home and real estate in Auburn to his three sons in equal shares, and the remaining estate, real and personal, also in equal shares, to his sons and adopted daughter. William Henry, Jr., and Olive were named executor and executrix." Seward biographer Glyndon G. Van Deusen writes that, "I have it on the best authority that letters revealing the attitude of the Sewards towards Olive and her father were destroyed by relatives before the Seward Papers were given to the University of Rochester." William Henry Seward. Glyndon G. Van Deusen.

You might expect a statue of William Henry Seward to be in Seward Square in Washington, D.C. Instead the statue is of Olive Risley Seward.

"In 1971, sculptor John Cavanaugh chose to create a statue honoring her rather than her accomplished father. A picture of her was not found at the time, so Cavanaugh sculpted his idea of an idealized Victorian lady instead. The statue stands in front of a private residence on North Carolina Avenue and Sixth Street, SE in Washington, D.C.. The subject's head is turned to the left as if gazing toward the nearby Seward Square, named for her adoptive father. Olive died in Washington, D.C., and is buried in Fredonia, NY with her parents."



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Risley_Seward

[BettyO]

No disrespect to Mr. Seward - but I assume in his grief (and who can blame him!) that just as you say Linda, he saw Olive as a comfort taking the place of his wife and daughter ----

But marriage? No, I can't see that either.....would this make Mr. Seward a male "Cougar?!" Seems that there were quite a few older ladies after younger men in the Victorian era..... catch as catch can, I guess!

[Linda Anderson]

Certainly Olive did quite well financially and socially in becoming Seward's adopted daughter. The family must have been furious but as Patricia Carley Johnson writes in "I Could Not be Well or Happy at Home," Seward was "kind, gentle, and sometimes compassionate but he also went right ahead and did what he wanted to."

[L Verge]

If I remember correctly, Mrs. Seward had health issues through much of their marriage. Seward was so close to Fanny that I'm sure he thought of showing his daughter distant places and culture when he knew that his wife was not up to traveling. Then, when he lost them both in a short period of time, I would imagine that the young, bright Miss Risely would be a suitable substitute. At least he was wise enough to include Olive's sister in the travel plans.

[Gene C]

Not being to familiar with the customs of the age, but isn't it strange for an older gentleman to adopt a grown woman especially with her father still alive? Sounds like the rest of the family was not thrilled with the arangement. Did Olive ever marry? What happened to her after Seward's death? Did she live happily ever after, with her inheritance? Are there other photo's of her?

[Linda Anderson]

She never married, Gene, and it does sound like she lived happily ever after until her death in 1908 at sixty-four years old. The Library of Congress has a photograph of her but it is not online. It may be the same photograph I posted earlier in the thread.

The Seward House has a photo of Olive with her sister Harriet which can be found in William Henry Seward: Lincoln's Right Hand. There's another photo of Olive in Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man which is also from the Seward House.

An article in the July 28, 1890 Pittsburgh Dispatch mentions Olive Seward, "whose Bohemian literary salon is one of the most charming places to which one can have the entree at the national capital."

"Miss Seward was prominent in Washington and national literary and social affairs. She was the author of Secretary Seward's memoirs and of many other literary works... Miss Seward was one of the first members of the Washington Club and also of the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution." "Requiem Services for Miss Seward," Washington Times, Nov. 29, 1908.

"She was the daughter of Gen. Elijah Risley, one of the early settlers of Fredonia [NY] where the burial took place." Evening Post, (Charleston, S.C.) Dec 15, 1908.

[Gene C]

Thanks Linda, that was interesting...unusual ending of a fascinating life. Have you read his autobiography or his travel book?

[Linda Anderson]

(10-15-2012 08:22 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Thanks Linda, that was interesting...unusual ending of a fascinating life. Have you read his autobiography or his travel book?

I haven't read the travel book Seward wrote with Olive. I have read the parts of Seward's "autobiography" that pertain to the assassination and its immediate aftereffects on the Seward family. According to Seward:Lincoln's Indispensible Man, Seward "had only reached 1834 in his narrative when Olive arrived, after a long visit with her father and family, and he suspended work on the memoir in order to work with Olive on their joint travel book." Fred completed Seward's autobiography after Seward died.

You can find these books online at Google Books or archive.org.

[chrislarue]

I've been going through my library the past few weeks - trying to sells some books, as well as other misc things around the house - and one of the books I was considering selling caught my attention (I've collected a few books from friends and relatives over the years).

The book itself is not unusual, but still interesting because it's from 1874 (Hymns, Selected from Faber); what's more interesting is the dedication. I had not previously noticed it was signed by the author, which caught my attention this time, so I decided to Google the person to whom it was dedicated. Here's the dedication:

Miss Olive Risley Seward
With Regards of
R. P. S
Feb. 25, 1877

What I would like to know is if you think there is significance or unique value to this book as a result of this dedication. I found it fascinating to read your brief history of Miss Olive, and felt it only appropriate to solicit your perspective.

Thanks so much for your time.

[L Verge]

My first instinct would be to pose this question to the Seward Home in Auburn, NY. I visited there too many years ago to remember if their interpretation includes Olive, but if it does, they might find this book a nice addition to their collection.

Two of our faithful posters here, Betty O and Linda Anderson, have worked with museum personnel there over the past few years.

[Linda Anderson]

There are other interesting posts on Olive in the Welcome thread in the Books forum. She received one quarter of Seward's $200,00 estate, so her portion would have been $50,000. That would have been worth $961,538.46 in 2014 according to Roger's post.

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...l#pid42952

I visited the Seward House a few years ago and some of the personnel has changed since then. I did notice that the tour guide did not mention Olive.

I agree with Laurie to contact the Seward House. I do think there is value to your book. I wonder who owned the book after Olive.

[BettyO]

I assisted Seward House with setting up an exhibit for the 2015 assassination aniversary as well as giving a talk there and know a few folk. They are wonderful to deal with - a great crew!

Please contact them via the Seward House website which is wonderful and informative in itself:

http://sewardhouse.org/

The staff has had some changes, but Matthew (Matt) MacVittie) is still there in charge of Collections and is a very personable fellow. Here is his contact info:

Matthew MacVittie
Collections and Exhibits Manager
collections@sewardhouse.org