Janet MacNeil Seward

Given Name
Janet MacNeil
Surname
Seward
Maiden Name
Watson
Nickname
Jenny
Birth Date
November 18, 1839
Death Date
November 9, 1913
Mother
Margaret Rebecca Watson
Father
Robert Watson
Spouse(s)
William Henry Seward, Jr.
Marriage Date
June 27, 1860
Child(ren)
Cornelia Margaret Allen
William Henry III Seward
Frances Janet Messenger
Biographical Information

Janet "Jenny" Watson Seward was born on November 18, 1839, to Robert and Margaret (Standart) Watson. She attended school in Auburn, New York, and at Miss Anabel's Boarding School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Janet married William Henry Seward Jr., son of William and Frances (Miller) Seward, on June 27, 1860. During the American Civil War, she split her time between her mother's home in Auburn, the Seward home on South Street, and the Union camp of her husband who served during the war. Janet was the mother of three children, Cornelia, William III, and Frances. She and her husband inherited the Seward home on South Street after the death of William H. Seward in 1872.

Janet was a member of the Women's Educational and Institutional Union in Auburn, Home for the Friendless, Cayuga County Orphan Asylum, Seymour Library Association, and Daughters of the American Revolution. She identified as an anti-suffragist. Janet also authored the book entitled Personal Experiences of the Civil War, published by F.S. Blanchard (Worcester, MA) in 1899.

Janet died on November 9, 1913, at the age of 73.

 

Citation(s) for Biographical Information:
John William Leonard. Woman's Who's Who of America. The American Commonwealth Company: New York, 1914-1915.
Additional notes: Google Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=34hmAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA732&ots=IHh497bam4&dq=janet%20watson%20seward%20november%2018%201839&pg=PA732#v=onepage&q=janet%20watson%20seward%20november%2018%201839&f=false
Citation(s) for Birth Information:
John William Leonard. Woman's Who's Who of America. The American Commonwealth Company: New York, 1914-1915.
Additional notes: Google Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=34hmAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA732&ots=IHh497bam4&dq=janet%20watson%20seward%20november%2018%201839&pg=PA732#v=onepage&q=janet%20watson%20seward%20november%2018%201839&f=false
Citation(s) for Death Information:
Ancestry Library. Last modified February 20, 2014. Accessed on February 20, 2014.
Additional notes: Source Citation New York Department of Health; Albany, NY; NY State Death Index Source Information Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Original data: NY State Death Index, New York Department of Health, Albany, NY.