Lock of William Seward’s Hair

c. 1872

In a small envelop labled "father's hair" contains a lock of Secretary of State, William Henry Seward’s hair. This was acquired when the family trimmed it shortly after Seward’s passing. It was fairly common for family members to keep a lock of hair from deceased family members as a memento to comfort the surviving loved ones. Another reason is the color of the hair, when was young, he had a head of unruly red hair, so the silver color of this lock makes sense for his later years. Secretary Seward died here in his Auburn home on October 10, 1872.