Author Topic: 1837 US Postmaster-General Document to Hackensack Postmaster  (Read 3384 times)

Offline BLeafe

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1837 US Postmaster-General Document to Hackensack Postmaster
« on: October 19, 2009, 12:40:58 AM »
http://xrl.us/1837USPostmasterDocument


Seller's description:

Up for auction is a vintage Post Office historical document related to New Jersey postal history, more specifically to Hackensack Post Office, located in Bergen county, New Jersey.  It is an original document sent from the Post Office Department and Amos Kendall Postmaster General, dated January 1837.  Apparently, these were sent out to various local post offices throughout the country, requesting topographical data of the particular local office.  A fire had destroyed all of such records at the main Post Office Department in Washington DC, and the information was being requested of local post offices so that they could recreate the topographical records.  The request states in typeface:

"Sir:  To determine with as much accuracy as possible the relative positions of the several Post Offices in the United States, so that they may be correctly delineated on the maps of the Department, you are requested to fill up the spaces and answer the questions below, and return the same to this Department, care of H.A. Burr.  The recent fire having destroyed all of the information before obtained on this subject, renders your immediate attention to it necessary.  I am, sir, Very respectfully, Amos Kendall, Postmaster General."

Below, this request, are the handwritten responses of the local postmaster, D.D. Demarest.  The responses identify the name, township, county and state, names of the nearest Post Offices and their distances from the subject office along the mail route, and the name of any nearby river, creek or brook and the side of if that the office lies on.  It is then signed by the local postmaster, D.D. Demarest.

There is an interesting passage written by Demarest toward the bottom, where it says:

"Hackensack is a village of about one thousand inhabitants.  The county house is located in Hackensack.  The inhabitants would like to have a ______ main if it should meet your apbrobation".

See the other photo which shows the rear side of document with the handwritten return address,"Hackensack Bergen Co. N.J.".

This document is in excellent condition considering that it is over 170 years old.  It has some bits missing at certain spots around the perimeter, but is otherwise intact, and the ink is very dark and legible.  The document, however, is clearly fragile.

You can also seen the watermark of the paper manufacturer, Amies Philadelphia, through the paper, but I could not get it to show up in the pictures.  Sorry about that.

A fantastic piece of New Jersey postal history!




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