New Blog Location!

So - we're not done writing and sharing.  Not by a long shot!  Instead, we're looking to make some changes for the better. After over ten years of posts at this site, I am moving the Genuine Faux Farm blog!

You have three opportunities to subscribe.  

1. The Genuine Faux Farm blog on Substack.

2. The Postal History Sunday blog on Substack

3. My writings under Rob Faux | Genuine Faux Farm on Medium.

In each case, you can subscribe so you receive new articles in your email inbox each time a new article is released.

On Substack, you can subscribe for free, but you will be asked if you will make a pledge for a paid subscription.  If you wish to have a free subscription, select $0 for your pledge amount.  You may, of course, make a pledge amount if you feel inclined.  If there seems to be interest in that, I may turn on the paid subscription option - but there will always be the opportunity to subscribe for free, even if I do that.

Medium, on the other hand, will not charge for a subscription to my writings, but they will ask you to join Medium with a paid subscription.  This is not necessary to access my work, but you may certainly opt to take a subscription if you like the service you see there.

What's on each blog?

The Genuine Faux Farm blog on Substack

This blog will be most like what I have produced on this blog since 2008.  In fact, I have been moving the previous content over to this blog so you can access older posts on the new site's archive.  The only difference is that I will not be putting Postal History Sunday material in this blog.  

The Postal History Sunday blog on Substack

The weekly article where I share a hobby I enjoy is being given it's own home.  This will allow individuals who are only interested in PHS and not the farm writings a place to go.  However, if you are interested in both, you can certainly subscribe to both.

Writings on Medium

I am trying the Medium writing community for some of the more developed writings I produce.  For example, I will be sharing the PAN blogs I write on Medium (and sometimes on Substack).  Some of the better Postal History Sundays or Walk There Agains may also show up.  I anticipate an average of four to six blogs on Medium per month.  And, yes, there may be some cross-posting between Medium and Substack.

Why subscribe?

I will give you one reason for you and one reason for me.

If you subscribe to any or all of these three choices, you will receive new articles in your email inbox.  You don't have to remember the web address for the blogs.  You don't have to open up any other software.  You don't have to rely on unreliable social media to show you posts from me that tell you I have something new out there to read.

And, the advantage for me is that I get a little feedback and encouragement to keep writing and sharing that writing with you.  If there are ten, twenty, fifty or one hundred of you subscribed to a particular blog, then I know at least that many people will truly be given the opportunity to choose to read each article if they wish. 

As always, I thank you for considering my words and thoughts.  Have a fine remainder of your day!

Tell 'em Where to Go - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday!  I hope you take the opportunity to enjoy learning something new - or at least you like to be entertained by a person who thoroughly enjoys their hobby.  Either way, this isn't a half bad way to spend a few moments of your day.

In this edition, I wanted to revisit the topic of dockets on postal history items.  The last time I did so, Postal History Sunday was only a few months old. I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two since then.

So, let's get to it!

What's a "Docket?"

Postal historians and postal history collectors often reference docketing on various mail pieces, which can take various forms.  Docketing would be some sort of handwriting on the letter or piece of mail that typically provides record-keeping functions for the recipient OR directives to the postal services.

And, of course, postal historians are usually more interested in the directives - but the record keeping can provide useful clues too.

For example, the item above shows lots and LOTS of docketing.  

The writing that runs sideways on the left side of the envelope would be filing notes by the recipient.  George Atkinson, Esq, a lawyer by trade, probably did what many at the time did - they filed documents and stored them in the envelope they came in.  To provide for easy reference, they recorded the date and origin of the contents, a brief summary AND the date the letter was received in their office (May 9, 1866).  It just so happens this date matches the London marking showing in red towards the top.

This method of filing is part of the reason postal historians have as much material to collect as they do.  It also explains why many of the same addressees keep showing up on these pieces of mail. 

The other handwriting on the front of this letter includes the address AND some directional docketing at the lower left.  This docket reads:

"per Cunard Steamer Asia from Boston April 25"

At least - that's what the writer was hoping when they mailed the letter.  It turns out - if you read the New York marking in red at the right side - that it left New York on April 28 on a steamer that was NOT the Asia. 

We'll get back to that in a bit!

Success and Failure in Directional Dockets

If you look long enough, you can find all kinds of docketing on the mail that clearly was meant to try to direct the post office with varying degrees of success.  Take the item below for example.

Other than the address panel at the center of the envelope, there is a very brief docket at the top left.

The docket "per Steamer" at the top left could have meant one of three things. 

1. There was more than one option for mail to go from Worcester to Boston
2. The writer thought there was some other option than a steamship to cross the Atlantic
3. The writer just wanted to write "per Steamer" on the envelope

I can tell you that Worcester is just west of Boston and there are no rivers that would have had steamers plying between the two locations.  I am pretty certain a train or a coach carried the letter to the Boston foreign mail office.  So, it wasn't the first option.

I am ALSO quite certain that the letter rode on a steamship (a Cunard Line ship) to cross the Atlantic.  In fact, there really wasn't another way that mail would do so at the time.  So, you could argue that the person who wrote this wasted ink on the docket.  That would be option three.

In their defense, it had not been that many years that steamships were the primary mode of transportation across the sea.  The person writing could very well remember the days that most ships went by sail, not steam engine.  They might even have experienced a time when you would WANT to indicate that you wanted it to go by a steamship rather than one that went under sail and you had to say so on your letter.

The item below, shows some successful direction given by a docket:

The words "via Panama" very clearly directed the post office in San Francisco to put it on a steamer that would go down the Pacific coast to Panama.  The letter then would go overland at the isthmus and then board another steamer to New York from the eastern shore of the isthmus.  

In this case, there were a couple of routing alternatives.  The default route was for letter mail to go overland in 1863 since overland routes were in use at that time from California.  So, if a letter writer preferred the steamship via Panama, they had to indicate that preference as this person did here.

The question is, of course, "why did this person want this to go on the slower route?"  We may never know this answer for certain.  But, perhaps the sender had heard enough about mail coach robberies that they did not want to risk that with this mail item?  Maybe there was a known weather issue that was going to delay overland mail?  Or perhaps, they were aware of uncertainties with respect to conflict with Native Americans along the mail route?

Unattributed woodcut, circa 1867 - Ann Ronan collection

The Bear River Massacre in January of 1863 was one such event that led to tensions that impacted the mail route near Salt Lake City.  An incident involving US soldiers harassing Native American women and injuring members of the Goshute led to an armed conflict.  The Goshute, after losing that conflict, swore revenge on the "bluecoats" (a reference to the soldier's uniforms).  Unfortunately, they identified mail coach drivers as bluecoats and killed both men on a mail coach early on June 10th.

However, other than a short period in 1862, overland mails were not halted due to conflict.  They might have been delayed at point along the route if sections were impassible for a time.  So, it was entirely up to the sender to weigh the risk of possible delay.  If they wanted to apply a docket telling the US Post Office to take the route via Panama, they could do so.

Whatever the case, this is a time when the directive was followed - even if it was going to result in slower transit of the mail item.

And here is another successful routing docket (look at the top left).  This one reads "by the Persia Aug 24 in New York."  Unfortunately for the postal historian (me), there are no contents in the letter and there is no originating postmark, so I cannot tell for certain where this item was mailed from in the United States.  Clearly, it DID go through New York and it DID leave on a ship from New York on August 24 (yes, it was the Persia).  So, you could say that the docket worked - it went where the writer wanted it to go.

However, it is likely that this letter would have taken this particular ship from New York whether the docket was placed on the envelope or not!

Did They Need Dockets by the 1860s?

By the time we get to letters in the 1860s, the need for writers to include directional docketing had been greatly reduced - though there were times when it was still necessary.  As far as mail from the United States to England goes, the postal service had a pretty good system for getting letters to the earliest departing steamship or identifying the quickest route - there was very little a directional docket would do that would improve that.

As long as the letter above was mailed on time for that New York departure, it was probably going to take the earliest departing ship even without the docket.

But, the letter below might actually have a somewhat useful docket.... maybe.

The docket "via Liverpool" at top left could be construed as a directive to put the letter on one of the shipping lines that went through Liverpool - but it actually did more than that.  You see, the Cunard Line would stop at Cork, Ireland, and offload mail for England there.  That mail would then go by rail, cross the water from Kingston to Holyhead, and then on to London by rail.  

Because this item was headed to Scotland, the writer indicated that it should stay on the ship until it got to Liverpool the next day.  From there it would go to Glasgow.

But, again, there is a question as to exactly how useful the docket might be because the mail volume to the United Kingdom was sufficient that mail to Scotland could have been placed into its own mailbag.  If that were the case, it would take the most efficient route to Scotland without needing the docket. 

Once more, this is a case where we see mail handling in the process of change.  Dockets that were once critical in directing the mail were becoming less important as the amount of mail increased and the mail sorting and routing procedures become more refined.

Back to the Original Cover

Here we are - back at the original item with the docket claiming the letter should go to Boston and leave on the Cunard Steamer Asia on April 25 (Wednesday).  But, clearly, it left New York on a steamer that Saturday (April 28).

The reason for the delay is simple.  The writer did not make it to the post office in time to get the mail to Boston and the departure of the Asia.  The post office simply sent the item to New York, where the next ship was scheduled to sail across the Atlantic.

But, here is the problem for the post office.  The writer makes a claim by saying the letter was to leave Boston on April 25.  The post office provides themselves evidence that it is not THEIR problem by putting the "Too Late" marking on the envelope.  "Hey, George Atkinson.  I don't care what the guy who wrote this says - he didn't get it to us in time for that ship.  Take it up with him!"

This illustrates a bit more about why dockets were still routinely placed on letters.  It could often serve as an attempt to provide evidence of timeliness during an era when it took ten to twelve days to cross the Atlantic - and a missed ship could add three more days to the wait! 

Bonus Docket Fun!

I thought it might be interesting show a docket that was placed on an envelope that instructed a letter to take the overland route to California.  Unlike the prior example, this envelope was traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Yes... that says "overland."  I recognize that these scrawls can be difficult to decipher sometimes, even if you know cursive handwriting.  I have to admit that it helps if you know what sorts of words are likely to be put on an envelope for a docket.  For example, letters traveling across the United States are likely to have dockets that say "overland," "steamer," or "Panama" if there is going to be a directional docket during the 1860s.

This triple weight letter, with nine cents in postage also has a docket on the right hand side of the envelope.  It is oriented so it reads sideways, which is often a signal to me that this is probably a docket applied by the recipient for filing.  Of course, this is not always true, but it is a rule of thumb that has seemed to make sense for material during this time period.

If it is a filing docket, you can often expect names, dates and place names.  Frequently, there might be reference to legal materials that were contents or were referenced by the contents of the letter.  This time, I believe the docket reads "vouchers."  Of course, if someone sees it differently, feel fee to disagree!

I think I will close with a favorite docket of mine.  In this case, we could argue that this is not so much a docket as it is part of the address.  Frankly, I wouldn't be upset either way because my need to call it a docket is secondary.

This letter was mailed from Grand Rapids to Galesburgh, Michigan in Kalamazoo County.  The addressee actually lived closer to a small town outside of Galesburgh.  The docket reads "Please forward to Climax with Daily Mail."  You can learn more about this particular item in a Postal History Sunday titled The Rural Burden, if you have interest.

I hope you enjoyed today's entry.  Have a great remainder day and a fine week to come.

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Thank you for joining me this week.  I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.

Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.

Changes On the Horizon

After a streak of four years where I averaged 300 blog posts each year, I was feeling like it was time to re-assess my writing priorities.  So, I put out the obligatory end of year/beginning of year posts and then I stopped putting much material out beyond Postal History Sunday.  This post will be published on the 24th of the month and it will be the 7th post on this blog for the year.

I can't tell you how strange this has felt - to take a break from writing.  I certainly don't miss the constant low-level stress that came from the internal pressure to produce.  But, then again, I do find myself feeling like I am missing something valuable.  It's almost as if I have removed some of the purpose from my life that, apparently, frequent writing provided for me.

On the other hand, it's not like I have decided to stop writing entirely.  I want to write differently and a nearly daily blog doesn't give space for that.

I've come to realize that I want to raise the quality of my writing.  That means each article or blog post should be given a bit more space and time to become a quality effort.  I've also been feeling pulled more to editing some of my prior work to improve them and raise their quality.  And, I'm even considering putting some of my material into a book format.  All of that is made more difficult if I'm trying to come up with something nearly every day.

 

The other major consideration for these changes is that I recognize that the motivation for my writing is, once again, evolving.  When the blog first started in 2009, it was a move from monthly Genuine Faux Farm newsletters that we sent out in emails and posted on our own website.  About 97% of the posts had something to do with promoting the farm and/or teaching readers about small-scale, diversified farming.  There were a couple of moments where I explored other writing, but that was about it.

Then, the pandemic hit in 2020.  Suddenly people were reaching for connections and I wanted to offer whatever I could to help.  Since, we had already decided that we would scale back the farm and I would take a job with Pesticide Action Network, there was more space for writing.  It turned out that there was a place for my educational posts, philosophical posts, humorous posts and... just a whole lot of posts.  I am fairly certain it was the right thing for me to do at that point in time.  And, I think some people got something positive out of it.

And, yes, regular practice in writing didn't hurt the quality of the material either.

But, as we moved into 2023, it became apparent that the landscape was changing.  People were no longer seeking this sort of connection.  On top of that, the ways I let people know that a new blog was available started to change.  Blogger stopped offering a way to send notices to those who subscribed to the blog.  Social media platforms kept changing their algorithms, making it less likely that interested people would actually see it when I offered new writing.  So, while I am not anxious or interested in becoming "popular," I found that those who had expressed interest weren't hearing that I was producing new things.

All of that put a damper on my enthusiasm.  After all, if I wanted to write a diary, I wouldn't publish it.  I typically write with an audience in mind - even if that audience is just a small (but mighty) one.  But, if you can't reach that audience reliably, the writing becomes an exercise in futility.

Now what?  Things probably shouldn't continue as they have because the old process and method is no longer fulfilling - quite possibly for everyone if no one knows there is material to read!

Well, folks, there are changes on the horizon!

First, I am exploring two new (to me) blogging platforms: Substack and Medium.  I have begun the process of establishing accounts and setting things up there.  In both cases, they allow me to establish an email contact list to those who subscribe.  That means you can opt to be notified via email when new things come out.  THEN, you can decide for yourself if you want to read or ignore each item as they come out.

I think that's a lot better than never knowing you have the option.

Second, I am considering what I want my writing load to be in the coming year.  At present, I can tell you that Postal History Sunday won't end any time soon.  I am also interested in picking up a bit more on an old, familiar topic - small-scale, diversified farming and agroecology.

I like the idea that I might be able to go on Faux Real Story writing sprees when I feel that creative urge.  And, I want to re-work and re-release some of the better posts.  And then, there's that book idea that has rolled around in my head for many years.  The biggest problem with that is the normal issue for me - available time.

That, and I'm often unwilling to keep myself from exploring and expanding my topic area.  Books don't make good places for moving targets.

So, stay tuned (if you actually get here in the first place) - something's coming, and I'm actually starting to feel good about where it's going.

Have a good remainder of your day and thank you for considering my words.

Carried Away Some More - Postal History Sunday

 

Winter has very much arrived and made itself welcome at the Genuine Faux Farm.  After a late start, we've had multiple snows, strong winds, and some bitter cold.  All in a period of a couple of weeks.  

One of the myths that I tell myself about the cold weather is that I'll get to spend more time with the postal history hobby I enjoy.  It's a good story, at least, that helps me tolerate trudging out to the laying hens in wind chills of thirty below.  But the reality is that there are often more, not fewer trips, out to deal with farm chores.  And while I spend less time outside per trip, I probably spend much more time putting on the proper clothing to do the work.

So, this week for Postal History Sunday, I thought I would let myself be carried away some more by carrier covers - all in an effort to forget, if only for a short while, that I have to go collect more eggs before they freeze!

And, before we get into it, it should be noted that the carrier fee to the mails were removed on July 1, 1863.  Since I enjoy studying items with postage stamps bearing the 1861 US design (issued in August 1861), you will find most of the covers shown today will be dated between August of 1861 through June of 1863.  I'll leave it to other folks to show earlier and later items if they wish!

The letter carrier fee "to the mails"

Just two weeks ago, I focused on carrier letters that showed the one cent fee to pay a US mail carrier to collect the letter from an individual or a letter box and take it to the post office.  A small number of the larger cities in the United States provided this service in the 1850s into the 1860s, but their number was increasing as the postal services grew to accommodate the increased volume in mail.  

Persons who are interested in this topic can find examples of a US postage stamp paying the one cent carrier fee from larger cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn and Cleveland.  And it should be noted that this fee was for a carrier employed by the US Post Office.  There were, at the time, competing private carrier services in some locations as well.  

Shown above is an envelope that must have weighed more than 1/2 ounce.  The letter rate for a domestic letter within the United States was 3 cents per 1/2 ounce in weight and this letter bears two 3-cent stamps at the top right to pay that postage.  On the left is a 1-cent stamp to pay the Philadelphia carrier fee to the mails.  That extra penny paid for a US letter carrier to either pick it up from the sender or from one of the post boxes in the city.  That carrier would then take it to the post office where it could be prepared to go with the rest of the mail bound for Boston.

This particular item illustrates the difference between a "rate" and a "fee."  Letters could be sent at the rate of 3 cents per 1/2 ounce.  For an extra fee of one cent, a letter carrier in Philadelphia could bring the letter to the post office for the person wishing to mail the letter.  So, even though this letter weighed over 1/2 ounce, the carrier fee did not double like the postage amount did.  

Carrier to the mails and delivery in New York City

The small envelope shown above is an example of a letter that was taken to the mails by a letter carrier and carried to the addressee by a letter carrier.  We can deduce that it was likely delivered because the address panel includes details for the location of Mary G. Ambler at Number 25 on West 23rd Street.  And, in case that was not enough, there is a docket at bottom left that reads "3 doors from V Avenue Hotel," which is likely referencing the very new Fifth Avenue Hotel that had recently been completed 1859).  A letter that was going to be held at the post office for the recipient to pick up typically would not include a detailed location.

This letter took advantage of the one-cent carrier fee that paid for pick up and delivery of letter mail within New York City.  We can determine this is the case both because there is a one-cent stamp paying the postage and there is a postal marking that is known to indicate this carrier service at the time.  A tracing of this marking (with a different date) is shown below:

Now, before I go much further, I want to point out that a cover with a one-cent stamp alone does not necessarily indicate carrier services.  It's the combination of the one-cent stamp with this particular marking that confirms it for us.  However, there are other situations that might call for a single one-cent stamp on a cover.

The small letter shown above is good example.  The postmark on the stamp is for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the letter is addressed to the same location.  Gettysburg did not have a US postal carrier at the time, so there is no way this paid for those services.  On the other hand, there was a one-cent rate for letters dropped at the post office that were also intended to be picked up at the post office - just as this one was.

So, the take-away here is that we also need to know that the post office in a given town or city actually employed letter carriers before we can consider the possibility of a carrier fee on a cover.

Some were destined to leave the United States

The one-cent fee for carriage to the mails was independent of the postage rate, as we saw with our first example.  But, let's drive that point home a bit further.

Shown above is a letter mailed in Philadelphia and destined to Canada.  The postage rate for a simple letter from the US to Canada was ten cents at the time. And, sure enough, there is a green ten-cent postage stamp at the right paying the cost for that rate.  

This is the part where you say, "Hey!  There's a one-cent stamp on there too.  Philadelphia had letter carriers.  I bet this is an example of carrier service to the mails too!"  And the good news is, you would be correct.  Good job!

An extra penny of postage paid beyond the required postage rate, in addition to the knowledge that there were carriers picking up mail in a given city, makes a strong case for the carrier fee.  

Here's another good candidate.  This letter was mailed from New York City to Staffordshire, England.  The postage rate for a simple letter from the US to the UK at the time was 24 cents for a letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce.  The 24-cent stamp at the left pays that postage rate, and the 1-cent stamp at the right paid for the carrier service in New York City to the mails.

The case is made stronger by the fact that an additional stamp (the 1 cent stamp) was added to this cover in addition to the amount required for the letter postage rate.  Why would a person bother to separate another stamp from the sheet, lick the back, and then stick it on the envelope unless they intended for it to pay for some sort of service?

The answer is: they wouldn't.  So, it is pretty clear the extra penny was intended to pay for the carrier service to the mails.

Here is an example that I hope will illustrate what I mean.  The total postage on this cover is 30 cents.  The postage rate required for this item was 28 cents.  The stamps on the cover include one 24-cent stamp and two 3-cent stamps.  What were the extra two cents intended to pay?  Or did they pay for anything at all?

The item was mailed in New York City, so there were letter carriers available.  So, it is possible this was an attempt to pay carrier services.  But, I don't make the claim that this happened.  Why?

First, the old rate to Brunswick was 30 cents per 1/2 ounce and it had recently (within a few years) been changed.  Also, the rate for letters that were sent unpaid was 30 cents and 28 cents when it was properly paid.  So, it is entirely possible (in fact, likely) that this was a simple mistake in identifying the postage rate.  It is also possible that this was a "convenience overpay."  The person had 3-cent stamps and 24-cent stamps, which didn't provide a good option to get to 28 total cents.  So, they just got as close to the total they could with what they had. 

This would be different if there were 29 cents of postage on this cover and one of the stamps was a one cent stamp.  It certainly would NOT be a convenience overpay - what's convenient about adding another stamp?  And, it would clearly not be due to rate confusion - unless they thought they would take the average of the two and give that a go!

The final piece of evidence is that this letter was mailed in 1865, well after the July 1, 1863 date where the carrier fee was removed.  Since there was no carrier fee, it couldn't have been used to pay it.  But, even if this had been mailed in 1862, I would not make the claim that it was an attempt to pay for carrier service.

That brings us back to another cover that traveled from New York City to England.  This one was mailed in early 1863.  Once again, a 24-cent stamp pays the postage rate and a 1-cent stamp pays the carrier fee to the mails.  Letter carriers did work in New York City.  The date is prior to July 1, 1863.  And, there really isn't any other reason for a person to add a 1-cent stamp to this particular cover other than to pay that carrier fee.

While it is certainly not at all difficult to find covers that illustrate the combination of a carrier fee with the domestic letter rate (3 cents), it is much harder to find examples that traveled to destinations outside of the United States.  They certainly exist, most frequently to Canada.  I have also seen examples with payment for carrier service to the United Kingdom, France and Italy.  There aren't lots of them, but there are enough to confirm that it did happen and to establish patterns so we can more readily identify them.

More competition for the US Post Office

In the Postal History Sunday from two weeks ago, I showed an example of a Blood's Penny Post item where a private carrier picked up the letter and brought it to the post office - instead of a letter carrier employed by the US Post Office.  This week, I am showing an example that was carried by Boyd's City Express (New York City) to the mails.

Like the Philadelphia Boyd's cover, this battered envelope shows a 24-cent stamp that paid the US postage for the rate to the United Kingdom.  It also has a Boyd's City Express stamp that indicates the 1 cent fee they required to carry the letter to the post office had been paid.

1860 business card from John Bowman's Primer on Boyd's City Express

Like Blood's Penny Post, Boyd's City Express opted to ignore the decision that only the US Post Office could carry mail on designated post roads.  Unlike Blood's, who closed in 1862, Boyd's continued to provide their services for local mail delivery until 1883, when government officials raided the business offices.  While fines were levied against them, they remained open for business to carry mail for a couple more years before terminating that service.  However, they changed their business priorities to focus on mailing lists and address labels.

Some of you might have noticed that someone wrote "Paid 24 cts" just above the 24-cent stamp.  In fact, if you look closely, you can see that the stamp is actually placed over the writing.  This tells me that it is likely the letter was handed to a Boyd's letter carrier along with payment for the 24 cents in postage.  Since neither the Boyd's carrier, nor the person sending the letter had a 24-cent stamp, they simply wrote the payment amount on the envelope.  Once the letter carrier got to the post office, they passed on the payment that led to the addition of the postage stamp. 

Like Blood's Penny Post in Philadelphia and the US Postal Office in New York City (and other carrier cities), Boyd's maintained boxes where customers could drop letters for pick up by persons employed as letter carriers by the City Express.  The National Postal Museum includes a description and a photo of one of the two remaining post boxes known to still be in existence today.

Boyd's City Express Post letter drop mailbox - from Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Now, I will grant you that this Boyd's cover is not pretty - lacking a bit in curb appeal.  But, I have yet to find any other example of this combination of Boyd's carrier service to the mail that then goes to the United Kingdom with 24-cents paid by an 1861 series postage stamp.  In other words, as far as I know, it's the prettiest one out there.  That's plenty of curb appeal for me.

Bonus Material

Fifth Avenue Hotel - from History101.nyc

The "V (Fifth) Avenue Hotel" referenced by the docket on our second cover, was located between 23rd and 24th Streets on the southwest corner of Madison Square in Manhatten (NYC) from 1859 to 1908.  Construction was underway in 1856 and reached completion in 1859 at cost around two million dollars.  

During construction, the Fifth Avenue Hotel was dubbed "Eno's Folly" after Amos Eno, the developer responsible for its construction.  Detractors felt that it was too far away from the established city center and would fail to attract patrons.  However, it rapidly attracted the attention of those with power and money, becoming both a cultural and political gathering point for the elite class.

Our second letter was received at a pivotal point for the neighborhood.  The construction and success of the Fifth Avenue Hotel led to further development around Madison Square Park.  Still, in the early 1860s, this hotel was new and it clearly stood out - making it an excellent landmark to use if you wanted to tell a letter carrier you were just three doors away.

Want to learn more?

There are numerous excellent resources available to those who might like to learn more about carrier covers.  The topic is well-studied and much broader than I could possibly cover in a couple of blog posts.  Here are a few suggestions for those who might like to explore a bit more:

The Carriers and Locals Society promotes the study of private carriers and local posts in the United States.  Their site includes articles and exhibits that might be of use.

A short article that methodically summarizes the history of carrier fees and drop letter rates in New York City can be found in the US Philatelic Classics Society Chronicle if you would like to see a broader context of this topic.

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Thank you for joining me this week.  I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.

Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.

Power Politics

There is a family of sayings that go something along the lines of

You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat...... <fill in the blank>.

I have heard this concluded with the words "others," "animals," "wait staff," "nature," "themselves," and "lessers."  And, if I think about it much longer, I suspect the list will get longer and longer.  But the one I seem to recall hearing first was "you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their lessers."

I guess it doesn't exactly matter too much which one of these you select, because they are all true.  You can learn a lot about someone by observing how they react to and deal with other.... things/people/creatures.  The key is taking time to observe with the intent to learn.

But, it does matter when you are talking about "lessers" because it gets us to a bigger problem and a different issue.  So, let me try something here.

Doctor versus janitor?  Wait staff versus manager?  Farmworker vs actuary?  

Don't tell me you don't see a hierarchy there because I think it highly likely that every person who reads this blog was trained to believe that a person who is a doctor has a more valuable profession than a person who pushes a mop around a school.  And, by extension, a manager is afforded more respect than a waiter or waitress.  And who tells their child that they should consider school subject matter to become a farmworker instead of a nice office job working with numbers?

In fact, I may be a perfect case in point.  Do you think it's more impressive that I've been a professor of Computer Science or that I've been what some would call a "truck farmer."  You tell me, which one would you encourage your own children to go to school to learn to be?

It is difficult to get away from value judgements about the relative worth of people, animals, things and occupations.  Part of the key is recognizing them for what they are and then moving forward.

If you want to admit it or not, we do work from assumptions that certain occupations are inherently worthy of more respect than others.  It isn't uncommon to hear a parent admonish a child to work hard so they don't end up doing the job someone else is doing - clearly indicating that the person doing the work failed to be successful, so they are stuck doing an undesirable job that is, nonetheless, still a job that needs doing.

Jobs like - cleaning out the chicken coop.

Whether you find it to be annoying or frustrating or whatever, I don't think we'll ever get away from value comparisons because they are simply part of the varied and complex life that is on this Earth.  Inspector is bigger than Soup who is bigger than Murphy.  Murphy will win every foot race with the other two cats as long as all three are given an even chance and they all try their hardest.  Inspector is the strongest of the three and could knock Murphy sprawling ... if he can catch her.

Some jobs have more power simply by nature of what the person must do.  A doctor, by nature of having more knowledge about the human body, has what might be an inordinate amount of power over my health, even though my body is not theirs.  A teacher has a certain amount of power over those who attend classes.  But in those cases, I tend to believe that the members of these professions do well to have the heart of a servant because the responsibility of holding that power is great.

Using myself as an example, once again, I have more skill, aptitude, knowledge in some areas that put me at an advantage when it comes to writing.  Should I hold myself back just so everyone is equal?  Of course not - but how I treat those who do not have the same skillset matters and tells others a great deal about me.  

If my role in a school were to be a director, the person holding the overall strategy of how the school runs, then there is certainly a certain power that I would hold.  Similarly, the janitor holds a particular power as well.  It is different, of course, but no less important.  What matters is how each person holds their responsibilities and uses their skills while treating others with different occupations and abilities with respect that honors who each person is.

It's not supposed to be easy, because the world is gloriously complex.  Everyone is different and the things we do are not easily compared.  Yet we still seek to order things according the power we think they should have.  I guess it might be natural to most humans.  But if we recognize it, we can address it - and maybe come to a better understanding.

Then we can simply say that we can learn a lot about each other by observing how they interact with people who are different from themselves, without the need to ascertain who is superior or who is inferior.  What an interesting thought.

Purple Fire Starters - Postal History Sunday

My origins as a postal historian have roots in my early interest in collecting postage stamps (philately).  As a kid on a shoestring budget, my first source of stamps for collecting came from mail items that my family received, closely followed by stamps torn from covers that were saved by relatives.  The postal historian in me shudders that I may well have been responsible for the destruction of some interesting covers.  But, if it were not for the willingness of people to at least salvage the stamps on my behalf, I may never have explored postal history at all.

With my limited income, I could still go down to either the music store, which had some stamps and supplies for collectors, or the "five and dime," and periodically pick up a packet of mixed stamps.  On those days I could be found spending way too much time trying to pick the packet that had the most "new to me" stamps visible in the envelope through its clear window.  I even "splurged" one day for a BAG of stamps.

That bag introduced me to the thought that not all stamps have the same value to a collector.  Especially when your bag of 1000 stamps had about fifty exciting and new stamps and then multiple copies of other, less exciting, stamps.  For example, there had to be at least one hundred of the three-cent purple Jefferson stamps of the 1938 Presidential Series, which was produced through 1954.  Let's just say there was a significant amount of "buyer's remorse" after that purchase.

The three-cent purple stamp paid the most common postal rate for a simple letter mailed within the United States.  Which means, of course, there were (and still are) lots and lots of covers featuring this stamp - like the one shown below: 

This cover is actually a pretty nice looking example of a typical simple internal letter paying the 3-cent rate for the United States.  The cover is in good repair.  The markings are all clear.  The address and return address are easy to read.  The postage stamp has a nice color, is well centered, and in good repair.  Even the envelope is a nice shade of blue rather than a dingy white. 

But, it still has that darned purple fire starter!

My partner, Tammy, joked many years ago that we should take the hundreds and hundreds of copies of this stamp I had in shoe boxes, bundle them up and use them to start fires.  Or, maybe we could dip them in wax and make candles out of them.  And, I'll tell you that the disappointed young collector wasn't entirely upset by this suggestion.  But, the collector in me always balks - because you never know when you might find something special.

Other Fire Starters

Postal history is not immune to the concept of "fire starters."  The most common piece of saved mail will be a simple letter that shows a typical use of the most common stamp and/or most common markings for that period and place.  If there was a reasonable amount of mail volume in the first place, there will most certainly be a class of items that will be plentiful enough to make the collector say, "Oh... another one of.. THOSE."

For example, the 1861 US series of stamps I favor also features a three-cent stamp that paid the rate for a simple domestic letter.  There are lots of examples of this stamp on cover that survive today - even after 160 years.  If you wanted to add a piece of real history in the form of an old envelope, you could do so for very little cost.  In fact, if you're not picky about how it looks, there are people who might happily gift one to you if you showed real interest.

So, why would someone want to pay attention to them in the first place?  What makes one of these fire starters worth attention?

For the 1861 cover shown above, you might notice that it is also a clean and well preserved cover, despite its age.  That, in itself, is a good start.  The color shade of the stamp provides some interest, as do the blue postmarks.  It's a neat curiosity that the year date is upside down.  And maybe the addressee is of interest.  In short, there are many ways a piece of postal history can get our attention - even if it is associated with something that can be found in abundance.

Exceptions to the rule

Just because a three-cent purple Jefferson is associated with the most common type of US domestic mail in the 1940s, it could still be used in combination with other stamps.  For example, here is a 1947 envelope that includes a Special Delivery stamp that was intended to pay for additional services.

Once again, the cover is in good shape and it looks pretty nice.  But, there is also the possibility that there is more story to be told with this item.

Then there is this letter that was mailed from Des Moines, Iowa, in 1941 to Venezuela.  This letter took the more expensive Air Mail services to speed its delivery.  It was also inspected by a censor on August 5, with World War II actively engaged - even if the US was not directly involved at the time.

Once again, this letter clearly has more going on than a simple domestic letter.  Even if you are not a postal historian, you would probably notice this envelope if it were in a pile of covers that looked like the first one I showed for this article. 

But, what if I show you this one?

Yes.  It's a simple, domestic letter.  It has that darned fire starter stamp on it.  If it were in that same pile of covers, you might not notice it if you quickly flipped through everything - because, for the most part, there's nothing that easily makes it stand out.

But this envelope is part of a very important story that is part of United States World War II history.

Executive Order 9066

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.  This order directed the War Department to establish "military areas" where anyone could be excluded from access.  This action came about due to increasing public pressure based on growing anti-Japanese hysteria.  Top government officials, such as Attorney General Biddle and Secretary of War Stimson did not necessarily feel the move was a good one and worried that it might not be legal.  But, those who insisted the policy was needed to ensure public safety on the West Coast convinced them to recommend the action to the President.

Executive Order 9066 allowed the military the power to remove persons of Japanese descent from California, Oregon and Washington.  The War Relocation Authority was created and a system of Assembly and Relocation Centers were created.  Most Assembly Centers were fairgrounds and racetracks on the West Coast.  Santa Anita Park, an equestrian racetrack in southern California, temporarily housed detainee families in horse stalls. 

There were ten Relocation Centers that are more accurately described as prison camps.  While each camp included schools, post offices, work facilities and land to grow food, they were also surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers.  Those who were labeled as dissidents were sent to a special prison camp in Tule Lake, California.  Two camps were located on Native American reservations despite protests of the tribal councils there.

By August of 1942, approximately 112,000 persons were sent to the Assembly Centers for processing to the Relocation Centers.  Two-thirds of these people were citizens of the United States and had not been charged with disloyalty to the US.  Still, they had no mechanism to appeal their detention and loss of property.  They were forced to leave homes, jobs, businesses and communities, along with most of their possessions, and when they returned at war's end, many found what they had left behind was gone.

Heart Mountain

One of the prison camps was located in Wyoming at Heart Mountain.  This Relocation Center consisted of a 740 acre site that included 650 buildings (450 barracks) and was surrounded by barbed wire and nine guard towers.  At its peak, over ten thousand people were confined at this camp and those incarcerated there grew their own food on 1,100 acres of nearby land.

Barracks were laid out in blocks separated by unpaved roads.  Kiyoshi Honda, our letter writer, lived in Block 17, according to his return address.  Each block consisted of 24 barracks, two mess halls, two latrine buildings, laundry facilities and two recreation buildings.  The address "Block 17 - 3 - B"  identified the writer's barracks building.

Heart Mountain Internment Camp - from Univ of Wyoming / American Heritage Center

There are several resources that discuss the history and events surrounding the imprisonment of Japanese peoples during World War II in the United States, but the best resource I have found thus far is the Densho Encyclopedia.  I strongly advise interested readers to visit that site, which includes recorded oral histories in addition to images and other materials.  Much of the details that follow for both Heart Mountain and Camp Amache were gleaned from their materials.

From Densho Encyclopedia - viewed 1/6/24

The location for the Heart Mountain site was not selected for habitability.  Instead, the location was intended to isolate the internees from the rest of the population. The land was barren and unwelcoming, especially considering where most detainees had lived prior to their arrival at Heart Mountain.

The Heart Mountain site started rapid and slipshod construction of the necessary buildings in June of 1942.  While around 2000 people were employed in the building process, construction experience was deemed unnecessary - if you could drive a nail with a hammer, you qualified.  While construction of over 500 buildings were completed by August, most were poorly suited to withstand the extreme weather typical for Wyoming.  Doors and windows were often poorly installed and would not close completely.  Detainees began arriving in mid-August and did what they could by hanging spare sheets and stuffing cracks with rags and newspapers.

The Heart Mountain prison camp is known for the acts of protest undertaken by members of the detainee population.  Rather than paraphrase, I thought the following from the Densho Encyclopedia would serve well:

"The latent antagonism between Caucasian authorities and inmates came to boil ... when military police arrested 32 young children for sledding outside of camp boundaries. Although the children were released to their parents, inmates were quick to condemn the treatment of the children by the police. Amidst rising tension the army attempted to recruit volunteer workers to construct a barbed wire fence around the perimeter of the camp. The majority of working-age men went on strike, refusing to participate in the project. They questioned the army's justification for erecting the fence; namely the attempt to keep stray cattle from entering the campgrounds. Three thousand inmates signed a petition "charging that the fence proved that Heart Mountain was indeed a 'concentration camp' and that the evacuees were 'prisoners of war.'"

Of course, there was an effort by government to use semantics to justify the forced removal of these people from the West Coast while still making it sound less like they were actual prisoners.  Detainees at Heart Mountain were clearly aware of the picture being painted in the press that worked to put a good face on the matter and they were not willing to accept that without a struggle.

 

 Camp Amache

Camp Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, is located near the towns of Granada and Lamar, Colorado.  This Relocation Center provides an interesting contrast to Heart Mountain. Colorado's Governor Ralph Carr was the only western governor to support the establishment of a Relocation Center in his state.  The administrators of Camp Amache were, in general, considered to "have a deep regard for fairness" and some of the teachers petitioned to move to the camp so they could better serve their students.

The agricultural efforts of the detainees were fairly successful, producing over 4 million pounds of produce in 1943 alone.  The camp even had a silk screen printing shop.  Established in June of 1943, the Amache silkscreen shop produced over 250,000 color posters under a contract with the US Navy.

Camp Amache - from National Park Service

The sender of this letter, Sam Okubara, actually served in the US Army after World War II in Japan as a language instructor (presumably teaching the Japanese the English language).  The relatively "friendly" conditions at Camp Amache correlated with higher numbers of volunteers for military service. 

The following also comes from the Densho Encyclopedia:

"A total of 953 men and women from Amache volunteered or were drafted for military service during WWII. Of this number, 105 were wounded and 31 killed in action. Among those killed was Kiyoshi Muranaga who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor . However, not all Amacheans responded favorably to the notice for induction into the military. Thirty-one men from Amache were tried for draft evasion, found guilty, and sent to prison in Tucson, Arizona."

I think it is important to point out that, while Japanese people in these camps were denied their freedoms, they were still subject to being drafted for military service.  I don't think it takes too much imagination to understand why many of those drafted would be inclined to say "no" and accept the punishment of doing so in protest.

Okubara family in mess hall - from Mill Valley Public Library

 

The Okubara family was forcibly removed from their home in Mill Valley, California in April of 1942. The Spring 2019 Mill Valley Historical Society Review features the story of the removal of Japanese citizens, including the Okubaras. The Mill Valley Public Library includes images of the family, including the one shown above.  Sam can be seen as the second person from the right (in uniform).  Sam's parents, Tora and Harry can be seen at the left.

While Tora would die from heart failure at the camp in 1945, both Sam and his father would return to Mill Valley at the end of World War II.  Sam would then depart to serve in Japan soon after.  The story in the Mill Valley Historical Society Review is worth a read if you want to get a better flavor of events for that community.

Granada Pioneer - from Library of Congress

While detainees found themselves in less than desirable situations, they still did what they could to build community.  Many of the camps created their own newspapers as evidenced by the masthead of a May, 1944 edition of the Granada Pioneer (Camp Amache) shown above.  Reading the contents of these papers show the tensions that reflect the rejection of their loyalty to the land in which they lived and their connections to their homeland or the homeland of their ancestors.  They also reflect what was likely a wide range of opinions regarding how they should react within the population of prisoners in these camps.

From Oct 14, 1942 Granada Camp Bulletin

From Oct 17, 1942 Granada Camp Bulletin

The Granada Pioneer had its start as a camp bulletin that began publication on October 14, 1942.  In that issue, it becomes clear that the addition of several thousand people to a small, rural population did not come without significant strain on the existing communities.  One article makes note (shown above at left) that the rural Granada post office struggled to handle the sudden boom in mail volume.  Another mentions that passes to shop in Lamar were not going to be offered because internees had cleaned off the merchants shelves, leaving nothing for the local farmers.  Subsequent bulletins for the next week indicate that rapid adjustments were being made and the Lamar Chamber of Commerce was now courting business from those at Camp Amache.

While the War Relocation Authority named this the Grenada Relocation Center, the US Post Offices recognition of the name Amache seems to have resulted in the latter name receiving more use.  By the time this letter was sent, the post office in the camp had its own cancellation device, though I expect it was in use sooner than this.

And finally, you might notice that both envelopes were addressed to the newspaper named the Denver Post.  Sam Okubara's letter may well have contained payment for a newspaper subscription since his letter was addressed to the subscription office.  However, a very faint marking on that envelope indicates that it was in the Steno Department on the 17th of October.

Since there are no contents, we can't be wholly certain of anything.  Though it seems odd that a mere subscription would require the efforts of the Stenographer Department.  If anyone has insight on this, I would be happy to hear it.

And that is how two of what must be many fairly common-looking covers elevate themselves well above firestarter status.  They shine a light, without being subjected to burning, on a time in history that we should contemplate and learn from.  Thank you for joining me today.  I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.

Bonus Material - the Prexies

The 1938 Presidential Series is often referred to by philatelists as the Prexie Series or the Prexies.  And, of course, there are people who love to collect and explore the history and postal history that surrounds them.  The United States Stamp Society has a nice overview of the entire issue that you can look at if you want to learn more.  This online exhibit by Hal Klein can give you an overview of the rates these stamps could pay.

If you like even MORE detail about the stamps and their production, you can go to this page on the Stamp Smarter site.  It is here that you might notice the stamp production numbers for each denomination.  The three-cent Jefferson had a total production level of 130 BILLION copies during the 1938-54 period.  The next highest production number for a denomination in this issue is about a quarter of that.  Now you might get an idea of why there are so many of them out there.

Yet, despite the relatively common occurrence of this particular stamp, a person can find truly interesting, and very worthwhile, things.

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Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.