Post Office Records
http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/postal.html
http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/postal.html

Post office records may deliver interesting information to the genealogical
researcher seeking more information about an ancestor or an ancestor's
community. Microfilmed records include postmaster appointment records and
records showing the location of post offices. 

Records of Postmaster Appointments

Postmaster appointments before 1832 are found in National Archives microfilm
publication M1131, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, Oct. 1789-1832 (4
rolls) [http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/m1131.html]. Arranged alphabetically by
name of post office, these records include the name of each post office and the
state in which it was located, dates of establishment and discontinuance of post
offices, the names of postmasters, and dates of postmasters' appointments. For
example, the post office of Frostville, Cuyahoga County, OH, was established
January 31, 1829, with Dr. Elias C. Frost appointed first postmaster. Although
these records do not indicate when the postmaster resigned or was terminated,
his or her length of service can be approximated by noting the date of
appointment of the postmaster's successor. 

Postmaster appointments after 1832 are found in National Archives microfilm
publication M841, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-Sept. 30, 1971 (145
rolls). These records are arranged alphabetically by state, thereunder by
county, and then by name of post office. The content is similar to the pre-1832
records. 

Postmasters served as little as a few months to more than 30 years. One such
long-serving postmaster was Elihu O. Lyman of Mulberry Corners, Geauga County,
OH, who served a total of 31 years, from February 1852 to March 1865 and January
1867 to August 1885. Some persons were appointed several times, such as Dr.
William M. Hayford who was four times appointed as postmaster of Hartland,
Livingston County, MI. Dr. Hayford was first appointed on January 15, 1853,
followed by Abraham F. Chambers, who was appointed January 30, 1856, who Dr.
Hayford succeeded on January 23, 1857. Dr. Hayford's third appointment was on
January 28, 1859, followed by Chauncy P. Worden on March 19, 1861. Dr. Hayford's
final appointment was on June 5, 1885, followed by G. Winfield Wallace, who was
appointed April 24, 1889.

Sometimes, control of the post office was a family affair. The Denmark,
Ashtabula County, OH, post office provides examples of this phenomena. Its
postmasters included Elihu "Knap" and Horace Knapp; Ebenezer Williams, William
H. Williams, and Henry E. Williams; Giles Ives, his son-in-law William H.
Seager, and Daniel K. Palmer, who was father-in-law of Lewis Ives, a son of
Giles Ives. (Family relationships are not stated in these records). 

Women were frequently appointed postmasters of small rural post offices, with
their numbers increasing in the last quarter of the 19th century. In 1895, for
example, some of the women serving as Ohio postmasters included Lizzie Davis,
Achor; Sarah E. Shisler, Adair; Carrie Billett, Alcony; Almira Bachman, Alexis;
Elza I. Conkey, Alfred; Ellen A. Bard, Alice; Annie E. Barrett, Alpha; Allethe
J. Smith, Amsterdam; Lydotia Williams, Angel; Alice Penn, Antioch; Kate
Crumbacker, Antrim; Irene H. Henry, Anvil; Sarah Arbaugh, Arbaugh; Gertie H.
Musgrave, Arena; Anna S. Campbell, Ash Ridge; Ida Jump, Austin; Sarah A. Bargar,
Bargar; Olive L. Hibler, Bier; Lucy A. Nupp, Black Jack; and Ella A. Clark,
Boardman. 

Records of Post Office Locations

Information about the physical location of post offices is found in National
Archives Microfilm Publication M1126, Post Office Department Records of Site
Locations, 1837-1950 (683 rolls). The quantity and quality of information about
each post office varies but it may be useful for learning more about an
ancestor's community. 

Early site reports are relatively infrequent and often contain little
information. An undated report for Frostville, Cuyahoga County, OH, for example,
simply states that neighboring post offices are Rockport, which is 7 miles
northeast, and Copopa, which is 6 miles south. It also states that the
Frostville post office is on the west side of the Rockey [sic] River, 7 1/2
miles from its mouth at Lake Erie. 

Site reports become more common and more informative after 1870. Information
generally includes the post office's proximity to nearby rivers, creeks, postal
routes, railroad stations, and to other post offices. Many postmasters requested
permission to move the post office to a more convenient location. They
frequently submitted maps with the site reports. Most maps relating to rural
post offices are hand-drawn, while many relating to cities are annotated copies
of published street maps, especially after 1900. 

These maps vary in content. For example, postmaster J.K. McNutt of Eagleville,
Ashtabula County, OH, submitted a hand-drawn map in 1889 showing nine townships
covering a 225 square mile area. He included the position of his post office in
relation to two railroad lines; several roads, rivers, and creeks; and one dozen
other post offices. The postal site reports for Dorset, Ashtabula County, OH,
include an undated map, probably circa 1905, of the commercial area of Dorset
Township. The map shows the locations of the current and proposed post office
sites, two churches, a cheese factory, two hotels, two stores, and the railroad
depot. The Dorset postmaster wanted to move the post office from the south end
of the commercial district to its center.

Post Office Names

Before 1891, the Post Office Department had no written policies about post
office names. Post office names were derived from several sources, including
names of towns, townships, neighborhoods, crossroads, or from the postmaster's
name or place of business. The post office of Chesterland in Geauga County, OH,
was in Chester Township. A second post office in the same township was named
Mulberry Corners after its location in an area where a farmer had once grown
mulberry trees. Dr. Frost named his post office "Frostville" after himself; it
was located in the village of Olmsted Falls. Subsequent postmasters changed its
name to Norris Falls in 1843, Olmsted in 1845, and Olmsted Falls in 1889. In
1819 the post office of Carson's Tavern, OH, was obviously the location of a
tavern operated by postmaster William J. Carson, while in 1821-1823 the post
office of Gassaway's Mill, OH, was undoubtedly the location of a mill operated
by postmaster Nicholas Gassaway. 

Information about policies for assigning post office names after 1891 can be
found in Arthur Hecht and William J. Heynen, comps., Records and Policies of the
Post Office Department Relating to Place-Names, Reference Information Paper No.
72 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1975)
[http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/rif72.html]. 

Where to Find these Records

Washington, DC

The Microfilm Reading Room (Room 400) in the National Archives Building, 700
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, has microfilmed post office records.
For listings of records available as National Archives microfilm publications,
see listings for Record Group 28, Records of the Post Office Department, in
Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National Archives
Microfilm Publications (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1996). 

Regional Records Services Facilities

Most National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional records
services facilities have some microfilmed post office records; call to verify
their availability [http://clio.nara.gov/genealogy/genindex.html#regional].

For more information

For more information about assignment of post office names after 1891, consult:

An excerpt from Arthur Hecht and William J. Heynen, comps., Records and Policies
of the Post Office Department Relating to Place-Names, Reference Information
Paper No. 72 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1975)
[http://www.nara.gov/publications/microfilm/comprehensive/compcat.html].

For more information about post office records available as National Archives
microfilm publications, consult:

Listings for Record Group 28, Records of the Post Office Department, in
Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National Archives
Microfilm Publications (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1996), which is available on-line or for purchase.

For more information about post office records that have not microfilmed,
consult:

Arthur Hecht, et al., comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Post
Office Department. Preliminary Inventory No. 168. (Washington, DC: National
Archives and Records Service, 1967). 

For a listing of some postal maps, consult:

Janet L. Hargett, comp., List of Selected Maps of States and Territories. Select
List No. 29. (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1971). 

Many books about post offices and postmarks have been published.... you may be
able to borrow them through interlibrary loan. Contact your local public library
for assistance. These books are not in NARA. For titles of other books on postal
history, consult the Library of Congress on-line catalog
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/catalog/].... 

This essay is adapted from "Post Office Records 'Deliver'," The Record, vol. 3,
No. 1, pp. 21-22 (Sept. 1996).

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