Stampless Covers and Folded Letters

SAMUEL HUMES was born June 23, 1804 in Milton, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. He was the third of six children born to John and Mary (Duncan) Humes, as follows: Mary, Martha; Samuel; Jane; Elizabeth and John. He was educated at the old Milton Academy, and clerked in a store for some time at Milton. About 1824 he formed a partnership with Samuel Lloyd, and carried on a general mercantile business Jersey Shore for three years. Mr. Humes then became sole proprietor and conducted the business alone until 1848, when his son, John Harvey Humes was admitted to a full partnership, which existed until the death of Mr. Humes, in 1859. The business was closed out in 1865. Mr. Humes was a director in Jersey Shore National Bank from its organization to the time of his death. He was also a director and stockholder in the Jersey Shore and Lewisburg Turnpike and Bridge company, afterwards known as the Jersey Shore Company. He was a Whig in politics, and served as postmaster of Jersey [Shore] for several years. He was an active and consistent member of the Presbyterian church and served as trustee in that organization. Mr. Humes was a self-made man in the strictest sense of the term [and] was highly respected by the community in which he so long resided. He was twice married, first to Ann, daughter John Baily, of which this union John Harvey, now a resident of Philadelphia, was the only child to grow to maturity. His second wife second wife was Rachel B. Humes.

The business in Philadelphia in the period:

Here you go Zipper! Here is one or two from my hometown collection. Lewistown is a town in an adjacent county (Mifflin Co.) and I used to frequent it with my Grandparents so I thought it only a natural progression to pick 1 up. This one has a dual or overlapping frank of 10 over 5.


tomiseksj:
A reason for the increased postage



A little on Lewistown, Pa.

Early history:

The borough was incorporated in 1795 and was named for William "Bill" Lewis, a Quaker and a member of the legislature, who was responsible for the designation of the borough, which was then known as the Village of Ohesson, as the county seat of Mifflin County.
During the late 19th century Mifflin County became the crossroads of the Commonwealth. Located near the geographic center of the state, the area became a hub for traffic moving in every direction.
Early roads crisscrossed the region, but it was the eventual construction of the Pennsylvania Canal and the railroads that followed that truly positioned Mifflin County as an economic force in the state.
Lewistown, as the major city in Mifflin County, saw its economy expand dramatically as entrepreneurs launched companies to construct canal boats or build inns offering lodging for travelers and workers.
At its zenith, Mifflin County was one of the busiest centers for cargo and passenger traffic in the United States. But with the demise of the canal system, Mifflin County eventually lost its place as a major transportation hub.

American Civil War:

On April 16, 1861, Lewistown sent its Logan Guards, a militia group originally formed in 1858, to Washington, D.C. for its defense. They were one of only five companies, all recruited in Pennsylvania, to share the honor of being the first U.S. troops sent to the capital. Monument Square, situated at the intersection of Main and Market Streets in Lewistown, serves as a memorial to these men.



Dr. Elias W. Hale, here's his life history:
 {Information gratefully gathered by wt1}

Back:





Martin D. Chandler (07/01/1842 - 09/08/1892) was a Civil War Veteran:




There was some question about his disability and whether or not he was eligible for a pension, which was later resolved based on these documents:
 {info provided by wt1}


 

{all information provided by wt1}
His gravestone is shown at this link:

vermontcivilwar.org/cem/virt...?input=11715

Here's a link to a postcard postmarked September 23, 1892 about his pension addressed to Mrs. Dora C. Chandler, presumably his wife:

www.henrydeeks.com/shop/civi...rod_751.html

wt1 said:

North Montpelier, Vermont is a DPO (discontinued post office) which may make the postmark shown on the back of that cover from that location all the more collectible.

It's something to the effect of running out of some sort of produce items and a drunk fellow "that barely drew a sober breath the whole trip" lol. I noticed that the writer spells the word "THE" like "THEY". This is very VERY hard to read! I usually can make out most writing that I encounter from this time period. It's a copperplate style of cursive but the sloppyness of the writers pen and the atrocious spelling as well as huge run-on sentences make it almost illegible! Still I like it and I thank you for showing this. I have seen this before but I don't remember seeing the contents then.

This is the first stampless folded letter that I acquired. Horatio McPherson, cashier of the Washington County Bank in Williamsport, Maryland is notifying Elie Beatty, cashier of the Hagerstown Bank in Hagerstown, Maryland of a $50 credit. 

The  32x27mm black oval WILLIAMSPORT/MD. postmark was in use between 1832 and 1837. Per the letter content, the SFL was postmarked on February 13, 1835.

Founded on March 12, 1807, the Hagerstown Bank was originally a business association headed by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester. Elie Beatty was one of the original officers and served primarily as cashier. He resigned from the bank on April 23, 1859 and died three days later at the age of eighty-three.

The Williamsport, Maryland bank was incorporated under the name Washington County Bank on February 22, 1832. McPherson, who served as the bank's cashier, died at 35 years of age on June 3, 1836.

Hey Zipper! look at this site. There are contemporary photos of Peterboro N.H. I thought that you may enjoy - www.nh.searchroots.com/HillsboroughCo/Peterborough/photographs.html

edit:
I wanted to research this out a little bit for you but I just cannot make out the elderly persons handwriting? Is the last name W. Ward perhaps? What is the state initials below that? If you can make any of it out please forward me the information. Need a "rosetta stone" for that one huh? lol



Here you go you try it!  (I'm sorry Zipper, I just couldn't resist! I'm in a very rare good mood this morning)

Yup, I think you are correct. Thank you Rod!  I corrected it and accredited you for it! Thanks again!

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