Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
First, it's a piece of postal history from my birthplace. I was born in Maquoketa, Iowa. I have several other covers addressed to Mr. Mahony, who was, apparently, the tax collector for Jackson County in the late 19th century. Baldwin is 6 miles West of where I spent most of my childhood. Some of my closest acquaintances are from Baldwin, and my younger brother went to primary school in Baldwin.
Second, it's railroad related. At first, I could not determine if the postmark was "R.R." for Rural Route, or "R.R." for railroad. It took me a long time to figure out what the rest of the postmark is, but I've settled on "ANAM. IO." for Anamosa, Iowa. This was the town at the western terminus of the branch of the Chicago and North Western Railroad that passed through Baldwin and Maquoketa on its way to the mainline in Lyons, just before crossing the Mississippi River. It seems the postcard was put on the westbound train from Baldwin for delivery to Maquoketa, 9 miles east of there and was cancelled in Anamosa. The railroad was largely defunct from the early 1960s. I used to hunt pheasants on the old right-of-way, a few hundred yards south of where we lived. I'd guess that a large part of this branch line's revenue was from hauling limestone from Stone City (west of Anamosa) to river barges on the Mississippi.
Finally, WHAT a poignant message on the card!
Enjoy!
Isn't postal history interesting?
-Paul
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Usually a railroad postmark will contain the name of the railroad, not the town, such as "Boston, Troy & Albany", and the "RPO" on the bottom of the cancel to show it was handled by a railway post office.
I'm not familiar with the predecessor railroads of the Chicago and North Western. If Anam was a terminus, then the railroad name could include it. I don't know about the rest, however.
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I have been able to document branch lines that did carry the mails, but were too small to have an RPO. This would appear to be another example of that. This branch of the Chicago North Western was only about 40 miles in length. The CNW had about 5000 miles of railroads in the Midwest, so this branch line was just a tiny piece. I think there were only about 8 stations along this branch. I have not seen a name for this branch, but it is shown on old maps.
The definitive documentation of railroad carriage of the mails would be to gather evidence of payments by the PO Department to the railroad for this route. These payments are reported in the Official Register, but only by route number. For example, there are hundreds of individual payments to the Pennsylvania Rail Road shown, all listed separately by route number. So far, I have been unable to find a key that links these route numbers to descriptions or names of the branches.
-Paul
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Maybe it was Rural Route. I seem to remember that these were contract people who either used a manuscript cancel or supplied their own cancel device. So I am assuming there would be a variety of cancel types.
I love the content on this card! Not something I'd put on a postcard for anyone to see!
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Tom, after further thought, I have kind of ruled out the 'Rural Route hypothesis' because the concept did not really exist until RFD came into being in the early 20th century (year?). But, I do concur with your assessment that this was probably an 'unofficial' or custom-ordered cancelling device. A look at the ads in the contemporary Official Registers reveals many vendors of cancelling devices, made to order. Anything was possible, in the day...
And, anglophile, I have consciously avoided "confirmation bias" by simply identifying the unmistakable characters in the cancellation - the "N", the "A", the "M", the "I", the "O", and the two "R"s. Then, being intimately familiar with the geographical area, I have looked at anything that could fit that string of characters. There really is no other possibility than an abbreviation of Anamosa, Iowa. That said, I will take your advice on rescanning the item (I haven't received the actual item yet, the scan I used was lifted from eBay). And, there's no substitute for examination of the original item under magnification!
Another possibility I thought of is that the sender may have actually ridden the train westwards from Baldwin to Anamosa, writing the card during the trip, and posting it upon his arrival in Anamosa.
I'd just express my opinion that Railway Post Offices were not the only, and perhaps not even the most important instrument for distribution of the mails via railroad, especially in areas served by these short branch lines, some (many?) of which did not have RPOs. Nevertheless, I believe that the railroads were extremely important and a common method for mail carriage, particularly in the pre-automotive era. To wit, I note the common co-location of railroad stations and POs in the day...
I did find an entry for a railway post office in the POD Annual Report linked above for the Clinton to Anamosa branch of Chicago North Western RR, route number 27024, and indicating that there were no railcars designated for this route. Somewhere, (the Official Register?) I should be able to link the route number to the amounts paid by the POD for service.
Just FYI, here is a contemporary image of "C. & N. W. R." engine 602 at the depot, which sadly, no longer stands, along east Platt St, in Maquoketa. On a satellite view, you can still trace the old railbed, which crossed the street at an angle. The depot building survived well into the 1990s, if memory serves...
This locomotive was probably in use in the 1880s, by its configuration (4-4-0). Maquoketa was midway between the Anamosa and Lyons. Sometime in my early childhood, the tracks west of Maquoketa were torn up, but the tracks to the east survived into the mid- to late-1960s. For those truly interested, the feature just to the north of Quarry Street, on the east side of the tracks was a cattle yard that accumulated cattle for shipment to the packing plants in Chicago, by rail, no doubt, back in the day. Just across the tracks was a feed mill. My veterinarian father and I used to work cattle in these yards on a frequent basis when I was in my pre-teens...
Stay Tuned, and THANKS for the input!
-Paul
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Postcard just arrived in today's mail.
High resolution scan of postmark:
And, after having thoroughly researched the reference that anglophile provided above, I find, on page 111, an entry showing that $3059.61 was paid in 1882 by the POD to serve Iowa Midland R.R., a branch of the parent Chicago North Western Railroad for a space of 12 feet by 7 feet 3 inches on a single railcar, employing 2 crews each with a single clerk to work on the line. This service was provided on 6 round trips per week between Anamosa and Clinton, Iowa.
Now, looking at the postmark a little more carefully, my conclusion is that it is actually:
IOWA MID. R.R.
According to various sources I have researched today, Iowa Midland R.R. was operational between 1870 and 1884, and after 1872, wholely owned by C.& N.W.R.R.
The results of this research add value (to me) FAR above the purchase price of $10 for this item. If I could find 20 more similar items at that price, I'd buy 'em all!
Thanks for your interest!
-Paul
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Paul,
Some great research on your postcard! I am glad you figured out the postmark. My mother grew up on a dairy farm outside of Anamosa. I spent many a summer in my youth visiting aunts and uncles who lived in Anamosa. My family history runs deep in Jones County. My parents are buried in Anamosa's Riverside Cemetery near Grant Wood's grave, the famous artist.
Linus
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Thanks Linus!
I had a hunch you'd weigh in!
I just finished attempting to trace the old railbed from Anamosa to Maquoketa on googlemaps, and about 80% of it can still be made out, especially where it passes through the small towns of Amber, Center Junction, Monmouth, Baldwin, and Nashville. I can remember, as a child, the rail line crossing US61 on the south edge of Maquoketa, and going east right along the north edge of Horseshoe Pond.
In Anamosa, it looks like the old railbed was parallel to what is now known as Old Dubuque Rd, on the north side of the road, passing what is now the Middle School.
Also, in the 1896 Postmaster General's report, it shows that there was no longer space on a railcar for use as a railway post office on this branch line. But, the annual rate of pay in 1896 for mail carriage on the line had increased to $5132.23. And, of course, the "Iowa Midland" name is gone. It was gone by 1885, I believe...
Keeping my eyes peeled for more covers from this interesting era. And, I just ordered a book: Midland Branch in Iowa, by Paul R. Horst.
By the way, Clinton, Iowa has a fascinating and very rich railroad history, which is easily found online.
-Paul
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Here's another very obscure RPO that I picked up yesterday:
I found almost nothing on the Phila. & Port Deposit (MD) RR online. But, the place names were compelling. Goshen is LONG gone, the PO in operation 1831-1920. So is Bartville: 1853-1955. Goshen is not really a place anymore, other than a bend in the road. There is still a store in Bartville, which was at the center of my vet practice area when I first came to PA, in 1985, and which I frequented for local news, lunch, and refreshments. The land for miles around is owned by just three (Amish) patriarchies, all named Stoltzfus, all dairymen.
I had no idea there was a railroad passing through that area, as all traces have long since disappeared. Bartville is just 10 miles to the Northeast of Goshen. I suspect the railroad passed through Wakefield, just a mile South of where Goshen was.
Here's a citation from Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, published in 1903:
"John Homsher received his education in the district schools, and when a young man became an adept at the tailor's trade, which, however, he did not long pursue. In 1850, he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, J. R. Townsend, and engaged in a store at Smyrna. At the expiration of about two years Mr. Homsher bought out his brother-in-law, and for seven years carried on business alone, or until 1860, when he sold out, and then purchased a farm in Bart township, in the cultivation of which he was engaged for the ensuing six years. Previous to engaging in farming he was postmaster of Smyrna, Lancaster county, five years; was postmaster under James Buchanan, and he has been postmaster of Bartville for thirty-six years. In 1867 he purchased the real estate of Thomas Ferguson, and set up a store in Bartville, in the management of which he has continued to the present time. John Homsher was married in 1853 to Rachel E. Coulter, who was born Oct. 20, 1830, daughter of John and Eleanor Coulter. To this union have come three children: (1) Viella L. Hornsher,...(2) Elmer died when a boy of seven years. (3) Howard N., a partner with his father at Bartville, married Miss Lizzie Montgomery, of Colerain, who died in 1895, leaving him one daughter, Olive Frances. Howard N. Homsher is an active worker and leader in the Democratic ranks of Lancaster county, and was elected in the fall of 1900 jury commissioner for a term of three years."
Smyrna, PA, about 5 miles North of Bartville, is also a DPO, going away in 1918. Today, it's just a crossroads.
Now that I think of it, the Bartville store was called "Homsher's Store" by some when I first came to know the area...
Of COURSE I had to own this cover!
-Paul
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I found another one!
Obverse:
Iowa Midland RR, December 10, 1877. The Young company was prominent as a lumber producer in Clinton, Iowa. Clinton was The Largest producer of lumber in the US at this time. The message on the reverse is interesting:
Maquoketa was on the RR line, and incidentally, the town I was born and raised in! It's pretty likely that the shipment of lumber referred to was also carried by the Iowa Midland RR.
If anyone has Iowa Midland pieces, I will pay fair value for them! This one is only the second one I've ever seen, and I own them both.
Enjoy!
-Paul
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OK, so I gather there was an error in the dimensions of the flooring ordered, and the resulting charges were unacceptable.
However, if Mr. Bradley (?) had achieved in better grades in penmanship, maybe the Young company would have sent the correct flooring.
It's a minor miracle that the postcard was delivered correctly but now I do sort of feel bad for today's kids who can't read cursive... (however I still feel nothing but contempt for the school boards who decided this should be a policy)
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For those who may be interested in locating historical RR routes or identifying communities served or you want to research vintage train schedules, this site has created an index with links to available RR guides back into the 1870s. I've often used these guides for the 1890 to 1910 period. They contain massive amounts of information and can be difficult to use. Some were not very well scanned and the search function's usefulness is limited. Nonetheless, a little patience can be very rewarding!
http://www.naotc.org/oldguides/
Tom
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This one doesn't have a railroad postmark, but it fits well in the collection anyway:
Delmar was a station on the Iowa Midland Railroad, which had it's eastern terminus at Lyons, Iowa. So, I would presume this letter was carried on the railroad to its destination.
One thing I love is maps on covers. This one has a map of "THE CITY OF CLINTON IOWA AND ITS RAIL ROAD CONNECTIONS". Lyons was a suburb to the north of Clinton, and was eventually completely subsumed, becoming a Discontinued Post Office (DPO) in 1913. If you look closely at the map, just above the "ON" of "CLINTON", you will see "I.M.R." for Iowa Midland Railroad. My railroad!
I've been pondering the word at the lower right for months. "car(e) of S. S. what? "rotors"? Hard to place the year this cover was posted, but I would guess it's in the 1870s.
-Paul
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Paul - My guess would be Craton instead of rotors.
https://www.houseofnames.com/craton-family-crest
Nice cover and cards, you find the coolest stuff.
Linus
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I think I found a very solid clue to the mystery of the Lyons-Delmar cover above. This is from a USGENWEB archives entry, entitled:
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF BLOOMFIELD TWP.
From the book "The History of Clinton County Iowa" by L. P. Allen (1879)
""S. S. NORTON, one of Delmar's most prominent citizens, was born in the town
of Wales, N. Y., in 1828; in 1853, came to Iowa and settled two and a half
miles north of where the town of Delmar now stands; was elected the first
Township Clerk of Bloomfield Township, and it is probable that to S. S.
Norton, who is regarded as the father of the town, more than to any other
man, Delmar owes its existence, for it was through his untiring efforts that
the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota R. R. was secured and the town started ; it is
doubtful whether the other roads would have made a town where Delmar now
stands, if the S., A. & D. had crossed elsewhere; Mr. Norton was a member of
the first Board of Trustees elected in Delmar; he was also Postmaster a
number of years...."
"
I would conclude that S.S. Norton was the postmaster in Delmar at the time this cover was posted, hence delivery 'in care of'. And the fact that the simple word "care" is misspelled, we would certainly expect the writer to have difficulty with the spelling of "Norton".
And, then, from the same entry, this:
""JOHN RIGGS (deceased), a pioneer settler of Clinton Co.; was born in 1798, in
New Jersey. In 1826, he married Miss Alma Crowl, in Allegany Co., N. Y. In
the autumn of 1837, they moved to Burlington, Iowa, where they remained until
the following year, when they came to this county and settled in Bloomfield
Township, then all prairie without improvement of any kind ; during the
California gold excitement of 1849, Mr. Riggs started for that El Dorado of
the West, and, when three days the other side of Council Bluffs, he was taken
ill and died June 10, 18 leaving wife and children to mourn his loss. They
had seven children, six boys (two of whom served in the war of the rebellion)
and one daughter." "
I wonder if S. R. Riggs, Esq. was one of those "six boys"...
It is also interesting that Wales, NY (Norton's birthplace) is only about 50 miles from the center of Allegany county, NY, origin of the Crowl family. The two families may have had a connection in NY through Riggs' mother. The father of S.S. Norton and the mother S. R. Riggs would have been of the same generation.
Delmar, Iowa is at the center of Bloomfield township which is 6 miles square. My parents lived for many years about 2 miles north of the northern boundary of the township, and hence, about 2 miles from the area of S. S. Norton's residence.
There, my appetite for research has been succored!
-Paul
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I grew up in Allegany County, NY (many years removed from the Crowl family, of course) so this was of interest to me. I looked into their genealogy, and discovered a few things at https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L21K-P9H/alma-crowl-1807-1899
Alma Crowl is listed as wife of John Riggs, and mother to 7 sons and 1 daughter. The seven sons (some of whom are named after notable Americans....) are George Washington, Ashley Crowl, John Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Charles Randall, Dewitt Clinton, and Zachary Taylor Riggs.
Unfortunately, S.R. is not one of those 6 (or 7) boys. The records are incomplete on this website, but I did not find any "S. Riggs" referenced among the linked Riggs family members.
Another important name for strengthening the New York and Iowa connection would be their son, Dewitt Clinton Riggs. Clinton County Iowa is named after De Witt Clinton, New York's governor at the time of the Erie Canal project. (The canal was referred to as "Clinton's Ditch"). There is also a Riggs, Iowa... in Clinton County.
Zachary Taylor Riggs is listed as born in 1849, the same year of John Riggs' death. If he was born after John's death, then the reference to six sons (rather than 7) makes sense.
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Interestingly, if I ask Google Maps to show me the town of Riggs, Iowa, it centers on a crossing of what is obviously an abandoned railroad grade, about 4 miles due East of Delmar. If I follow the indications of this railroad grade to the East, it goes through Preston, Iowa, on its way to Sabula, which is a river town on the Mississippi.
This must be the grade of the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota RR referred to in the Norton bio.
These tiny little (ghost) towns were often named for their founders.
There's an odd story about the first four stops on the Iowa Midland RR as you travel West from Lyons. They're the "ABCD" stations. In order: Almont, Bryant, Charlotte, and....Delmar. These town names are search terms in my quest for Iowa Midland RR artifacts.
I think, at one time, Iowa had more miles of railroad than any other state. There were innumerable branch lines which sprang up after the Civil War to serve the local economy.
-Paul
PS, Andrew Jackson Riggs owned the quarter section that included Riggs Station and the PO there. There are no remnants of the station left, and the railroad grade is pretty much obliterated. I can find no references to other landowners named Riggs near Delmar.
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From delmaria.org:
"How Delmar Got Its Name
On its inaugural run, rather than continuing straight through into Maquoketa as did the Davenport and St. Paul line, the Midland train paused to name the new station. In keeping with the alphabetical order of stations coming from Clinton (Almont, Bryant and Charlotte,) the conductor wanted this stop to begin with the letter "D". There were six ladies on the train with the first names of: Della, Emma, Laura, Marie, Anna, and Rose. Using the first letter of each ladies' name, they came up with the pronounceable name of "Delmar"."
-Paul
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Picked up another Iowa Midland RR postmark:
Another one from Baldwin, 6 miles from where I grew up. I looked at an 1875 plat map at David Rumsey's site, here:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
...but I could not find any land owned by William Dickinson, so my guess is that he lived in town. Next time I'm back through there, I'll stop in to Kermit's to see if any of the guys holding the bar up know anything.
I'm aiming towards creating an exhibit for this branch line of the Chicago & North-Western. I now have 16 items likely to have been carried by this RR - four with the Iowa Midland postmark and another three with the Clinton & Anamosa R.P.O. postmark. When I was a teenager, I could look out my bedroom window, and see the old railbed, abandoned some 30 years prior.
Still looking for more material. Most sought after item for me is anything with a connection to the Buckhorn Creamery, just a mile-and-a-half West of my old house, a mile-and-a-half East of Nashville, and served by the RR. You can clearly trace the old railbed on satellite view. The Buckhorn Creamery buildings still stand, barely:
-Paul
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05:42:34pm
Done, I was talking about a railway at the end, but I really don't want to offend your sensibilities!
PS If anyone happens to have any Newfoundland Railway postmarks, if they exist, could you show one here. That is, unless someone has an objection! Also, if someone had actually read my original post, it wasn't that far off topic!
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06:56:33pm
"If anyone happens to have any Newfoundland Railway postmarks, if they exist, could you show one here. "
I still have a few sets of these left. US$20 postpaid in US/Canada
Roy
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07:05:49pm
And some Newfoundland RPO's from my "Sold database"
Newfoundland 1934 to Canada with RPO cancel - Ludlow N22 - Con. Bay Ry POA
Roy
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07:19:01pm
Thanks Roy! The Centennial Train doesn't interest me but the others do. Now that I know they exist I just have to find a few, thanks again!
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07:33:53pm
The definitive guide to Canada and Provinces RPO cancels is
Sample Newfoundland listings:
The Newfoundland catalogue numbers go up to N-125
Roy
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I realize I already showed this in my thread about what I found at the Rosemont stamp show,
but I thought it would go well here also;
Clarinda & Bigelow R.R cover
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Thanks for your posting, Randy.
I am finding that, with RMS, RPO, and other related railroad postmarks, you can narrow your search considerably, and still find stuff. Not a lot, but it has been amazing to me how specific you can get and still find stuff.
Branch railroads were somewhat of a developmental bubble in the late 19th century, due to economic forces I haven't fully explored or understood. There was a LOT of speculative money pouring into the railroads then, and if the sales pitch could attract investors, the real prospects for a profit didn't matter a whole lot.
At one point in time, like, 1880-1890, Iowa had more miles of railroad than any other state.
Here is another cancellation in my Iowa Midwest branch line collection:
Onslow (the "s" is pronounced as "z") was a stop on the Iowa Midland, and I think this CLINTON & ANAMOSA cancellation was adopted in the 1930s or early 1940s. It is marked WEST, so this postcard went from Onslow to Anamosa (the end of the line) about 10 miles, and then was probably transferred to another railroad.
I was in Onslow over Memorial Day weekend, and scouted the town for signs of the old, abandoned road. I could see where it went through the center of town, and from Main Street, looking West, I saw a re-purposed wooden boxcar, next to the old railbed. I need to go back and ask the old-timers where the old school was...
-Paul
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04:02:01pm
I'm always on the lookout for twofors and threefors. This one is a threefor, to me:
First, it's a piece of postal history from my birthplace. I was born in Maquoketa, Iowa. I have several other covers addressed to Mr. Mahony, who was, apparently, the tax collector for Jackson County in the late 19th century. Baldwin is 6 miles West of where I spent most of my childhood. Some of my closest acquaintances are from Baldwin, and my younger brother went to primary school in Baldwin.
Second, it's railroad related. At first, I could not determine if the postmark was "R.R." for Rural Route, or "R.R." for railroad. It took me a long time to figure out what the rest of the postmark is, but I've settled on "ANAM. IO." for Anamosa, Iowa. This was the town at the western terminus of the branch of the Chicago and North Western Railroad that passed through Baldwin and Maquoketa on its way to the mainline in Lyons, just before crossing the Mississippi River. It seems the postcard was put on the westbound train from Baldwin for delivery to Maquoketa, 9 miles east of there and was cancelled in Anamosa. The railroad was largely defunct from the early 1960s. I used to hunt pheasants on the old right-of-way, a few hundred yards south of where we lived. I'd guess that a large part of this branch line's revenue was from hauling limestone from Stone City (west of Anamosa) to river barges on the Mississippi.
Finally, WHAT a poignant message on the card!
Enjoy!
Isn't postal history interesting?
-Paul
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05:19:28pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Usually a railroad postmark will contain the name of the railroad, not the town, such as "Boston, Troy & Albany", and the "RPO" on the bottom of the cancel to show it was handled by a railway post office.
I'm not familiar with the predecessor railroads of the Chicago and North Western. If Anam was a terminus, then the railroad name could include it. I don't know about the rest, however.
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11:07:41am
re: Railroad postmarks
I have been able to document branch lines that did carry the mails, but were too small to have an RPO. This would appear to be another example of that. This branch of the Chicago North Western was only about 40 miles in length. The CNW had about 5000 miles of railroads in the Midwest, so this branch line was just a tiny piece. I think there were only about 8 stations along this branch. I have not seen a name for this branch, but it is shown on old maps.
The definitive documentation of railroad carriage of the mails would be to gather evidence of payments by the PO Department to the railroad for this route. These payments are reported in the Official Register, but only by route number. For example, there are hundreds of individual payments to the Pennsylvania Rail Road shown, all listed separately by route number. So far, I have been unable to find a key that links these route numbers to descriptions or names of the branches.
-Paul
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re: Railroad postmarks
Maybe it was Rural Route. I seem to remember that these were contract people who either used a manuscript cancel or supplied their own cancel device. So I am assuming there would be a variety of cancel types.
I love the content on this card! Not something I'd put on a postcard for anyone to see!
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01:11:55pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Tom, after further thought, I have kind of ruled out the 'Rural Route hypothesis' because the concept did not really exist until RFD came into being in the early 20th century (year?). But, I do concur with your assessment that this was probably an 'unofficial' or custom-ordered cancelling device. A look at the ads in the contemporary Official Registers reveals many vendors of cancelling devices, made to order. Anything was possible, in the day...
And, anglophile, I have consciously avoided "confirmation bias" by simply identifying the unmistakable characters in the cancellation - the "N", the "A", the "M", the "I", the "O", and the two "R"s. Then, being intimately familiar with the geographical area, I have looked at anything that could fit that string of characters. There really is no other possibility than an abbreviation of Anamosa, Iowa. That said, I will take your advice on rescanning the item (I haven't received the actual item yet, the scan I used was lifted from eBay). And, there's no substitute for examination of the original item under magnification!
Another possibility I thought of is that the sender may have actually ridden the train westwards from Baldwin to Anamosa, writing the card during the trip, and posting it upon his arrival in Anamosa.
I'd just express my opinion that Railway Post Offices were not the only, and perhaps not even the most important instrument for distribution of the mails via railroad, especially in areas served by these short branch lines, some (many?) of which did not have RPOs. Nevertheless, I believe that the railroads were extremely important and a common method for mail carriage, particularly in the pre-automotive era. To wit, I note the common co-location of railroad stations and POs in the day...
I did find an entry for a railway post office in the POD Annual Report linked above for the Clinton to Anamosa branch of Chicago North Western RR, route number 27024, and indicating that there were no railcars designated for this route. Somewhere, (the Official Register?) I should be able to link the route number to the amounts paid by the POD for service.
Just FYI, here is a contemporary image of "C. & N. W. R." engine 602 at the depot, which sadly, no longer stands, along east Platt St, in Maquoketa. On a satellite view, you can still trace the old railbed, which crossed the street at an angle. The depot building survived well into the 1990s, if memory serves...
This locomotive was probably in use in the 1880s, by its configuration (4-4-0). Maquoketa was midway between the Anamosa and Lyons. Sometime in my early childhood, the tracks west of Maquoketa were torn up, but the tracks to the east survived into the mid- to late-1960s. For those truly interested, the feature just to the north of Quarry Street, on the east side of the tracks was a cattle yard that accumulated cattle for shipment to the packing plants in Chicago, by rail, no doubt, back in the day. Just across the tracks was a feed mill. My veterinarian father and I used to work cattle in these yards on a frequent basis when I was in my pre-teens...
Stay Tuned, and THANKS for the input!
-Paul
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03:31:09pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Postcard just arrived in today's mail.
High resolution scan of postmark:
And, after having thoroughly researched the reference that anglophile provided above, I find, on page 111, an entry showing that $3059.61 was paid in 1882 by the POD to serve Iowa Midland R.R., a branch of the parent Chicago North Western Railroad for a space of 12 feet by 7 feet 3 inches on a single railcar, employing 2 crews each with a single clerk to work on the line. This service was provided on 6 round trips per week between Anamosa and Clinton, Iowa.
Now, looking at the postmark a little more carefully, my conclusion is that it is actually:
IOWA MID. R.R.
According to various sources I have researched today, Iowa Midland R.R. was operational between 1870 and 1884, and after 1872, wholely owned by C.& N.W.R.R.
The results of this research add value (to me) FAR above the purchase price of $10 for this item. If I could find 20 more similar items at that price, I'd buy 'em all!
Thanks for your interest!
-Paul
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re: Railroad postmarks
Paul,
Some great research on your postcard! I am glad you figured out the postmark. My mother grew up on a dairy farm outside of Anamosa. I spent many a summer in my youth visiting aunts and uncles who lived in Anamosa. My family history runs deep in Jones County. My parents are buried in Anamosa's Riverside Cemetery near Grant Wood's grave, the famous artist.
Linus
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12:32:31pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Thanks Linus!
I had a hunch you'd weigh in!
I just finished attempting to trace the old railbed from Anamosa to Maquoketa on googlemaps, and about 80% of it can still be made out, especially where it passes through the small towns of Amber, Center Junction, Monmouth, Baldwin, and Nashville. I can remember, as a child, the rail line crossing US61 on the south edge of Maquoketa, and going east right along the north edge of Horseshoe Pond.
In Anamosa, it looks like the old railbed was parallel to what is now known as Old Dubuque Rd, on the north side of the road, passing what is now the Middle School.
Also, in the 1896 Postmaster General's report, it shows that there was no longer space on a railcar for use as a railway post office on this branch line. But, the annual rate of pay in 1896 for mail carriage on the line had increased to $5132.23. And, of course, the "Iowa Midland" name is gone. It was gone by 1885, I believe...
Keeping my eyes peeled for more covers from this interesting era. And, I just ordered a book: Midland Branch in Iowa, by Paul R. Horst.
By the way, Clinton, Iowa has a fascinating and very rich railroad history, which is easily found online.
-Paul
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09:43:16am
re: Railroad postmarks
Here's another very obscure RPO that I picked up yesterday:
I found almost nothing on the Phila. & Port Deposit (MD) RR online. But, the place names were compelling. Goshen is LONG gone, the PO in operation 1831-1920. So is Bartville: 1853-1955. Goshen is not really a place anymore, other than a bend in the road. There is still a store in Bartville, which was at the center of my vet practice area when I first came to PA, in 1985, and which I frequented for local news, lunch, and refreshments. The land for miles around is owned by just three (Amish) patriarchies, all named Stoltzfus, all dairymen.
I had no idea there was a railroad passing through that area, as all traces have long since disappeared. Bartville is just 10 miles to the Northeast of Goshen. I suspect the railroad passed through Wakefield, just a mile South of where Goshen was.
Here's a citation from Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, published in 1903:
"John Homsher received his education in the district schools, and when a young man became an adept at the tailor's trade, which, however, he did not long pursue. In 1850, he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, J. R. Townsend, and engaged in a store at Smyrna. At the expiration of about two years Mr. Homsher bought out his brother-in-law, and for seven years carried on business alone, or until 1860, when he sold out, and then purchased a farm in Bart township, in the cultivation of which he was engaged for the ensuing six years. Previous to engaging in farming he was postmaster of Smyrna, Lancaster county, five years; was postmaster under James Buchanan, and he has been postmaster of Bartville for thirty-six years. In 1867 he purchased the real estate of Thomas Ferguson, and set up a store in Bartville, in the management of which he has continued to the present time. John Homsher was married in 1853 to Rachel E. Coulter, who was born Oct. 20, 1830, daughter of John and Eleanor Coulter. To this union have come three children: (1) Viella L. Hornsher,...(2) Elmer died when a boy of seven years. (3) Howard N., a partner with his father at Bartville, married Miss Lizzie Montgomery, of Colerain, who died in 1895, leaving him one daughter, Olive Frances. Howard N. Homsher is an active worker and leader in the Democratic ranks of Lancaster county, and was elected in the fall of 1900 jury commissioner for a term of three years."
Smyrna, PA, about 5 miles North of Bartville, is also a DPO, going away in 1918. Today, it's just a crossroads.
Now that I think of it, the Bartville store was called "Homsher's Store" by some when I first came to know the area...
Of COURSE I had to own this cover!
-Paul
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07:08:52pm
re: Railroad postmarks
I found another one!
Obverse:
Iowa Midland RR, December 10, 1877. The Young company was prominent as a lumber producer in Clinton, Iowa. Clinton was The Largest producer of lumber in the US at this time. The message on the reverse is interesting:
Maquoketa was on the RR line, and incidentally, the town I was born and raised in! It's pretty likely that the shipment of lumber referred to was also carried by the Iowa Midland RR.
If anyone has Iowa Midland pieces, I will pay fair value for them! This one is only the second one I've ever seen, and I own them both.
Enjoy!
-Paul
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OK, so I gather there was an error in the dimensions of the flooring ordered, and the resulting charges were unacceptable.
However, if Mr. Bradley (?) had achieved in better grades in penmanship, maybe the Young company would have sent the correct flooring.
It's a minor miracle that the postcard was delivered correctly but now I do sort of feel bad for today's kids who can't read cursive... (however I still feel nothing but contempt for the school boards who decided this should be a policy)
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re: Railroad postmarks
For those who may be interested in locating historical RR routes or identifying communities served or you want to research vintage train schedules, this site has created an index with links to available RR guides back into the 1870s. I've often used these guides for the 1890 to 1910 period. They contain massive amounts of information and can be difficult to use. Some were not very well scanned and the search function's usefulness is limited. Nonetheless, a little patience can be very rewarding!
http://www.naotc.org/oldguides/
Tom
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10:01:26pm
re: Railroad postmarks
This one doesn't have a railroad postmark, but it fits well in the collection anyway:
Delmar was a station on the Iowa Midland Railroad, which had it's eastern terminus at Lyons, Iowa. So, I would presume this letter was carried on the railroad to its destination.
One thing I love is maps on covers. This one has a map of "THE CITY OF CLINTON IOWA AND ITS RAIL ROAD CONNECTIONS". Lyons was a suburb to the north of Clinton, and was eventually completely subsumed, becoming a Discontinued Post Office (DPO) in 1913. If you look closely at the map, just above the "ON" of "CLINTON", you will see "I.M.R." for Iowa Midland Railroad. My railroad!
I've been pondering the word at the lower right for months. "car(e) of S. S. what? "rotors"? Hard to place the year this cover was posted, but I would guess it's in the 1870s.
-Paul
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re: Railroad postmarks
Paul - My guess would be Craton instead of rotors.
https://www.houseofnames.com/craton-family-crest
Nice cover and cards, you find the coolest stuff.
Linus
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10:21:06am
re: Railroad postmarks
I think I found a very solid clue to the mystery of the Lyons-Delmar cover above. This is from a USGENWEB archives entry, entitled:
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF BLOOMFIELD TWP.
From the book "The History of Clinton County Iowa" by L. P. Allen (1879)
""S. S. NORTON, one of Delmar's most prominent citizens, was born in the town
of Wales, N. Y., in 1828; in 1853, came to Iowa and settled two and a half
miles north of where the town of Delmar now stands; was elected the first
Township Clerk of Bloomfield Township, and it is probable that to S. S.
Norton, who is regarded as the father of the town, more than to any other
man, Delmar owes its existence, for it was through his untiring efforts that
the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota R. R. was secured and the town started ; it is
doubtful whether the other roads would have made a town where Delmar now
stands, if the S., A. & D. had crossed elsewhere; Mr. Norton was a member of
the first Board of Trustees elected in Delmar; he was also Postmaster a
number of years...."
"
I would conclude that S.S. Norton was the postmaster in Delmar at the time this cover was posted, hence delivery 'in care of'. And the fact that the simple word "care" is misspelled, we would certainly expect the writer to have difficulty with the spelling of "Norton".
And, then, from the same entry, this:
""JOHN RIGGS (deceased), a pioneer settler of Clinton Co.; was born in 1798, in
New Jersey. In 1826, he married Miss Alma Crowl, in Allegany Co., N. Y. In
the autumn of 1837, they moved to Burlington, Iowa, where they remained until
the following year, when they came to this county and settled in Bloomfield
Township, then all prairie without improvement of any kind ; during the
California gold excitement of 1849, Mr. Riggs started for that El Dorado of
the West, and, when three days the other side of Council Bluffs, he was taken
ill and died June 10, 18 leaving wife and children to mourn his loss. They
had seven children, six boys (two of whom served in the war of the rebellion)
and one daughter." "
I wonder if S. R. Riggs, Esq. was one of those "six boys"...
It is also interesting that Wales, NY (Norton's birthplace) is only about 50 miles from the center of Allegany county, NY, origin of the Crowl family. The two families may have had a connection in NY through Riggs' mother. The father of S.S. Norton and the mother S. R. Riggs would have been of the same generation.
Delmar, Iowa is at the center of Bloomfield township which is 6 miles square. My parents lived for many years about 2 miles north of the northern boundary of the township, and hence, about 2 miles from the area of S. S. Norton's residence.
There, my appetite for research has been succored!
-Paul
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I grew up in Allegany County, NY (many years removed from the Crowl family, of course) so this was of interest to me. I looked into their genealogy, and discovered a few things at https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L21K-P9H/alma-crowl-1807-1899
Alma Crowl is listed as wife of John Riggs, and mother to 7 sons and 1 daughter. The seven sons (some of whom are named after notable Americans....) are George Washington, Ashley Crowl, John Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Charles Randall, Dewitt Clinton, and Zachary Taylor Riggs.
Unfortunately, S.R. is not one of those 6 (or 7) boys. The records are incomplete on this website, but I did not find any "S. Riggs" referenced among the linked Riggs family members.
Another important name for strengthening the New York and Iowa connection would be their son, Dewitt Clinton Riggs. Clinton County Iowa is named after De Witt Clinton, New York's governor at the time of the Erie Canal project. (The canal was referred to as "Clinton's Ditch"). There is also a Riggs, Iowa... in Clinton County.
Zachary Taylor Riggs is listed as born in 1849, the same year of John Riggs' death. If he was born after John's death, then the reference to six sons (rather than 7) makes sense.
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06:51:03pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Interestingly, if I ask Google Maps to show me the town of Riggs, Iowa, it centers on a crossing of what is obviously an abandoned railroad grade, about 4 miles due East of Delmar. If I follow the indications of this railroad grade to the East, it goes through Preston, Iowa, on its way to Sabula, which is a river town on the Mississippi.
This must be the grade of the Sabula, Ackley & Dakota RR referred to in the Norton bio.
These tiny little (ghost) towns were often named for their founders.
There's an odd story about the first four stops on the Iowa Midland RR as you travel West from Lyons. They're the "ABCD" stations. In order: Almont, Bryant, Charlotte, and....Delmar. These town names are search terms in my quest for Iowa Midland RR artifacts.
I think, at one time, Iowa had more miles of railroad than any other state. There were innumerable branch lines which sprang up after the Civil War to serve the local economy.
-Paul
PS, Andrew Jackson Riggs owned the quarter section that included Riggs Station and the PO there. There are no remnants of the station left, and the railroad grade is pretty much obliterated. I can find no references to other landowners named Riggs near Delmar.
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07:10:55pm
re: Railroad postmarks
From delmaria.org:
"How Delmar Got Its Name
On its inaugural run, rather than continuing straight through into Maquoketa as did the Davenport and St. Paul line, the Midland train paused to name the new station. In keeping with the alphabetical order of stations coming from Clinton (Almont, Bryant and Charlotte,) the conductor wanted this stop to begin with the letter "D". There were six ladies on the train with the first names of: Della, Emma, Laura, Marie, Anna, and Rose. Using the first letter of each ladies' name, they came up with the pronounceable name of "Delmar"."
-Paul
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03:13:02pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Picked up another Iowa Midland RR postmark:
Another one from Baldwin, 6 miles from where I grew up. I looked at an 1875 plat map at David Rumsey's site, here:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
...but I could not find any land owned by William Dickinson, so my guess is that he lived in town. Next time I'm back through there, I'll stop in to Kermit's to see if any of the guys holding the bar up know anything.
I'm aiming towards creating an exhibit for this branch line of the Chicago & North-Western. I now have 16 items likely to have been carried by this RR - four with the Iowa Midland postmark and another three with the Clinton & Anamosa R.P.O. postmark. When I was a teenager, I could look out my bedroom window, and see the old railbed, abandoned some 30 years prior.
Still looking for more material. Most sought after item for me is anything with a connection to the Buckhorn Creamery, just a mile-and-a-half West of my old house, a mile-and-a-half East of Nashville, and served by the RR. You can clearly trace the old railbed on satellite view. The Buckhorn Creamery buildings still stand, barely:
-Paul
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
28 Aug 2021
05:42:34pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Done, I was talking about a railway at the end, but I really don't want to offend your sensibilities!
PS If anyone happens to have any Newfoundland Railway postmarks, if they exist, could you show one here. That is, unless someone has an objection! Also, if someone had actually read my original post, it wasn't that far off topic!
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
28 Aug 2021
06:56:33pm
re: Railroad postmarks
"If anyone happens to have any Newfoundland Railway postmarks, if they exist, could you show one here. "
I still have a few sets of these left. US$20 postpaid in US/Canada
Roy
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
28 Aug 2021
07:05:49pm
re: Railroad postmarks
And some Newfoundland RPO's from my "Sold database"
Newfoundland 1934 to Canada with RPO cancel - Ludlow N22 - Con. Bay Ry POA
Roy
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
28 Aug 2021
07:19:01pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Thanks Roy! The Centennial Train doesn't interest me but the others do. Now that I know they exist I just have to find a few, thanks again!
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
28 Aug 2021
07:33:53pm
re: Railroad postmarks
The definitive guide to Canada and Provinces RPO cancels is
Sample Newfoundland listings:
The Newfoundland catalogue numbers go up to N-125
Roy
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re: Railroad postmarks
I realize I already showed this in my thread about what I found at the Rosemont stamp show,
but I thought it would go well here also;
Clarinda & Bigelow R.R cover
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01:44:38pm
re: Railroad postmarks
Thanks for your posting, Randy.
I am finding that, with RMS, RPO, and other related railroad postmarks, you can narrow your search considerably, and still find stuff. Not a lot, but it has been amazing to me how specific you can get and still find stuff.
Branch railroads were somewhat of a developmental bubble in the late 19th century, due to economic forces I haven't fully explored or understood. There was a LOT of speculative money pouring into the railroads then, and if the sales pitch could attract investors, the real prospects for a profit didn't matter a whole lot.
At one point in time, like, 1880-1890, Iowa had more miles of railroad than any other state.
Here is another cancellation in my Iowa Midwest branch line collection:
Onslow (the "s" is pronounced as "z") was a stop on the Iowa Midland, and I think this CLINTON & ANAMOSA cancellation was adopted in the 1930s or early 1940s. It is marked WEST, so this postcard went from Onslow to Anamosa (the end of the line) about 10 miles, and then was probably transferred to another railroad.
I was in Onslow over Memorial Day weekend, and scouted the town for signs of the old, abandoned road. I could see where it went through the center of town, and from Main Street, looking West, I saw a re-purposed wooden boxcar, next to the old railbed. I need to go back and ask the old-timers where the old school was...
-Paul
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