Illinois Illinois
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ILLINOIS Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value ILLINOIS clerk penned its local equivalent of 3 shillings, 6 pence. During its nearly one year time in transit the cover was carried ap- BRITISH PERIOD proximately 2,500 miles over a route which circled one-half of what was then British North America ..................-- 1765 - 1778 Readers desiring more information on the surviving covers Although the Treaty of Paris transferred control of Illinois of the firm Baynton, Wharton & Morgan are referred to “The from France to Great Britain in 1763, it was not until Oct. 10, Posted Letter in Colonial and Revolutionary America”, by Alex 1765 that the formal transfer occured at Fort de Chartres in L. ter Braake, (see pages VI-VII). Detailed information on the Illinois Country. The first record of written communication the firm’s everyday activities is available in Alvord & Carter’s from or to Illinois begins the next year, 1766, when the Phila- “Trade and Politics 1767-1 769”, Springfield Ill. State Historical delphia firm of Baynton, Wharton & Morgan, operating under Library, 1921. license from the Crown, which granted them a virtual monop- oly of the Indian trade of the Illinois Country dispatched down AS NORTHWEST TERRITORY the Ohio River their first four convoys of goods destined for their trading house at Kaskaskia. July 13, 1787 - July 4, 1800 The firms commitment to the Illinois trade was significant; Kaskaskia, the first post office with in the present boundar- $150,000 invested in a single year. Many wagons and six hun- ies of the State of Illinois, was established March 22, 1800, dred horses were used to get the merchandise to Fort Pitt. with John R. Jones as postmaster. There the firm maintained a force of carpenters to build the boats; 66 of which were ordered for November of 1766. The Kaskaskia(April 8, 1800;Ms;Black).................3,500 firm employed over 300 boatmen on the Ohio River to man these boats. AS INDIANA TERRITORY George Morgan, the junior partner in the firm, was sent to July 5, 1800 - March 1, 1809 Illinois to oversee operations at their Kaskaskia trading house, 1,000 twisting river miles from Philadelphia. The surviving *Cahokia(E)(Oct. 22, 1803;Ms;Black)...............2,000 business records of the firm (mostly in the Pennsylvania State *(L)(April 22, 1808) . .1,500 Archives) show in considerable detail how communications Caho(Cahokia)(E)(May 19, 1804;SL-16.5x5,MDD; were maintained over this vast distance. FREE;Black)...............................3,000 *(L)(Aug.4, 1804) ............................2,500 An express was utilised in sending letters between Fort Chahokia(Cahokia)(E)(March 13, 1806;Ms;Black).....1,500 Chartres and Kaskaskia and occasionally also for the six week (L)(March 2, 1808) . .1,000 journey to Philadelphia. The cost and risk of long distance ex- Kaskaskia(E)(Feb. 22, 1802;Ms;Black) . .2,000 press service was so great, however, that most of the firm’s Same(July 21, 1806; Geo.Fisher P.M.frank)........1,750 mail to and from Illinois was conveyed by river boat. Since *(L)(April 13, 1807) . .1,700 only a few of the firm’s Ohio River flat boats were pushed *Massac(Fort)(June 14, 1805; Ms;Black) ............3,000 back up river to Fort Pitt, most outgoing mail was entrusted to boats making the two week trip down the Mississippi to TERRITORIAL PERIOD New Orleans. At New Orleans, the firm’s agent, Barthelomue Macnamara, forwarded all such mail to the closest British post March 2, 1809 - December 2, 1818 office at Pensacola, where it was held to be given to ships bound for Philadelphia. Incoming mail to George Morgan at POPULATION Kaskaskia is also known from Pensacola, New Orleans and Manchac in West Florida. In every instance these letters were 1810 – 12,000 1840 – 476,000 entrusted to individuals heading up the Mississippi with a 1820 – 55,000 1850 – 851,000 French or Spanish convoy. 1830 – 157,000 1860 –1,711,951 *Incoming mail: Aug. 7, 1771 letter from “Manchaque” (Man- Cut from Indiana Territory. Originally in the “Territory North- chac), West Florida, just below Baton Rouge, addressed “To west of the Ohio River”. Created by Act of Congress February Mr George Morgan, Merchant at the Illinois”. It was carried 3, 1809, effective March 2, 1809. up river to Kaskaskia by Monsieur Moranus, whose boat was carrying goods to Morgan’s firm ......................-- Territorial Post Offices: Beaucoup (1815), Belleville, Big Bay Settlement, Big Muddy Creek, Black Heath, Brownsville, Ca- hokia, Carmi, Clinton Hill (disc. 1816), Cod’s Ferry, Edwards *Outgoing mail: Arguably the finest cover in all of British Co- C.H., Edwardsville, Ferguson’s Ferry, Fort Massac, Franklin lonial Period postal history is this Kaskaskia letter of Feb. 5, C.H., Harrisonville, Johnson C.H., Kaskaskia, Madison C.H., 1774 addressed to George Morgan at Philadelphia. It was Palestine, Palmyra, Shawneetown, Sidney Grove, Union sent down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then C.H., U.S. Salines, Waterloo, Walnut Grove. forwarded to Pensacola where the PENSACOLA transit post- mark was applied and Mr. Stephenson, a merchant, wrote Beau Coup(May 3, 1815;Ms;25 Paid[ms];Black) ......1,500 “Pensacola Decr. 10, 1774/forwarded by/ Yr Hble Svt/ Ste- Bellville(E)(June 21, 1816;Ms;P.M.Free-Paid 10; phenson”. Stephenson placed the letter on board the packet Black) ....................................1,500 boat “Diligence”, just arrived from Jamaica. This boat left with (L)(May 22, 1818) .............................500 the mail for Charleston (S.C.) on Dec. 22 and arrived Jan. 9, *Black Heath(Feb. 2, 1818;Ms;P.M.Free;Black) .......1,200 1775. The CHARLES/TOWN postmark and Bishop mark dat- *Brownsville(April 20, 1818;Ms;40[ms];Black) ........1,500 ed Jan. 10 proves that the Charleston postmaster then took *Cahokia(E)(Sept. 2, 1809;Ms;Black)...............1,000 the responsibility for the letter’s forwarding to Philadelphia. He (L)(May 26, 1817) .............................500 rated it 2 shilling and upon its arrival in Philadelphia a postal Carmi(E)(July 17, 1818;Ms;12-1 /2[ms];Black)........1,500 (L)(Nov. 20, 1818;Ms;25[ms];Black) . .500 1 ILLINOIS Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value Town Postmark Dates Seen Size • Color • Value Clinton Hill llls.Ty.(E)(Jan. 8, 1810;Ms;P.M. ASSUMPTION/ILLS.(1864;DC-35;Black)..............45 Free;Red) .................................1,500 AUGUSTA/ILL(1862;34;PAID 3[F];Black)..............45 (L)(April 20, 1816;Black) ........................500 AURORA/ILL.(1842-43;30;Blue) ....................40 Edwards C.H.l.T.(June 1, 1817;Ms;E.W.Smith Same(Green) .................................50 P.M.[ms];Black).............................1,000 Same/lll.(1844;29;Green) ........................50 Edwardsville(E)(Feb. 28, 1818;Ms;Double 50; Same/lll.(1845-47;29;PAID,X;Red) .................40 Black) ....................................1,500 Same/ILL.(1846-50;31;5,V,10;Red,Black) . .40 (L)(Sept. 19, 1818) ............................500 Same(1851;29;PAID/3[C];Black)...................40 *Fergusons Ferry(E)(March 1, 1816;Ms;P.M. Same(1852-54;32;PAID,3[F];Blue,Black) . 40 Free;Black)................................1,500 Same/ILLS.(1859;31;FREE;Black) .................40 (L)(July 18, 1818) . .500 Same/ILL(1864;DC-26;Black).....................25 *Fort Massac(Oct. 5, 1813;Ms;Black)..................-- BABCOCKS GROVE/ILL.(1855;30;PAID/3[C];Black).....75 *Harrisonville(E)(June 15, 1818;Ms;Paid[ms];Black) ...1,500 BARRY/ILL.(1851-53;28;PAID,3,10;Red,Black) .........75 (L)(Nov. 3, 1818;Ms;10[ms];Black) ...............1,000 BATAVIA/ILLS.(1840;30;5;Red,Black) ................45 *Johnson C.House(April 15, 1818;Ms;15[ms];Black) . .1,500 Same/Ills.(1854-55;31;PAID/3[red];Blue green) .......40 *Kaskaskia(E)(July 14, 1809;Ms;Black) . .1,000 Same/ILL(1863;DC-26;Black).....................25 (L)(May 27, 1818) .............................500 BATH/llls.(1850s;29;5[C],PAID/3[C];Blue) . .50 *Kaskaskie(Kaskaskia)(Feb. 10, 1810;Ms;Black)......1,000 Same/ILL(1865;26;Blue).........................25 *Madison C.H.Ill.T.(E)(Jan. 27, 1816;Ms;P.M.Free; BEARDSTOWN/ll.(1837-52;30;5;Black)...............40 Black) ....................................1,500 Same(1850s;32;10[C];Black) To West Coast .........60 (L)(Mar. 21, 1818) .............................500 BELLEVILLE/ILLINOIS.(1830-50;DC-31,YMDD;PAID, Massac(Fort)(April 13, 1811;Ms;25[ms];Black)........2,000 FREE[box],5,10[octagon];Red,Blue,Black) . .60 *Palmyra(E)(Aug. 4, 1817;Ms;18-1/2[ms];Black) ......1,000 Same/ILL.(1849-51;30;5[C],PAID 5,10[box];Red,Blue)..40 (L)(Aug. 14, 1817;25[ms]).......................500 Same/ILL.(1850-51;32;PAID/3[arc].5;Blue,Black) . 40 Shawanoetown(E)(March 2, 1817;Ms;12,25 Paid; Same/Ill.(1851-55;30;10,FREE;Red,Blue,Black) . 40 Black) ....................................1,000 Same/ILL.(1862;DC-26;DUE/3[C];Black) ............25 (L)(April 8, 1818)..............................500 Same(c1862;DC-26;30[foreign rate];Black) ..........50 *Shawnee Town(E)(Feb. 25, 1811;Ms;25,12-1/2[ms]; BELVIDERE/lll.(1843-52;29;V,negative X[C], Black) ....................................1,000 PAID,3;Red,Blue) .............................40 (L)(Feb. 2, 1817).............................1,000 Same(X[C],V[cogged circle],PAID;Red) .............40 *Shwneytown(Nov. 5, 1813;Ms;25[ms];Black) ........1,500 Same(Green) .................................50 *Shawneetown(E)(Sept. 8, 1816;Ms;Free[ms];Black) . 1,500 Same/ILL.(1853-54;32;PAID/3[C],FREE;Blue,Black) . .40 (L)(Sept. 12, 1818;Ms;12-1/2;Black)..............1,000 BENTON/ILL(1852;30;Black) .......................50 Shawn(Shawneetown)(June 26, 1814;Ms;Paid BLANDINSVILLE Ill(1853;35;PAID;Blue) ..............75 Dbl[double]25;Black) .......................1, 500 BLOOMINGTON/ll.(1838-51;30;PAID,5[C],10;Red,Black) .