The Short-Lived Hoesville, NY Post Office

 originally written by me and published in Excelsior! the semi-annual journal of 

the Empire State Postal History Society (2015)

Today we are all used to having almost instantaneous communication with family members either via telephone, or email, or even by letter.  But before the middle of the 19th Century, people often left their families and immigrated to other countries, knowing full well that they would probably never see their families again.  The letter was the only means of keeping touch and the news in the letters could be months or years old.

 Hoesville was a short named post office from May 28, 1846 to June 13, 1849.  Previously it was known as West Galway Church (1838 to 1846) and changed its name again in 1849 to West Galway (1849 to 1919).

Although the post office was officially known as Hoesville, the writer, a niece of the addressee, Mrs. Oliver, used West Galway as her location.  The letter is dated July 23, 1846 less than two months after the post office name was established. According to New York Postal History: The Post Offices and First Postmaster from 1775 to 1980, the first postmaster was Peter I. Hoes. Obviously the post office was named after him.

According to the 1997 American Stampless Cover Catalog, there are only manuscript postmarks known from Hoesville in 1845 with a value of $60. Obviously, there is a mistake some where since the post office name was not established until 1846.  In La Posta’s “United States Post Offices Volume IV -- The Northeast”, Hoesville has a rating of “5”, $25 - $50

        

Information with the cover indicates that the letter was mailed from Hoesville on July 29, 1846 and PAID to New York City where it was then carried privately to Liverpool before being entered into the British postal system.  Seen on the reverse is a “Liverpool Ship Letter” transit marking (21 Aug 1846) and a Kelso receiving mark (Aug 23, 1846).

The letter sheet is 3 1/2 pages of tightly space writing telling of family gatherings, local deaths, and the weather.  All the things that people still tell other family members about today.

        

Wadhams Mills, NY Bisect

Wadhams Mills was a small post office in Essex County, NY about 40 miles south of Plattsburgh in the town of Westport.  In 1898, the post office ran out of its supply of 1c and 2c stamps.

The story was told in the The American Journal of Philately, the forerunner to today's The American Philatelist.

Lake Champlain Train Wreck

In 1894, mail from Canada to England must have gone via various routes including from New York City.  One of the main railroad routes went down the Champlain Valley on the New York side of Lake Champlain.

In December 1894, one of the trains went off the tracks just south of Port Henry (Essex County). A few cars including the mail car ended up in the water. The mail clerk was killed in the wreck and the mail car inundated.  The stamps on this letter from Montréal to London were washed off.

I assume that the USPOD applied the red rubberstamped explanation.  The letter was marked PAID when it reached England.

added by USPOD

front of envelope showing where the stamps were originally

reverse of envelope

Crossroads Stamp Show Purchases

Sometimes you find a cover that you just need to buy because it's such a wonderful example.  This cover from Deansville (Oneida County, 1830 - 1894) is such a cover.  Both the 3D star and the circular date stamp are crisp and well struck.  I have always been partial to these 3D stars.

Here's another example that I purchased at the Crossroads Stamp Show in Quechee Vermont from Annie Doubleday.  Again a wonderfully struck cancel, but this time from Keeseville, NY in Essex County (1822 and still operating).  The notation on the cover says "DEEP GREEN" but it's hard to tell.  

However, it's a nice strike of the "KEESE  VILLE" in two works from 1842.

Thanks to dealer Don Tocher,  I have an addition to my Clinton County collection:  a cover from the "Head Quarters 32d Regiment" of the New York State Militia.  in the 1851 - 1855 era.  Until 1995 Plattsburgh had been a major military base since before the War of 1812.

In addition to the ornate corner card, there is a Paid 3 in arc cancel.  This is unlisted in the American Stampless Cover Catalog (1997).

Newly Discovered Postmaster Cancel

Thanks to Doubleday Postal History, I can show a newly discovered New York State Postmaster cancel from the mid 1870s.

Fishers Landing is a post office in Jefferson County on the St. Lawrence River.

The cancel on the cover was a little light as well as being in blue, but thanks to Retroreveal,  we are able to show the how cancel looks.

At the current time, I have a listing of over 600 different County and Postmaster cancels from New York State ranging from 1817 (Cooperstown) to 1902 (Wells).

County/Postmaster Cancels

I'm always interested in acquiring new material for the my NYS County/Postmaster collection. I recently was successful in the Kelleher Auction held at Aripex in January. Just 3 interesting New York Covers this time with a little background information.

Newfane Station was a post office in Niagara County from 1876 to 1899 when the name was changed to Burt.

This unusual red fancy octagon is one of several county cancels used from Kenwood. Kenwood was the name of the post office from July 1889 to January 1922 when it became a station of Oneida.

Footprints was another Madison County post office which was short-lived from 1886 to 1890. The monogram killer is very unusual. I have been told this is the only known cover from this post office.