PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORIANpaphs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2011_Feb.pdfwhich was inspired by a 5¢ 1857 cover sent to Hicks; and two articles by Bill Schultz – you guessed

February 2011 Whole No. 186 Vol. 39, No. 1

PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORIAN THE BULLETIN OF THE PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Inside this issue:

Another Early Large Blue Philadelphia “R” Census of Philadelphia Full-Rigged Ship Markings Edward Hicks – Renowned American Artist Bucks County Native A to Z as in Zermatt, Pa., Chester County Earliest Found Letter from West Chester (Chester County)

PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORIAN The Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society ISSN – 0894 – 0169 Est. 1974 PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORIAN The bulletin of the Pennsylvania Postal History Society Published quarterly by the PPHS for its members Volume 39 No. 1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011 APS Affiliate No. 50 Member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations www.PaPHS.org The PPHS is a non-profit, educational organization whose purposes are to cultivate and to promote the study of the postal history of Pennsylvania, to encourage the acquisition and preservation of material relevant and necessary to that study, and to publish and to support the publication of such knowledge for the benefit of the public. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the PPHS, its Directors, Officers, or Members. Comments and criticisms are invited. Please direct your correspondence to the Editor. OFFICERS and DIRECTORS APPOINTED OFFICERS OFFICERS President Richard Leiby, Jr. Historian Editor Norman Shachat 1774 Creek View Dr. 382 Tall Meadow Lane Fogelsville, PA 18051 Yardley, Pa 19067 Secretary Norman Shachat Auctioneer Robert McKain 382 Tall Meadow Lane 2337 Giant Oaks Drive Yardley, PA 19067 Pittsburgh, PA 15241 Treasurer Richard Colberg Publicity To be appointed. P. O. Box 10082 Lancaster, PA 17605 Catalogs Thomas C. Mazza DIRECTORS 1301 Ave. of the Americas Room 2300 2011 R. Colberg, R. Leiby, D. Telep New York, NY 10019-6092 2012 T. Clarke, R. McKain, S. Roth

(2010 J. Boyles, G. Spector, S. Washburne)* * Remain in office until replaced or reelected

1 HISTORIAN Vol. 39, No.1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011

HISTORIAN Vol. 39, No. 1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011 2

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Is it really 2011 already? Another year has quickly passed us by, and winter has us in its grips. But for those of us in the battery business, the cold puts a smile on our faces. It is also the time of year when I get to spend the most time with my collecting interests. Hibernating, as my wife refers to it, in my office with my covers. That puts a smile on my face too. I’m sure I’m not the only one who takes advantage of the shorter days.

(Hibernating? Is she referring to my physique or my personality? After 28 years of marriage does it matter? Oh well, keep going, Rick.)

This year the auction season opened with some great Pennsylvania postal history especially for stampless covers. There were two auctions early in December the first by Schuyler Rumsey Auctions and the second by Robert Seigel Auctions that each contained a wealth of PA covers that are rarely seen. Some of them brought exceptional prices and some were plain bargains. However you look at it, it was a lot of good material in a short period of time. Both auctions with the prices realized are available for review on line at www.rumseyauctions.com and www.siegelauctions.com respectively. If you enjoy just looking at Pennsylvania postal history I recommend a visit.

The beginning of the year also requires a reminder to pay your dues if you haven’t all ready done so. Everyone should have received a dues envelope in the mail. For those of you who have sent your dues, we thank you. If the envelope is still laying on your desk, please write a check and send it off to Dick Colberg.

(Continued on page 4 )

Check Out Our Fabulous Web Site

www.PaPHS.org

For input, questions, or comments contact our webmaster Steve Roth at:

[email protected]

Mark Your Calendars for Our Next Annual Membership and Board Meetings at PNSE 2011, Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave., Oaks, PA on Saturday April 2, 2011

http://pnse.org/

3 HISTORIAN Vol. 39, No. 1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

The feature article in this issue a Census of Philadelphia Full – Rigged Ship Markings is believed to be the first such census ever published on this elaborate and sought after postal marking. For many years, Van Koppersmith and I have been accumulating data for such a census. Because my backlog was so low last fall, I decided I better start writing the article for the next issue. The article not only lists 44 examples recorded during the normal use period (Oct. 1834 thru Dec. 1835), but also illustrates and discusses the later unique blue strikes of the “small” and “large” full-rigged ship. Although we believe that the census contains a high percentage of the covers in existence, it most certainly does not contain all of them. So we urge input from our membership on any additional examples or additional data to complement the current listing. A future update will undoubtedly be published.

The remainder of the issue consists of short articles as follows: a report of Another Early Large Blue “R” which I wrote based on a cover supplied by Mark Schwartz; an article by Harvey Mirsky entitled Edward Hicks – Renowned American Artist / Bucks County Native which was inspired by a 5¢ 1857 cover sent to Hicks; and two articles by Bill Schultz – you guessed it – on Chester County postal history, one entitled A to Z as in Zermatt, Pa., Chester County, and the other, Earliest Found Letter from West Chester (Chester County). I thank all of the contributors and hope you enjoy the issue.

My continuous plea for articles has finally borne some fruit. Bill Schultz not only supplied two articles in this issue, but several others which will appear in the future. Bill is writing a book on Chester County and needs scans or photocopies of postal markings from

(Continued on page 4)

MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY Total Membership as of 10/15/10 -------------------------------------------------------------- 118 Resignation ----------------------------------------------------------------- -1 # 381 Richard Gartley (Thibodaux, LA) Deceased --------------------------------------------------------------------- -1 # 516 G. Wayne Smith (Waynesburg, PA) Lost Contact* --------------------------------------------------------------- -1 # 13 Tom Stasney (Upper Darby, PA) (Life Member) Total Membership as of 1/15/11 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 115 (includes 3 life members) * Last four issues and a first-class letter were returned as undeliverable.

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Anita Sprankle Wins P. O. Challenge, Again Berwyn – Chester County Est. Oct. 24, 1877 – Active (Zip 19312) First Postmaster: Isaac A. Cleaver

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER continued from page 2:

But don’t get too caught up in the winter, spring is on its way. And with spring will be our annual meeting at PNSE on Saturday April 2, 2011. The show will be held April 1st through 3rd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. Put the dates on your calendar and make it a point to join us there.

Our best wishes for a happy and successful New Year in 2011. May it be the year you find that cover that fills a major void in your collection, or that you find a gem that everyone else has overlooked.

Rick

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EDITOR’S COMMENTS continued from page 3:

several towns in the county. Please check his ad on page 28 and help him if you can. Our two unrelated Spector’s, Gus and Jesse have also submitted articles which are in the pipeline, as has Charlie Fricke. Even though I now have enough for an issue or so, please don’t let up. I know that most of our membership does not collect Philadelphia or Chester Counties, so how about some articles from other parts of Our Great State

At our annual meeting at PNSE 2011 on April 2, we will be voting on the by-law changes shown on the next page. In the event you are unable to make the meeting, please submit a proxy by either mail or E-mail (see top of pages 6 and 7). The show was excellent last year and promises to be even better this year. I look forward to it and to seeing many of you there. Information about the show and a prospectus may be found on line at www.pnse.org In the meantime, I hope you do not have too much snow to shovel and are able to “cuddle up” with your collection and stay cozy and warm.

Norm

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Three responses were received to the

P. O. Challenge in the November 2010 Issue, but only two were correct, those from Glenn Blauch (# 468) and Anita Sprankle (# 385).

Congratulations to the winner, selected in a blind drawing by my wife. The $10 prize has been sent to her by Bill Schultz. If you don’t play, you can’t win.


By-Law Proposed Modifications to be Voted On at Our Next Meeting at PNSE 2011 on April 2, 2011 The following by-law modifications have been proposed and approved by the Board of Directors. A final approval vote will be taken by the membership on April 2, 2011 at our next meeting at PNSE 2011. Members may also vote by mail. A proxy ballot is included on the next page. Eliminate the crossed out words in the following articles: Article II Board of Directors 2. NUMBER. The Board of Directors shall be composed of nine members to be elected

from the membership for terms of three years, and so arranged in groups that at each annual meeting three such directors shall be elected to replace a like number whose terms then expire. No person who has been elected to two consecutive terms as a Director shall be eligible for another election until one year has elapsed. The number of Directors may be increased or decreased by action of the Board of Directors at any time and from time to time. No decrease shall shorten the term of any incumbent Director.

Article III Officers 4a. PRESIDENT. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society and have general overall supervision of all the business and affairs of the Society. No person who has served as President for four consecutive years shall be eligible for re-election until one year has passed. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and shall be chairman of the Board of Directors. Article VII Meetings 1. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Society for the election of Directors, for the presentation of an annual report by the appropriate officers, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the the meeting shall be held in the fall of each year, on a date and at a time and place determined by the Board of Directors. Written notice of the date, time and place of the annual meeting will be given not less than thirty (30) days prior thereto. Add the following to Article III (4d) Article III Officers 4d. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall for any check or draft upon the accounts of the Society or payment for the Society in excess of $1,000.00 be required to obtain the signature of the President or Secretary authorizing such payment in addition to his own signature. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


Member E-Mail Addresses

Edwin J. Andrews [email protected] (Scott # 65 Pa. Usages) George Ashman [email protected] (Carbon Co.) John Barwis [email protected] (Phila. Exhange Office Mails) Chip Blumberg [email protected] (Montgomery Co., Dealer) Glenn Blauch [email protected] (Lebanon Co.) Jim Boyles [email protected] (Lancaster City and County) Mike Burke [email protected] (Braddock, Greencastle, Rankin, Swissvale) Tom Clarke [email protected] (Philadelphia Postal History) Richard Colberg [email protected] (Litiz) Joe Crosby [email protected] (Pa. Fancy Cancels) Gerald Cross [email protected] (Wilkes-Barre) Roger Curran [email protected] (Lewisburg to 1900, Fancy Cancels) George Danyliw [email protected] (Phila. and Schuylkill Co.) William Dixon [email protected] (Wyoming County, Fakes and Forgeries) Barry Elkins [email protected] (Philadelphia Co.) Neal Erkes [email protected] (Philadelphia Helen Galatan-Stone [email protected] (Phila. Buildings prior to 1900) Ken Hall [email protected] (Pa. Manuscript Postmarks) Suzanne Haney [email protected] (Welsh in Pa., Civil War Phila.) Gerald Hof [email protected] (Philadelphia, Hagerstown, Md.) Van Koppersmith [email protected] (Phila. Maritime Markings) Rick Leiby [email protected] (Pa. Stampless) Tom Mazza [email protected] (Erie, Western Pa.) Bob McKain [email protected] (Pittsburgh, Pa. Machines) Phil Marks [email protected] (Bucks Co., Southern NJ, Eastern Shore) Harvey Mirsky [email protected] (U. S. 1847 Issue)

(Continued on next page)

Proxy Ballot for By-Law Changes

Article For Against

Article II (2) □ □

Article III (4a) □ □

Article VII (1) □ □

Article III (4d) □ □ Member Name _______________________ ________________________ PRINT SIGNATURE

Instructions for exercising proxy are given at the top of the next page.


Member E-Mail Addresses (cont. from previous page) Gordon Morison [email protected] (Bradford County) Vern Morris [email protected] (Philadelphia, Locals) Ed Mosheim [email protected] (Hereford Twp. P. O. and Adjacent Twp’s.) Bud Newman [email protected] (Pa. Stampless) Norm Nicol [email protected] (Luzerne and Wyoming Counties) Clay Olson [email protected] (Tioga County) Al Parsons [email protected] (Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler Counties, NY) Larry Pettinger [email protected] (Susquehanna County) Steven Roth [email protected] (Domestic Maritime, Prexies) Robert G. Rufe [email protected] (Bucks County) Bill Schultz [email protected] (West Chester,West Whiteland & West Town) Norm Shachat [email protected] (Phila. and Bucks Co.) Dave Silcox [email protected] (Schuylkill and Berks Co.) Don W. Smith [email protected] (Johnstown, Cambria County) Gus Spector [email protected] (Phila., Buildings, Civil War ) Anita Sprankle [email protected] (North Central DPO’s, Sewing Machines) Gordon Trotter [email protected] (Nathan Trotter & Co. Correspondence) Dan Telep [email protected] (Pittsburgh, Sewickley, Western Pa.) Herb Tindall [email protected] (Lancaster County Postal History) Joe Volutza [email protected] (Berks county, Dealer) Steve Washburne [email protected] (Philadelphia, Monmouth Co., N. J.) Harry Winter [email protected] (Centre County, Railroads) Cliff Woodward [email protected] (Western Pa., Oil Towns) Ronald J. Yeager [email protected] (Elk, Cameron and McKean Counties) PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOURE-MAIL ADDRESS LISTED HERE. INDICATE YOUR PA COLLECTING INTEREST.

If you don’t expect to be at the meeting on April 2, 2011 and wish to exercise your proxy, you may either give it to another member who plans to attend the meeting, send it to me by mail, or send me your vote in an e-mail. I will vote your proxy in accord with your indicated vote. Norman Shachat, Secretary 382 Tall Meadow Lane Yardley, PA 19067 [email protected]


Another Early Large Blue Philadelphia “R”

By Norman Shachat (# 76)

In the May 1994 Historian (Vol. 21, No. 2, Whole No. 122, p.19), I listed the following four potential earliest examples of the large blue Philadelphia “R”: From Date

Pensacola, Fla. 10/29/45 Pittsburgh, Pa. 10/29/45 New York, N. Y. 10/31/45 Wilmington, Del. 10/31/45 Thanks to Mark Schwartz (# 573) we now have a fifth potential earliest example. The cover front is illustrated in Figure 1 below. It originated in Salem, Mass. on Oct 29, (1845). It contains a manuscript notation “Nov 1st / 1845”. Obviously we cannot know whether the notation was added contemporaneously or at a later time by a “knowledgeable” postal historian. In any event, the sharpness of the “R” suggests a very early strike.

Figure 1 All postal markings are in blue. We cannot know which of the above examples arrived at the Philadelphia P. O. on November 1, 1845, generally considered the first day of the large blue “R”. I suspect several of them, if not all of them, did.

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Census of Philadelphia Full-Rigged Ship Markings

By Norman Shachat (# 76) and Van Koppersmith (# 412)

Introduction

About a year and a half after Philadelphia Postmaster James Page (4/11/33 – 3/31/41) assumed office, the Philadelphia P. O. began using red octagonal postal markings.1 For the eighteen and a half years prior to the introduction of the double-line octagonal PHIL A datestamp, the Philadelphia P. O. employed the red 25 mm. circular PHIL postmark. The transition is illustrated by the latest reported example of the circular marking (9/29/34) and the first day of the octagonal marking (10/1/34) in Figure 1.4

Figure 1

In addition to the double-line octagonal town mark, various octagonal auxiliary markings were introduced at the same time.1, 2, 3 These included the double-line (d. l.) oct. PAID , the d. l. oct. FREE, the d. l. oct. 6, the d. l. oct. FORWARDED and the oct. full-rigged ship. The “6” was used to indicate the 6¢ collect port-of-entry rate on private ship letters addressed to Philadelphia, while the “full-rigged ship” was used on private ship letters which arrived at Philadelphia but were addressed beyond the port-of-entry.

Invariably, covers with the red full-rigged ship contained the dated d. l. octagonal townmark. From October 1, 1844 to the end of January 1835, the town mark contains full double lines and tends to be reasonably “crisp” in appearance. There is found some fuzziness during mid to late January. From late January 1835 to mid-October 1835, the

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only variety found is one in which a large portion of the bottom outer line is missing (“broken bottom outer line variety”). One of the full-rigged ship covers which arrived in Philadelphia on Feb. 23, 1835 and is listed in the census, illustrates the “broken outer line variety” beautifully in Figure 2.

Figure 2

From mid- to late October 1835 to the end of the use period in mid-October 1836, the outer line reappears in the town mark. As use continued through this one year period, the markings tended to be stubbier and fuzzier as the progression in Figure 3 shows.

Nov. 1835 Dec. 1835 March 1836 Sept. 1836 Figure 3 Progression of wear of the d. l. oct. PHILA town mark from November 9, 1835 to September 24, 1836 Thus during the period of the original octagonal markings (Oct. 1834 - Oct. 1836), covers usually can be year dated by the appearance of the octagonal town mark.

During the third week in October 1836, the Philadelphia P. O. changed back to circular town marks and began using blue ink.1, 3, 4 For a few days during the transition period, the 31 mm. PHILAD A / PA was struck in red (Figure 4), after that only in blue (Figure 5).3, 4 Several of the d. l. octagonal auxiliary markings continued to be used by the Philadelphia P. O. well after 1836, most notably the “6”, the “PAID” , and the “FREE” . Indeed, the “6” was used until early 1861 when the rate to port-of-entry was reduced to 5¢. The use of the

Figure 11 HISTORIAN Vol. 39, No. 1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011

red octagonal “full-rigged ship” essentially stopped at the end of 1835. The few unusual uses are not included in the census tables and are discussed individually at the end of this article. Prior to Oct. 1834 and subsequent to Dec. 1835, Philadelphia used the 20 x 5 mm. straight line “SHIP” marking on private ship letters addressed beyond Philadelphia. Figure 4 Red 31 mm. town mark on letter datelined Figure 5 Earliest reported example of the Oct. 22, 1836. Only three examples of this blue 31 mm. town mark on cover red transition marking are known, dating from datelined Oct. 27, 1836. Oct. 22 to Oct 24, 1836.

Census of Normal Full-Rigged Ship Covers

We are unaware of a census ever having been published on this elaborate and sought- after marking. Listed in Tables 1 to 4 are 44 examples dating from Oct. 6, 1834 to Dec. 27, 1835. In all cases the hand stamp postal markings on the covers are red. A few of the covers of special interest will be discussed in the next few paragraphs.

The 1987 ASCC (Vol II, p. 85) lists a value of $750 for the red marking. Through the years, covers have sold from several hundred to a few thousand dollars. It was therefore quite a shock when the Oct. 6, 1834 example from Canton, China sold in the Jan. 2010 Risvold Sale (Spink/Shreves Auction) for $71, 975. It is a beautiful cover and one of the two recorded earliest to arrive at Philadelphia. Apparently at least two collectors wanted it very badly. The scan shown in Figure 6 was taken from a recent Spink/Schreve advertisement in the Nov. 2010 issue of The Chronicle (p. 345).

Everyone makes mistakes and we postal historians love to find them. On the Dec. 20, 1834 cover from Demarara, British Guiana to Bridgeport, Conn., the postal clerk inadvertently struck the d. l. oct. 6 before realizing that it was addressed beyond Philadelphia. Thus he struck the full-rigged ship over the “6” and added the 20¾ (¢) collect rate. The cover is illustrated in Figure 7.

Normally, private ship letters to Philadelphia were hand stamped only with d. l. oct. 6 and no other markings, since the “6” said it all. The Dec. 20, 1834 cover from Halifax to Philadelphia provides an error scenario opposite to the one in the previous paragraph. The clerk first hand stamped the town mark and the full-rigged ship and then noticed it was addressed to Philadelphia. He then added the “6”. The cover is shown in Figure 8.


Figure 6

Figure 7 Figure 8 may be found at the bottom of Table 4.






Unusual Full-Rigged Ship Covers Not Included in Census Tables

The Normal-Size Blue Full-Rigged Ship (“Large Blue”)

There is only one known cover with the normal full-rigged ship struck in blue and it arrived in Philadelphia more than three years after the Philadelphia P. O. stopped using the marking on a regular basis. Manuscript docketing indicates it was sent on March 19, 1839 by Philo S. Shelton. It is addressed to Moses Taylor Esq., New York. On arrival in Philadelphia on April 18, 1839, it was struck with the blue 29 mm. circular PHILADELPHIA / P A postmark, which was one of the two normal town marks in use from 1836 to 1841, the blue 20 x 5 mm. s. l. SHIP, and the blue full-rigged ship. Obviously only one of the latter two markings was necessary. The manuscript 14½ (¢) is the normal single-letter collect private ship-letter rate to New York.

The cover was sold in the March 23, 1977 Siegel Auction (lot # 6). The scan shown below in Figure 9 was obtained from a color photocopy provided by the current owner.

Figure 9 The Small Blue Full-Rigged Ship

There is only one cover known with this blue marking as well. The dimensions of the octagonal box are 21 x 27 mm. The normal size marking measures 28-29 x 31-33 mm. The cover is datelined “Pernambuco 28th July 1837” and is addressed to Salem, Mass. It arrived in Philadelphia on Sep. 26, 1837 as indicated by the same blue 29 mm. town mark shown in Figure 9. The red manuscript 20¾ (¢) indicates the normal single-letter collect private ship-letter rate to Salem.


The small blue full-rigged ship cover was sold in the March 31-April1, 1965 Siegel Auction (lot # 239). The scan shown below in Figure 10 was obtained from a color photocopy provided by the current owner.

Figure 10 A Questionable Very late Use

A previously reported3 very late use of both the red d. l. octagonal town mark and the red full-rigged ship was not included in the census because we believed it to be a very unusual and questionable example. The cover was sold in the Jan. 1988 Kelleher Auction (Sale # 577, lot # 34).

The item, shown in Figure 11, is docketed Singapore, June 8, 1836 and is addressed to Marcellus, N. Y. The d. l. oct. PHILA postmark is dated Nov. 23. If the date is authentic, the item represents both the latest known use of the red townmark and a very late use of the of the red full-rigged ship. Furthermore the use of red ink in Nov. 1836 is also unusual, because the Philadelphia P. O. converted to blue ink by the end of Oct. 1836. However, the appearance of the town mark does suggest a late use. Figure 11

Because of the several unusual aspects of this cover, we felt it should be dealt with


as a special case, and not included in the census. If the cover were dated 1835 instead of 1836, it would have been a normal use and would have been included in the census. The Small Red Full-Rigged Ship ?

The only example of what is purported to be the small red full-rigged ship comes from a publication in our files of unknown origin (Figure 12). It is compared with a normal

Figure 12

example which we already have in our census (Nov. 22, 1834). We suspect the purported “smaller version” is just a very poor strike of the normal full-rigged ship and may just be wishful thinking by the author. Indeed in our census we have a Dec. 27, 1835 example to New York with a manuscript notation “via Ph’a”. It is our latest reported normal use.


Some Final Comments

We believe that we have found a large percentage of the full-rigged ship covers that exist, but not all of them. Further input of additional examples as well as additional information on the already listed covers would be appreciated. Acknowledgements

Our sincere thanks to John Barwis (# 498), Bud Newman (# 39), and Mark Villanueva at Siegel Auctions for their contributions to this article. References

1. N. Shachat, Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Vol. 13, No. 2, March-April 1986, pp. 4-9. 2. N. Shachat, Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Vol. 14, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 1987, pp.2-3. 3. N. Shachat, Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Vol. 16, No. 2, March-April 1989, pp. 6-7. 4. N. Shachat, Pennsylvania Postal Historian, Vol. 16, No. 3, May-June 1989, pp. 7-9.

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Over a year ago, Bill Schultz sent me a scan of the above postcard. Can anyone identify “R. D. Route No. 1”. Was it in Pennsylvania or in Jefferson County , West Virginia where rural free delivery was initiated on an experimental basis in Oct. 1896? Apparently, rural free delivery did not begin in other states until Aug. 1900.

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Edward Hicks – Renowned American Artist Bucks County Native

By Harvey Mirsky (# 547)

Edward Hicks was born in 1780 at Attleboro (now Langhorne), Pennsylvania. He was the son of Anglican parents, and was a life-long resident of Bucks County. After his mother died when he was 18 months old, he was raised by Elizabeth Twining, a Quaker and close family friend. Obviously influenced by his early training, Hicks applied for and was accepted for membership in the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1803. Eventually, he became one of the leading and most popular Quaker preachers of his time. Nonetheless, Hicks believed that a good Christian must make his living with his hands.

Although he briefly tried farming, Hicks’ main support during his lifetime came from ornamental or decorative painting (i.e., coaches, houses, farm equipment, commercial signs, etc.). Around 1826, Hicks began painting canvasses. These he gave away to family and friends or sold at a very nominal price; decorative painting continued to be his main source of income.

During his lifetime Hicks was better known as a minister than as a painter. His greatest recognition as an artist occurred after his death, and he is now considered America’s finest “folk painter” (a school of art sometimes referred to as “primitive” or “naïve” art).

His most famous series of paintings, Peaceable Kingdom, is based on the biblical prophecy of Isaiah that “The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” These paintings frequently included scenes related to Quaker and American history, such as depictions of the treaty signing between William Penn and the local Native Americans.

Figure 1 Hicks painted many versions of his Peaceable Kingdom. This one - which also shows a view of William Penn meeting with local Native Americans - is shown by courtesy of The Brooklyn Museum.


Indeed, Hicks painted more than 60 versions of Peaceable Kingdom and his work (more than 100 paintings extant), is in the collections of important art museums across the country. These include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, The Phillips Collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and numerous other prestigious institutions.

The 3-page folded letter shown in Figure 2 was sent from Philadelphia by Hicks’ “Affectionate Friend,” Richard, and is Quaker-datelined “10 mo 18th 1847;” the Philadelphia postmark confirms the date. Figure 2 The 5¢ adhesive paid the under-300mi. single letter (to ½ oz.) rate from Philadelphia to Newtown, Pa. Richard begins his letter saying that “I duly note thy Letter with the Painting for Father Longstreth, with which he was much pleased, particularly the Cattle and Sheep, that are excellent. He desired me to enclose thee the twenty dollars, which I now do. The rest of the letter is an attempt to reassure Hicks, asking that “Thee must not be too discouraged about thy health or weakness,” interjecting religious thoughts to comfort him, while bringing him up-to-date on the health problems of mutual friends.

Richard’s worries were apparently well-founded, as Hicks died in Newtown less than two years later, on August 23, 1849. According to a contemporary account, the funeral of this beloved Quaker preacher was the largest ever held in Bucks County.

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Plan to attend our Annual Meeting at PNSE 2011

On Saturday April 2, 2011


A to Z as in Zermatt, Pa., Chester County

By William Schultz (# 202, LM # 6)

There are 27 Pennsylvania Post Offices listed that begin with the last letter in the alphabet ”Z”. For nearly 40 years I have pursued a Zermatt, Chester County P. O. postal marking of any type. Zermatt is the only Chester County P. O. that starts with “Z”. I had no luck until November 19, 2010, when performing a modest Chester County research activity in the Chester County Historical Society’s Library in West Chester. While “surfing” the files manually I stumbled upon a Zermatt marking on a cover from the Robert Brinton Collection which is held by the Library. The collection has been in the vaults since the late 1930’s or so.

The cover, shown in Figure 1, is the only Zermatt marking I have seen and it is a true beauty to me. With the able help of Ms. Pam Powell, the photo-archivist of the Library I was able to get a reasonably good image of the marking on the lower left of the cover. Because the subject P. O. was located in a Railroad station for its total existence, I was even more overjoyed to see the oval RR postal marking. The restored P. O. building (Figure 2) still stands about five miles from my home and I drive by it numerous times per month and have always glanced at it each and every time and said a little wish to someday see a Zermatt marking.

The blue oval (26 x 31 mm.) hand stamp “PENNA.R.R.CO. / ZERMATT PA” dated SEP / 18 / 1893 is clearly the R. R. P. O. receiving mark. The letter was posted in Kenilworth, near Pottstown, (also a Chester County DPO) on Sep 16, 1893 with a 2¢ Columbian paying the normal domestic letter rate.

Figure 1


Figure 2 Restored Zermatt / Morstein P. O. building in Chester County

The following is a brief background of the postal history of the elusive Zermatt Post Office: Originally named Zermatt on the West Chester & Frazer Branch of the Pennsylvania RR in West Whiteland Township (Figure 3), the Post Office opened in August 1886 with Mrs. Matlida Cunningham the first and only Postmaster. On March 3, 1900, the name was changed to Morstein and Mrs. Cunningham remained the Postmaster. It is believed that the Morstein name derived from the name of the estate of John Frederick Lewis (1860-1932), a Philadelphia lawyer, who built a home near Zermatt Station on the West Chester-Frazier Line (Figure 4) just before 1900. He supposedly named his estate “Morstein” after his ancestral home in Germany. His primary home was on Spruce St. in Philadelphia. He served as the first chairman of the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Committee, but resigned after a dispute with city officials. He was known as an art collector and left an estate of more than a million dollars.

Figure 4 West Chester & Frazer RR Insignia

Figure 3 Map locating Zermatt on the PRR


In Figure 5 below is shown the Zermatt Railroad Station prior to restoration.

Figure 5

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Vintage, Pa., Lancaster County (Supplied by Bill Schultz)

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Earliest Found Letter from West Chester (Chester County)

By William Schultz (# 202, LM # 6)

I constantly search for early letters from West Chester, the County Seat, and hit pay dirt in the deep recesses of the Chester County Historical Society Library Archives. The letter and docketing, shown in Figures 1 and 2, indicate it was written on August 11, 1794 to Alexander J. Dallas, Secretary State of Pennsylvania. There are no visible postal markings which strongly suggests that the letter was hand carried. The sender of the letter, William Gibbons, was a famous early Chester County citizen of note. The contents request an additional “29 Tavern Licenses” be forwarded as 76 were requested and only 47 received.

Figure 1

It is the earliest letter from West Chester I have found to date.

Smith and Kay indicate that the West Chester P. O. was established on Sept. 7, 1802. The first postmaster was Cromwell Pierce who held the position until Jan. 1, 1811. Figure 2


The receiver of the letter, Alexander James Dallas (June 21, 1759 – January 16, 1817), was an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison. Dallas was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Dr. Robert Charles Dallas (1710 – 1769) and Sarah Elizabeth (Cormack) Hewitt. When he was five his family moved to Edinburgh (his father was a Scotsman) and then to London. There he studied under James Elphinston. He planned to study law, but was unable to afford it. He married Arabella Maria Smith of Pennsylvania, the daughter of Maj. George Smith of the British Army and Arabella Barlow (in turn the daughter of the Rev. William Barlow and Arabella Trevanion, the daughter of Sir Nicholas Trevanion), in 1780 and the next year they moved to Jamaica. There he was admitted to the bar through his father's connections. Maria's health suffered in Jamaica and they moved to Philadelphia in 1783. Dallas was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1785. His law practice was slow and on the side he edited the Pennsylvania Herald from 1787 to 1788 and the Columbian Magazine from 1787 to 1789.

Governor Thomas Mifflin named Dallas Secretary of the Commonwealth, a post he held from 1791 to 1801. Because Mifflin was an alcoholic, Dallas functioned as de facto governor for much of the late 1790s. Dallas helped found the Democratic-Republican Party in Pennsylvania and advocated a strict construction of the new Constitution.

The sender of the letter was almost as notable as the receiver. William Gibbons, the son of James Gibbons and Jane Sheward, was born in 1737 in the township of Westtown. The parents were prominent members of the Society of Friends, the mother being a minister thereof. After his marriage he resided in Philadelphia, subsequently, in 1766, removing to Thornbury township, and in 1769 to West Nantmeal, on a fine farm left him by his parents. For the active part he took in the struggle for independence he was disowned by the Society. He served as lieutenant-colonel of one of the Chester County Battalions of Associators, was appointed justice of the peace March 31, 1777, and directed by the Supreme Executive Council, October 21, 1777, to collect blankets, arms, etc., from those not taking the oath of allegiance. Towards the close of the war he removed to Paxtang township, in Lancaster County, where he resided a year or two, for what purpose it is not known. In 1783 he was elected sheriff of Chester County, and it was during his time of service, the Seat of justice was removed from Chester to West Chester. He served as a delegate to the convention to ratify the federal constitution in 1787, and as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1789-90. Governor Mifflin commissioned him Prothonotary of the County August 17, 1791, in which he served nine years. During the Whiskey Insurrection, in 1794, he volunteered under Captain Joseph McClellan for the expedition westward, performing that tour of military duty. He was elected a member of the House of Representatives in 1801, and served one term. Colonel Gibbons died October 30, 1803.

Little did I know when I first discovered this letter that both the writer and the recipient were both illustrious personages in both our State and National History. My search now continues for an even earlier letter from West Chester.

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Plan to attend our Annual Meeting at PNSE 2011

On Saturday April 2, 2011


Ron Yeager, P. O. Box 774, Bradford, PA 16701-0774 E-mail: [email protected]

WANTED Covers and Ephemera Stampless to Modern

Blairsville, PA Also the surrounding area: Black Lick, Black Lick Mills, Black Lick Station, Branch, Branch Junction, Carters Mills, Cokeville, Heshbon, Josephine, Knights, Livermore, Newport, Torrance, Indiana & Branch RPO, Indiana and Branch RPO

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Covers from the following towns in Chester County are needed for a book in progress: Auburn; Bacton; Birchrunville; Buck Run; Burdel; Byers; Cassart; Charleston; Clingans; Diemer; Elk Mills; Forestville; Fountain Inn; Fountain Mills; Fox Chase Tavern; General Pike; Grove; Heckleville; Hero; Humphreysville; Manavoon; Maple Shade; North Coventry; Paper Mills; Pyles; Rosscommon; Snap; & Stock

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•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 29 HISTORIAN Vol. 39, No. 1 (Whole No. 186) February 2011

Urgently Needed Philadelphia Advertising Covers – building illustrations, any other illustrated Also postal history of the 1876 Centennial All Correspondence Answered Gus Spector 824 Main St. Suite 203 Phoenixville, PA 19460

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Documents

PENNSYLVANIA POSTAL HISTORIANpaphs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2011_Feb.pdfwhich was inspired by a 5¢ 1857 cover sent to Hicks; and two articles by Bill Schultz – you guessed