185 - New Jersey Postal History Society

HISTORY OF THE HAMMONTON POST OFFICE ~ Doug D’Avino
Cyrus J. Fay, head of one of the early families to settle the present Hammonton, was the
first postmaster in the Atlantic County office. He received his appointment in May, 1859, just
seven years prior to the incorporation of Hammonton. He established the post office in the Fay
Building, in the general store he operated at that time, at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Egg
Harbor Road. For a time the second floor of the building housed the early beginning of the
Osgood and Smith Shoe factory. A Hammonton cover from Fay's business is illustrated in
Figure 3, while Figure 4 shows a paid testimonial for a patent medicine (druggist being another
of his occupations) that ran in a number of newspapers while Fay was postmaster.
In June, 1861, William A. Elvins, shown in Figure 5, was appointed postmaster and
established the post office at Elvins Store, on Bellevue Avenue and the White Horse Pike,
shown in Figure 6. For the convenience of the scattered settlers in the lower part of the town, a
"branch" was opened in the old P. S. Tilton store. Mr. W. J. Smith, president of the Peoples
Bank and Trust Company in 1939, recalled how the mail at Tilton's Store was delivered over the
top of a large round cheese box, at one end of the counter near the small tier of mailboxes.
This service continued and George Elvins (Figure 5), a brother of William and father of
Thomas Clohansey Elvins, was appointed postmaster March, 1869. Mr. Elvins erected a
building at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Third Street and established the main post office
there. A "branch" office however, at Elvins' store was continued into the 1930s.
Mrs. Annie (nee Clohansey) Elvins (Figure 5), wife of George, succeeded her husband in
December, 1880. She served during his term in the NJ State Assembly. Seven years later she
was succeeded by Cyrus F. Osgood (Figure 7), prominent banker and shoe manufacturer, who
was appointed in May, 1887.
Fig. 3: Stampless envelope advertising Fay’s mill for the production of hay, cotton and cider presses,
postmarked in Hammonton on December 10, either 1859 or 1860. Postmaster Cyrus J. Fay used his
postmaster free frank on this envelope, which does not appear to be post office business but his own.
NJPH 24
Vol. 40/No. 1
Feb 2012 Whole No. 185