Essays on Sussex County and New Jersey Postal History

Len Peck ~ SPARTA, NJ: EARLY SUSSEX POFig. 3A cover with a manuscript Sparta cancel, dated April 11 (1855), with a paid 3marking. It was sent to Martin Sutton in Pennsylvania.The next letter, from 1860. shows a nice contrast of a city boy in the country. Victor wasfrom Brooklyn and was visiting in Sparta. A large part of his time seems to have been spentdoing very little of consequence – pickling berries, taking a jaunt, entertaining the ladies, andbeing whatever help he could. He writes of several interesting things:Fig. 4: An 1860 cds cancel from Sparta NJ. This envelope carried the letterbelow.Sparta, N.J. Sept. 9th, 1860My dear Al,I rec’d your letter on Thursday from Bedell Boss 1 in the evening; you don’t say anythingmore about going or coming into the country. The weather of yesterday and Friday was verysultry and depressing but this morning we have a cold stormy sky overhead and a damp rawNorth wind whistling round the house and passing through the cracks like snow as you feel it onyour fingers tingling and freshening you all over. Fall is coming rapidly, the country looks quietand sober – almost sad as you sit on the rocks and gaze at the thickets and woods – the scarletvines creeping about the old rail fences and the yellow leaves scattered rather freely along theborder of the timber. Gunning and fishing are appealing to us for votaries and the last week haswitnessed the bagging og a few birds. Mr. Miller came up yesterday for the special purpose ofVol. 38/No. 3155NJPHWhole No. 179 Aug 201044