Essays on Sussex County and New Jersey Postal History

SNUFFTOWN [SUSSEX COUNTY] EXPLAINED! ~ Len PeckIowa dated January 11 th , 1877, and received it February 17 th ; other packages started same timecome on time, this he withheld all that time. I speak from my own knowledge that when I have sentfor my mail and acknowledged the persons to them as my carriers, they have asked for my mail andit has not been sent or my mail has been withheld, not once. This has happened many times.-- Acustomer to his store is waited upon before and in preference of people after mail. J. M. Lewis sayshe gets nothing for attending to the mail and his customers must have the preference. A. M. Holdenwas a Soldier nearly all through the war and is a thorough Republican; he keeps store about twohundred yards from Stockholm Depot; if he gets the office it will relieve the Post Office Departmentfrom carrying the mail as the RailRoad will have to deliver it, which will be a great save.--The mailcertainly was carried as set forth in the accompanying Petition; I have carried it myself for the sakeof getting my mail without waiting.At or close to the Stockholm Depot is the most central place to accommodate the wholepeople getting their mail at Stockholm Post Office. Hoping you will act upon this matterimmediately, I remainYoursHiram H. Strait 4So it is clear from this letter that while Longstreet was the official postmaster atStockholm, he had, without permission, removed the office to Snufftown, a mile away, whenhe moved his business to that location. Such unofficial moves were no doubt undertaken moreoften than we understand.Apparently, this letter had very little influence at Postal Headquarters because therecords show that Mr. A. M. Holden was never appointed as Postmaster at Stockholm and thatWilliam S. Longstreet continued to hold the position as postmaster at Stockholm whileoperating out of Snufftown until he was replaced by Edward Kincaid in 1883. Kincaid wasthen followed by James M. Lewis in 1886, the same Lewis who Hiram Strait was criticizing inhis letter. Lewis was replaced by Kincaid again in 1889 and he then replaced Kincaid again in1894. (Note--Changes of this kind occurred often when postmaster appointments were apatronage matter and the controlling political party changed at election time.)It was during Hiram Strait’s tenure as postmaster that the shortest lived post office inNew Jersey (maybe even the country) came into existence. The name of that Post Office wasPetauket which was established March 18, 1873 and discontinued on March 24, 1873, a matterof only one week. The change had to be requested by Hiram Strait but the records at PostOffice Headquarters in Washington have no record of the reason for either its establishment orits quick demise.Not only do the records show that James M. Lewis served twice as Postmaster atStockholm but his wife Josephine as well as his son, George also served as Postmasters atStockholm from 1906 through 1914.In any event, the mystery of a post office in Snufftown has been solved by this letter.NJPH 64Vol. 33/No. 2May 2005 Whole No. 15855