RATTERMANN &. MITCHELL.. SILK MANUFACTURERS.28 & 28 RAMAPO AVE.,PATERSON, N. J.41.0, 1101./aZ4;j&/ //P''.17 1/Cd71;,/,(,izgefido.V.A.01af argi&T.M. AVEPIXt•F•ItsCIVAIIF•VaXe851£Z4 snames:Ems tWifi,150 stamppaying the triple weight letter rate3 x 50 rate to Germany10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 150, 300 & 500 stampstotaling $1.34 - overpaying by 40the $1.30 AirMail Letter Rate forservice on the Graf Zeppelin(late usage in 1929)NJPHSeptember 1<strong>99</strong>2 114
THE CORISCO-NEW JERSEY CONNECTIONGerard J. NeufeldCorisco is a small island off the west coast of Africa, almost on the equator. Whyshould it interest <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> postal historians? The connecting link is the ReverendRobert Hamill Nassau. The clergyman was born 11 October 1835 in Montgomery Square, nearNorristown, Pennsylvania. His father was a professor at Lafayette College and the boy'sschooling went as far as the freshman class there. He then came to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> where mostof the rest of his life in the United States was spent. Here he attended a high schoolin Lawrenceville conducted by his mother's brothers. He then entered the College of <strong>New</strong><strong>Jersey</strong>, graduating in 1854. He taught at his uncles' school for a few years before enteringPrinceton Theological Seminary for three years of study, 1 856-59. He then askedthe Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions to send him to a difficult and dangerouspost. He was appointed to the Corisco mission. Further preparation consisted of enteringthe University of Pennsylvania to study medicine, receiving his degree in 1861. On2 July of that year he was ordained, and in Corisco by late August. A year later, September1862, he married Mary Cloyd Latta, a missionary at the station. The union resultedin three sons before her death in 1870. Reverend Nassau served in Africa for fortyfiveyears, until 1906, with several two year furloughs in the United States. On furlough,in October 1881, he married Mary Brunette Foster in Lakewood. The couple had onedaughter.This remarkable man not only pursued his missionary efforts with great zeal, but wasfar ahead of his time in using his medical knowledge and, also, industrial training tofurther his effectiveness, He recorded African folk stories. He sent home zoological andentomological specimens. He helped translate the Bible into the Benga language. He wasalso reported to be an excellent marksman! He kept meticulous records of his activities,later writing several books about his experiences. In 1910 he retired to Ambler, Pennsylvaniadevoting the balance of his life to writing. He died 6 May 1921.His propensity for record-keeping and writing carried over to frequent letters tohis family, associates and missionary societies. Since all of these letters requ:red answers,(the reciprocal nature of mail,) and since he faithfully saved all the le .:ters hereceived, the connection with <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> is revealed - letters back and forth: C:Iiscoand <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.When Reverend Nassau arrived on the island Corisco was claimed by Spain but therewere no Spanish authorities present, nor was the mail handled by Spanish agents. :t wEsusual to send letters to Fernando Po, 200 miles to the north, there to be picked up byBritish packets, taken to Liverpool and then to the United States. Any ship that :railedon the African coast and would return to England or the United States would be q:venletters. These would receive the usual non-contract "SHIP" marking. The very first ofthe clergyman's letters home was dispatched on the Mg4fLc, a United States war vesselcalled home from the African Squadron for service in the Civil War. Missionary activitieswere not restricted to the island. Nassau preached and founded missionary stationsalong over One hundred miles of coast; from fifty miles north of Corisco to seventymiles south and penetrated two hundred miles into the continent via the Ogowai River.By 1900 he was working one hundred twenty-five miles north of Corisco at Libreville andBatanga. The movement into the mainland brought him into the French protectorate ofGaboon. So some mail has been found that was handled by the French postal system.There is no record as to the cost of getting letters to Fernando Po or inland toGaboon, and none contain any markings to indicate charges. However, the British chargefrom Fernando Po to the United States was 334 per half ounce. In the French postalsystem the rate from Gaboon was 274 per one quarter ounce. Reverend Nassau, his familyand colleagues were all very concious of postal charges. All the correspondence - s onvery thin 'tissue' paper so as to cut down on weight. Also it was usual to send severalNJPHSeptember 1<strong>99</strong>2 115
Change language