Post by Pat (Friend) Thompson on Dec 27, 2006 22:02:21 GMT -5
Glade Star Vol 6 (Mar. 1988: pages 181-186; “History of a Post Office Ledger by John Hinebaugh”.
…..The first mail carrier was John Johnson who came to Sang Run from Philadelphia, PA, where he had served as an apprentice in his father’s tailor shop. In addition to carrying the mail he was the local tailor. John married Rebecca Friend, a sister of Elijah and David Harrison Friend and settled in a house on the other side of the Youghiogheny River from the post office. As there were no bridges at that time, John had to wade the river in order to carry the mail between Friendsville and Sang Run. Family history has it that John, in the course of wading the river during a severe winter contracted pneumonia and died at an early age leaving a young widow and two small children.
…..At the beginning of the Elijah Friend’s Day Book, reference is made to Little Crossing and Selbysport. Three years later the name Selbysport is still to be found but Little Crossing is replaced by Somerfield.
…..May 30th, 1840 Meshach Browning came over from his grist mill to pick up a letter from Cumberland. It cost him 10 cents postage. Three weeks later we find that he received a letter from Cumberland and a newspaper from Shippensburg, PA.
….During the same period that Meshach Browning was receiving his mail, Henry Sines, Jr., was also receiving mail. One came from Salt Creek, Ohio and cost him 18 cents.
….Today, we might wonder at these postage prices, whether they were high or low. Comparatively speaking they were high because in another part of the day book we find that Henry Sines, Jr., was paid 75 cents for a whole day’s work on the local road.
….Joseph DeWitt was also receiving mail in June of that year. He received a newspaper (the subscription cost him 20 cents) and he paid six cents postage for a letter from Fayette Springs, PA. A considerate man, Joseph DeWitt is recorded as also paying postage on a letter that he sent. It would be interesting to know some of his correspondence was about. Two letters in 1840 were sent to Loch & Sons, in Baltimore, and they must have been important because they cost him 18 cents to mail.
..During the 1840’s a lot of people in the Sang Run area received newspapers in the mail on a regular basis. They came from Pittsburgh, Washington, and Baltimore. Presumably, Elijah Friend was an agent for a number of newspapers because the day book contains entries for advertisements in the papers. The book entries also note that the subscription to a Pittsburgh paper, for example, cost 19 ½ cents for a three months period.
….Many members of the Friend family dealt at Elijah’s post office/store. One of the first accounts in the daybook is that of Amos Friend. He bought newspaper subscriptions and paid postage on letters. Most of the letters were from near-by Friendsville or Selbysport; however, re received on letter which cost him 25 cents postage. He paid for it by doing work on the local road at 50 cents a day.
….1869, at the age of 55 years, Elijah was killed in a barn raising accident. Shortly thereafter the original log store building caught fire and burned. While the store was never reopened, Elijah’s sons, Dick and Chase continued as Sang Run postmasters in a newly constructed building until their passing. Then Florence (Kimmell) Hoye, whom bachelors Dick and Chase raised from a young age, became the postmaster.
……David Harrison continued with his store on the west side of Sang Run and in his later years it was relinquished to his son, my grandfather, J. Alvin Friend. Then, about 1880, Smith McClelland (Celly) Friend, whose grandmother was a sister to David Harrison, took over and was the Friend store keeper for many years. During this period Celly installed a still in the rear of the store. Tea leaves were taken in trade and distilled into wintergreen oil for shipment via the mail carrier to Friendsville and on to a pharmaceutical firm. From time to time Celly was also the mail carrier.
…Then about 1915, J. Alvin Friend again became the store keeper and was appointed postmaster. He served as postmaster until his retirement in 1940. He retired with a monthly pension of $13.85.
------------------------
…..The first mail carrier was John Johnson who came to Sang Run from Philadelphia, PA, where he had served as an apprentice in his father’s tailor shop. In addition to carrying the mail he was the local tailor. John married Rebecca Friend, a sister of Elijah and David Harrison Friend and settled in a house on the other side of the Youghiogheny River from the post office. As there were no bridges at that time, John had to wade the river in order to carry the mail between Friendsville and Sang Run. Family history has it that John, in the course of wading the river during a severe winter contracted pneumonia and died at an early age leaving a young widow and two small children.
…..At the beginning of the Elijah Friend’s Day Book, reference is made to Little Crossing and Selbysport. Three years later the name Selbysport is still to be found but Little Crossing is replaced by Somerfield.
…..May 30th, 1840 Meshach Browning came over from his grist mill to pick up a letter from Cumberland. It cost him 10 cents postage. Three weeks later we find that he received a letter from Cumberland and a newspaper from Shippensburg, PA.
….During the same period that Meshach Browning was receiving his mail, Henry Sines, Jr., was also receiving mail. One came from Salt Creek, Ohio and cost him 18 cents.
….Today, we might wonder at these postage prices, whether they were high or low. Comparatively speaking they were high because in another part of the day book we find that Henry Sines, Jr., was paid 75 cents for a whole day’s work on the local road.
….Joseph DeWitt was also receiving mail in June of that year. He received a newspaper (the subscription cost him 20 cents) and he paid six cents postage for a letter from Fayette Springs, PA. A considerate man, Joseph DeWitt is recorded as also paying postage on a letter that he sent. It would be interesting to know some of his correspondence was about. Two letters in 1840 were sent to Loch & Sons, in Baltimore, and they must have been important because they cost him 18 cents to mail.
..During the 1840’s a lot of people in the Sang Run area received newspapers in the mail on a regular basis. They came from Pittsburgh, Washington, and Baltimore. Presumably, Elijah Friend was an agent for a number of newspapers because the day book contains entries for advertisements in the papers. The book entries also note that the subscription to a Pittsburgh paper, for example, cost 19 ½ cents for a three months period.
….Many members of the Friend family dealt at Elijah’s post office/store. One of the first accounts in the daybook is that of Amos Friend. He bought newspaper subscriptions and paid postage on letters. Most of the letters were from near-by Friendsville or Selbysport; however, re received on letter which cost him 25 cents postage. He paid for it by doing work on the local road at 50 cents a day.
….1869, at the age of 55 years, Elijah was killed in a barn raising accident. Shortly thereafter the original log store building caught fire and burned. While the store was never reopened, Elijah’s sons, Dick and Chase continued as Sang Run postmasters in a newly constructed building until their passing. Then Florence (Kimmell) Hoye, whom bachelors Dick and Chase raised from a young age, became the postmaster.
……David Harrison continued with his store on the west side of Sang Run and in his later years it was relinquished to his son, my grandfather, J. Alvin Friend. Then, about 1880, Smith McClelland (Celly) Friend, whose grandmother was a sister to David Harrison, took over and was the Friend store keeper for many years. During this period Celly installed a still in the rear of the store. Tea leaves were taken in trade and distilled into wintergreen oil for shipment via the mail carrier to Friendsville and on to a pharmaceutical firm. From time to time Celly was also the mail carrier.
…Then about 1915, J. Alvin Friend again became the store keeper and was appointed postmaster. He served as postmaster until his retirement in 1940. He retired with a monthly pension of $13.85.
------------------------