Sources of Historical Information 1

United States Postal Service®

Sources of 

Historical

Information

on Post Offices,

Postal Employees,

Mail Routes, and

Mail Contractors

Publication 119

October 2011

Sources of 

Historical 

Information

on Post Offices,

Postal Employees,

Mail Routes, and

Mail Contractors

Publication 119

October 2011
The Postal Service shall have as its basic 

function the obligation to provide postal 

services to bind the Nation together 

through the personal, educational, literary, and 

business correspondence of the people. It shall 

provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to 

patrons in all areas and shall render postal services 

to all communities.

—Title 39, United States Code, Section 101

The history of the United States Postal Service®

is one of innovation and adaptation—from the 

first use of railroads to carry the mail in the 

1830s, to online stamp sales in 1997, to new 

developments in the 21st century. Within the 

history of the Postal Service lies the history of 

the nation as a whole, as mail routes and Post 

OfficesTM spread westward, keeping the growing 

nation connected.

Historians, postmasters, genealogists, and 

others who want to learn more about the 

history of their communities will discover 

valuable sources of historical information on 

Post Offices, postal employees, mail routes, 

and mail contractors in this publication. 

Sources are listed chronologically and then 

discussed by subject. Following that, they are 

described in alphabetical order. The final pages 

list addresses for these resources and provide 

further references.
Sources of Historical Information 3

Sources Chronologically

1700s– Newspapers, city directories

1773–1774 Hugh Finlay’s journal

1775–1778 Benjamin Franklin’s ledger

1782–1799 Ledgers of the General Post Office

1789–1818 Record of First Returns Received 

from Postmasters

1789–1952 Letters Sent by the Postmaster 

General

1789– Annual Report of the Postmaster 

General

1789– Congressional Serial Set

1789– Federal Statutes

1790–1930 Census records

1803– Lists, tables, and directories of 

Post Offices

1814–1960 Contract route registers

1814–1971 Record of Appointment of 

Postmasters

1816–1911 Official Register of the United 

States

1830s–1940s Post route maps

1835–1953 Orders of the Postmaster General 

(“Journals”)

1837–1950 Site location reports of Post 

Offices

1861–1865 Confederate Post Office 

Department records

1863–ca. 1900 Record Cards of Letter Carriers 

Separated from the Postal Service

1874–1954 United States Official Postal 

Guide

1880– Postal Bulletin (Daily Bulletin

prior to 1919)

1890s–1986 Record cards of postmaster 

appointments

1896–1970s Rural route cards

1901–1934 Rural free delivery records

ca. 1901– Pay and personnel records

1986– Postmaster Finder
4 Publication 119

Sources by Subject

Post Offices and Employees

F

or information on Post Offices and 

postmasters before 1814, major sources 

include:

■ Record of First Returns Received from 

Postmasters.

■ Letters Sent by the Postmaster General.

■ Hugh Finlay’s journal, a survey of post 

roads.

■ Benjamin Franklin’s ledger.

■ Newspapers.

For information after 1814, the primary source 

is the Record of Appointment of Postmasters.

For concise listings of Post Offices by state and 

alphabetically, sources include the lists, tables, 

and directories of Post Offices, as well as the 

United States Official Postal Guide and Official 

Register of the United States.

For postmaster salary information and lists 

of other Post Office employees, refer to the 

Official Register of the United States.

Pay and personnel records may be available for 

employees whose service ended after

about 1901.

Site location reports of Post Offices provide 

geographic and other information on specific 

Post Offices.

Mail Routes and Contractors

For information on mail contracts and 

contractors before 1814, sources include:

■ Letters Sent by the Postmaster General.

■ Hugh Finlay’s journal.

■ Newspapers.

Contract route registers are available beginning 

in 1814.
Sources of Historical Information 5

Names and salaries of contractors are listed in 

the biennial Official Register of the United States.

Rural route cards provide rural route 

establishment dates, as well as the names, 

dates of service, and salaries of rural carriers.

The historian of the United States Postal 

Service has compiled tables showing first rural 

routes established, by Post Office, through 

1904, from issues of the Postal Bulletin and the 

1901 Annual Report. These tables are available 

at http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postalhistory/first-rural-routes.htm.

Names and salaries of rural and city carriers 

are listed in the biennial Official Register of the 

United States.

Dates of service of city carriers whose service 

ended before about 1900 are available in Record 

Cards of Letter Carriers Separated from the Postal 

Service, 1863-1899.

Pay and personnel records may be available 

for rural and city carriers whose service ended 

after about 1901.

Sources Alphabetically

Annual Report of the Postmaster 

General, 1789–

Early editions of the Annual Report

(title varies slightly) offer only brief 

summaries of a few pages each on mail 

service nationwide, but by the 1840s the 

report begins to include statistical tables on 

everything from missent mail (by state) to 

international money orders issued (by state). 

Although the subjects of the statistical tables 

vary year by year, the following remain fairly 

constant (year of first appearance given in 

parentheses):

■ The lengths of mail routes and modes of 

conveyance, by state (1836).

■ Railroad and steamboat contracts (1843 and 

1845, respectively).
6 Publication 119

■ The number of Post Offices by state (1847).

■ Receipts/expenses by state (1851).

■ Statistics on city delivery (1873).

■ Establishment dates of rural free delivery, by 

Post Office (1897–1901).

More detailed financial statistics are often 

available on the largest U.S. Post Offices—

for example, receipts, expenses, and money 

allowed for clerk hire and rent, light, and 

fuel. The 1970 Annual Report has a statistical 

overview of the history of the Post Office 

Department from 1789 to 1970, such as 

number of Post Offices and revenue. In 1971, 

the report reverts to a limited format, with 

statistics available for the most part on only a 

national basis.

PDF copies of many 19th-century editions of 

the Annual Report are available for free online 

via Google Books at http://books.google.com.

PDF copies of the Annual Report since 2001 

are available on the Postal Service’s Web site 

at http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/financials/

welcome.htm. Selected editions of the Annual 

Report may also be available from your local 

library through inter-library loan.

Benjamin Franklin’s Ledger, 

1775–1778

Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first 

Postmaster GeneralTM under the Continental 

Congress on July 26, 1775. He and his 

successor, Richard Bache, kept a ledger of the 

quarterly accounts of the General Post Office 

from 1775 to 1778. This ledger includes sums 

paid to and received from Post Offices—

serving as a useful list of early Post Offices—

with postmaster names sometimes noted.

A facsimile of the original ledger was 

reproduced in 1976 as The Ledger of Doctor 

Benjamin Franklin, Postmaster General, 1776, by 

the Historic Documents Publishing Company 

in Vineland, New Jersey. A PDF copy is 

available for free at www.archive.org. This book 
Sources of Historical Information 7

may also be available from your local library 

through inter-library loan.

Census Records, 1790–1930

Federal census records are available for every 

10 years from 1790 through 1930, though 

most of the 1890 records were destroyed 

by fire. Records before 1850 contain little 

information beyond the name of the head of 

household. Beginning in 1850, the records list 

every household member by name, along with 

their age, occupation, and other information. 

The records are arranged by state and county, 

then by township or enumeration district, 

and then by household in the order visited 

by census takers. For information available by 

year, see “Availability of Census Records About 

Individuals” by the U.S. Census Bureau at 

www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf.

Census records through 1930 are available 

on microfilm from the National Archives. 

Statewide indexes are useful for locating 

individuals in the microfilm records. Census 

records through 1930 have been digitized by 

Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest.com, making 

it possible to search for individuals by name 

only. Access to the records on these Web sites is 

available by subscription, and free-of-charge at 

some public libraries.

City Directories, 1700s– 

Several of the largest U.S. cities had city 

directories by the end of the 1700s. By 1861, 

directories were printed in more than 80 

cities. These directories list businesses, public 

and private institutions, residents and their 

addresses, and often contain detailed city maps. 

Occupation and race of residents are often 

noted in directories in the 19th century. City 

directories usually contain a separate section 

on the Post Office, listing the address and the 

name of the postmaster, and sometimes every 

employee, Post Office hours and mail schedule, 

and postal rates and regulations. 
8 Publication 119

Directories through 1960 have been reproduced 

by Primary Source Microfilm as City Directories 

of the United States, and may be available from 

your local library through inter-library loan. 

Libraries, historical societies and state archives 

may have copies of local city directories. A list 

of directories beginning with 1861 is available 

at www.loc.gov/rr/microform/uscity. 

Confederate Post Office Department 

Records, 1861–1865

Surviving records of the Confederate

Post Office Department are located at

the National Archives and at the Library

of Congress. 

Records at the National Archives include:

■ A list of Post Office establishments, 

discontinuances, and name changes in 

the Confederate states beginning in 1861 

(undated).

■ A register of accounts, 1864 to 1865, for 

Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, listing name 

of Post Office, county/state, and receipts.

■ An undated list of Kentucky Post Offices, by 

county.

■ Confederate records on mail contracts 

and routes in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 

Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, 

and Virginia.

Confederate Post Office Department records 

at the National Archives are part of the War 

Department Collection of Confederate Records, 

Record Group 109.

Records at the Library of Congress include:

■ An Appointment Bureau list of Post 

Offices, 1861 to 1865, with establishments, 

discontinuances, and name changes noted, 

along with names of postmasters and 

appointment dates, for Arkansas, Louisiana, 

and Texas.
Sources of Historical Information 9

■ A register of accounts for the quarter 

ending March 31, 1862, for Arkansas, 

Florida, Tennessee, and Texas (includes Post 

Office and postmaster name and financial 

information on the office—sometimes 

incomplete).

■ An Appointment Bureau list, 1861 to 1865, 

in no discernable order, of postmasters 

appointed in Arkansas, Indian Territory, 

Louisiana, and Texas (provides dates of 

appointment, bond and commission of the 

postmaster, the name and reason for leaving 

of the previous postmaster, the county of 

location, sureties’ names, and miscellaneous 

remarks).

■ Journal and Orders of the postmaster general 

(contains lists of hundreds of postmaster 

appointments in the summer of 1861).

■ Letters sent by the postmaster general, 1861 

to 1862 (contain occasional references to 

postmaster appointments). 

■ Appointment Bureau letters sent, 1861

to 1865, partially indexed through 

November 4, 1863.

■ Letters sent by the Contract Bureau,

1861 to 1864, mainly to contractors

and postmasters, which are indexed by 

recipient or Post Office name and provide 

details on mail service.

■ Confederate records on mail contracts and 

routes in the states of Mississippi

and Virginia.

Confederate postal records at the Library of 

Congress are in the Manuscript Division as 

part of the Records of the Confederate States 

of America and have been reproduced on 

microfilm, which may be available from your 

local library through inter-library loan.

Congressional Serial Set, 1789–

From about 1817 to 1890, the Serial Set

contains records of mail contract routes (also 

called “star routes”). Reports show the termini 
10 Publication 119

of the routes, the names of the contractors 

selected, and other information. General 

indexes to the Serial Set provide the years and 

volume numbers of mail route records, but 

they contain few references to specific mail 

routes.

The congressional Serial Set is generally 

available in federal depository libraries.

Contract Route Registers, 1814–1960

Registers of contract routes (also called “star 

routes”) from 1814 to 1817, in 1824, from 1828 

to 1870, and from 1917 to 1960 (years vary by 

state) usually list names of stops along routes, 

names of bidders for the contracts, frequency 

of service, distances involved, and modes of 

transportation. They generally do not show the 

names of subcontractors or carriers employed 

by the contractors. In some time periods, there 

are indexes to mail routes by Post Office. 

Route 65112, Snyder to Stoneham, Colorado, as recorded in 

contract route register in 1918.
Sources of Historical Information 11

Contract route registers are located at the 

National Archives as part of the Records

of the Post Office Department, Record 

Group 28.

Federal Statutes, 1789–

In 1792, the Statutes begin to list post roads 

established and discontinued by Congress, 

with stops on the routes noted. While there is 

a general index by subject (“post roads”), there 

is no index by Post Office.

Federal Statutes are available online in 

digitized format via the subscription database 

HeinOnline at http://home.heinonline.org. They 

may also be available at your local library.

Hugh Finlay’s Journal, 1773–1774

Hugh Finlay was appointed surveyor of post 

roads by the British postmaster general in 

1772. He kept a journal from September 13, 

1773, to May 24, 1774, in which he described 

in rich detail the Post Offices, postmasters, and 

mail routes he encountered in his journeys 

through New England and the South. Finlay 

also included a description of his travels 

through Quebec and touched on mail service 

in the cities of New York and Philadelphia.

The journal was originally typeset and printed 

in 1867; a PDF copy is available for free at 

www.archive.org. In 1975 the journal was 

reprinted by the U.S. Philatelic Classics 

Society as The Hugh Finlay Journal: Colonial 

Postal History 1773–1774. This edition may be 

available from your local library through interlibrary loan.

Ledgers of the General Post Office, 

1782–1799

The Ledgers of the General Post Office contain 

the quarterly accounts of the General Post 

Office. These accounts include mail contractor 

names, their routes, and sums paid, and an 

alphabetical listing of Post Offices, including 

the postmaster’s name, letter and newspaper 
12 Publication 119

postage collected and the postmaster’s 

commissions on the same, and sums paid for 

ship letters.

The Ledgers of the General Post Office are 

located at the National Archives as part of the 

Records of the Post Office Department, Record 

Group 28.

Letters Sent by the Postmaster 

General, 1789–1952

The earliest letters sent by the Postmaster 

General, between October 3, 1789, 

and December 31, 1836, are arranged 

chronologically in 50 volumes with an index 

of names of addressees. The letters reference 

specific Post Offices, postmasters, and mail 

contracts, and discuss mail transportation, 

postal laws and regulations, and budgetary 

matters, among other things.

These volumes have been reproduced as 

National Archives Microfilm Publication 601, 

Letters Sent by the Postmaster General, 

1789–1836, which is available for purchase 

from the National Archives and may be 

available from your local library through 

inter-library loan.

Lists, Tables, and Directories of Post 

Offices, 1803–

Lists, tables, and directories of Post Offices 

are available for nearly half of the years 

from 1803 to 1870, and continuously from 

1955 to the present. (For information on 

the intervening period, see the entry below 

for the United States Official Postal Guide.)

Although there is some variation by year, the 

earliest lists typically provide an alphabetical 

listing of Post Office names, along with the 

name of the postmaster, county and state, 

and the distances from the Post Office to the 

state capital and to Washington, D.C. The 

1831 Table of Post Offices in the United States

provides the first listing of Post Offices by 

county, which is regularly featured beginning 
Sources of Historical Information 13

in 1859. Directories of Post Offices from 1955 

to 2004 list Post Offices, as well as stations 

and branches, alphabetically and by state and 

county, and provide the class of the Post Office 

(before 1975), as well as names of postal units 

discontinued in the preceding year. They do 

not show names of postmasters. Beginning in 

1957, numbers of boxes served by Post Offices 

are listed. City delivery statistics are available 

beginning in 1979, when the Directory of Post 

Offices combined with the National ZIP Code 

Directory to form a new title, the National ZIP 

Code and Post Office Directory. This was last 

issued in 2004 as the National Five-Digit ZIP 

Code and Post Office Directory. Lists of Post 

Offices by state and county since 1986 are 

available at http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/

postmasterfinder/welcome.htm. (See Postmaster 

Finder, page 17).

Selected editions of the List of Post Offices in the 

United States, Table of Post Offices in the United 

States, Directory of Post Offices, and National 

Five-Digit ZIP Code and Post Office Directory 

(titles vary slightly) may be available from your 

local library through inter-library loan. 

Newspapers, 1700s–

Early newspapers often contain advertisements 

for mail route bids and for service on various 

routes. They also might contain the schedule 

of mail arrival and changes to mail service, 

Post Offices, and postmasters. Note: In the 

18th and early 19th centuries, postmasters 

were sometimes also the local newspaper 

editor/printer.

Hundreds of historic newspapers have been 

reproduced in searchable electronic databases, 

such as ProQuest Historical NewspapersTM, 

Readex’s Early American Newspapers, and 

Gale’s 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, which are 

available online by subscription and at many 

research libraries. Some state and local libraries 

have also digitized portions of their newspaper 

collections and have made them available 
14 Publication 119

online to the general public. A useful guide 

to early American newspapers is available on 

the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America: 

Historic American Newspapers Web pages, at 

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

Official Register of the United 

States, 1816–1911

The biennial Official Register lists Post Offices 

and postal employees and their financial 

compensation in 1816, and in odd-numbered 

years from 1817 to 1911. The earliest editions 

of the Official Register list Headquarters 

employees, postmasters, Post Office clerks, 

and mail contractors. Route agents and mail 

messengers are first listed in 1855. Railway 

Mail Service employees and city carriers are 

listed beginning in 1867, and rural carriers 

beginning in 1899. From 1877 to 1905, the 

Official Register is indexed by employee name.

Selected editions of the Official Register of the 

United States may be available from your local 

library through inter-library loan.

Orders of the Postmaster General 

(“Journals”), 1835–1953

The Orders of the Postmaster General,

referred to as the Journals, are arranged 

chronologically in bound volumes covering 

the period from July 7, 1835, to March 5, 

1953. Noted in these volumes are Post Office 

establishments, discontinuances, and name 

and site changes, as well as information on 

mail routes, contractors, and carriers. Also 

noted, upon their dates of appointment, are 

the names of postmasters appointed to Post 

Offices, as well as the names and reasons 

for leaving of the previously appointed 

postmasters (“moved away,” “resigned,” 

“declined position,” etc.). Although these 

volumes are unindexed, they are useful to 

Post Office historians as a secondary source 

to verify pre-1880 information found in the 

Record of Appointment of Postmasters. (After 
Sources of Historical Information 15

1880, the Postal Bulletin is available and is 

easier to use.) The Journals are also helpful in 

identifying individuals who were appointed 

to the position of postmaster but who did not 

take office.

The Journals are located at the National 

Archives as part of the Records of the Post 

Office Department, Record Group 28.

Pay and Personnel Records, 

circa 1901–

Although personnel files—called “Official 

Personnel Folders” (OPFs)—were not created 

for postal employees until 1948 or later, 

information on the service of some employees 

prior to 1948 is available from other sources, 

such as Post Office payroll records. Note 

that employees at smaller Post Offices 

were sometimes employed directly by the 

postmaster, so federal personnel records were 

not kept. Also, personnel records were not kept 

for people who carried mail on a contractual 

basis.

Pay and personnel records of postal employees 

are located at the National Personnel Records 

Center in St. Louis, Missouri (www.archives.gov/

st-louis/civilian-personnel). When submitting 

requests for information, researchers should 

provide as much identifying information as 

possible about the former employee and his or 

her place and dates of employment.

Postal Bulletin, March 1880–

The Postal Bulletin (entitled Daily Bulletin 

of Orders Affecting the Postal Service prior to 

1919) lists postmaster names and dates of 

commission until 1942. Acting postmasters are 

listed from 1884 to 1942. Star (contract) route 

establishments, discontinuances, and schedule 

changes are listed from 1880 to 1942, and 

rural route establishments, discontinuances, 

and changes are listed from 1898 to about 

1934. The Postal Bulletin also gives Post Office 

establishment and discontinuance dates, 
16 Publication 119

as well as information on Post Office name 

and site changes. Beginning in 1907, the 

establishment and discontinuance dates of 

Post Office stations and branches are also 

provided. Note: Since the Postal Bulletin is 

largely unindexed, it is useful mainly as a 

back-up reference.

The Postal Bulletin may be available from your 

local library through inter-library loan. PDF 

copies of issues for the current calendar year 

and some recent years are available on the

Postal Service’s Web site at http://about.usps.com/

postal-bulletin/welcome.htm.

Prior to 1919, the Postal Bulletin was titled the Daily Bulletin 

of Orders Affecting the Postal Service.
Sources of Historical Information 17

Postmaster Finder, 1986–

Postmaster Finder is a database maintained 

by the historian of the United States Postal 

Service. It provides the establishment and 

discontinuance dates of Post Offices and the 

names and appointment dates of postmasters, 

acting postmasters, and officers-in-charge 

who served in between the tenure of two 

postmasters. Dates of Post Office name and 

county changes are also recorded. Since its 

creation in 1986, Postmaster Finder has been 

the sole national repository of postmaster 

names and appointment dates, by Post 

Office. Pre-1986 information on Post Offices 

is gradually being added to the database and 

currently is available for about 30 percent of 

active Post Offices.

Postmaster Finder is available on the Postal 

Service’s Web site at http://about.usps.com/whowe-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm.

Post Route Maps, 1830s–1940s

Post route maps of counties, states, and groups 

or portions of states depict mail routes and 

show stops (Post Offices), distances between 

them, and frequency of service. Bodies of 

water, railroad lines, canals, and recently 

discontinued Post Offices are also sometimes 

shown. Statistics are sometimes given for the 

states depicted, including area in square miles, 

population and population density, number of 

Post Offices, and miles of railroads and canals.

Post route and rural route maps are located 

in the National Archives’ Cartographic 

and Architectural Section, at the National 

Archives at College Park, Maryland, and in the 

Geography and Map Division of the Library of 

Congress.
18 Publication 119

Record Cards of Letter Carriers 

Separated from the Postal Service, 

1863–ca. 1900

The record cards of letter carriers whose 

service ended by about 1900 are index cards 

filed alphabetically by state, Post Office, and 

the name of the letter carrier. The cards give 

the carrier's appointment date and the date 

and reason for his separation from service, 

such as “resigned,” “transferred,” “died,” or 

“removed.” Causes for removal are sometimes 

noted. Although the cards generally date to 

1899, dates through 1902 and even later may 

be found.

The cards have been reproduced as National 

Archives Microfilm Publication M1846, Record 

Cards of Letter Carriers Separated from the Postal 

Service, 1863-1899 (3 rolls). They are available 

for purchase from the National Archives 

and may be available from your local library 

through inter-library loan.

Record Cards of Postmaster 

Appointments, 1890s–1986

The record cards of postmaster appointments 

(PS Forms 1094, 1095, and 1084) are index 

cards of postmaster and acting postmaster 

appointments and officer-in-charge 

installations at Post Offices from the late 1890s 

through 1986, filed alphabetically 

by state and Post Office. Post Office 

discontinuance/establishment information is 

also provided, along with dates when a Post 

Office was advanced to or relegated from the 

presidential class. (The president appointed 

postmasters at first-, second-, and thirdclass offices from 1864 to 1970. Classes were 

dropped in 1975.) These records are often 

the sole source of information on postmaster 

appointments at Post Offices from 1971 to 

1986, although before 1971 they largely 

duplicate information found in the Record of 

Appointment of Postmasters.
Sources of Historical Information 19

The record cards before about 1971 are located 

at the National Archives as part of the Records 

of the Post Office Department, Record Group 

28. Cards after 1971 are located in the office 

of the Historian of the United States Postal 

Service.

Record of Appointment of 

Postmasters, 1814–1971

The Record of Appointment of Postmasters 

consists of ledgers of postmaster appointments 

by Post Office from 1814 to September 30, 

1971. The records before 1832 are arranged 

alphabetically on a national basis, by Post 

Office name and state. County names are 

given beginning in 1824. After 1832, the 

records are arranged by state or territory, 

then by county, and then alphabetically by 

Post Office. The records show the names of 

Post Offices, the dates of their establishment 

and discontinuance, any name changes, 

and the names and appointment dates of 

postmasters. Surety information is sometimes 

provided before 1844. Beginning in the 

1840s, presidential appointments are noted. 

Money order offices are noted beginning in 

the 1860s. After about 1870, the records show 

the names of Post Offices to which mail from 

discontinued offices was sent. Names of acting 

postmasters are listed beginning in the 1910s. 

Sample record card of postmaster appointments, showing 

appointments at Oro Grande, California, from 1943 to 1979.
20 Publication 119

(See also the description of this record at www.

archives.gov. Search for post office records.)

The postmaster appointment ledgers have been 

reproduced as National Archives Microfilm 

Publication M1131, Record of Appointment of 

Postmasters, October 1789–1832 (Rolls 2, 3, 

and 4), and M841, Record of Appointment of 

Postmasters, 1832–September 30, 1971 (145 

rolls). They are available for purchase from the 

National Archives and may be available from 

your local library through inter-library loan.

Record of First Returns Received 

from Postmasters, 1789–1818

The Record of First Returns Received from 

Postmasters is a volume containing names 

of postmasters at Post Offices from October 

1789 to July 1818, along with the dates of 

their first financial returns. Since postmasters 

were required to submit quarterly financial 

statements for their Post Offices, their first 

financial returns generally postdated their 

appointment by several months, although 

delays in submitting accounts were not 

uncommon. This volume is especially useful 

since records of postmaster appointments 

before 1814 were destroyed by a fire at 

Headquarters in 1836. (It is sometimes possible 

to find pre-1814 appointment dates for 

postmasters by searching for them in the index 

to the Letters Sent by the Postmaster General in 

the months preceding their first return date.)

This record has been reproduced as Roll 1 

of National Archives Microfilm Publication 

M1131, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 

October 1789–1832. It is available for purchase 

from the National Archives and may be 

available from your local library through 

inter-library loan.

Rural Free Delivery Records, 

1901–1934

Among the records of the Division of Rural 

Mails from 1901 to 1917 and from 1930 
Sources of Historical Information 21

to 1934 are correspondence, reports, and 

supporting documents (sometimes including 

maps and petitions) regarding proposed rural 

route establishments and changes, filed by 

state and county. The Division records also 

include correspondence, filed by state and 

Post Office, from 1909 to 1929 and from 

1930 to 1932. Inspection reports, referenced 

in the above files and arranged by state and 

report number, contain further details on 

proposed route changes, such as discussions 

of local topography, existing mail service, and 

customers served.

The records of the Division of Rural Mails are 

located at the National Archives as part of the 

Records of the Post Office Department, Record 

Group 28.

Rural Route Cards, 1896–1970s

Rural route cards, filed by Post Office, list route 

lengths; establishment dates; and names, dates 

of service, and salaries of rural carriers.

Rural route cards are housed at the National 

Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, 

Missouri.

Site Location Reports of Post Offices, 

1837–1950

The reports of site locations are forms 

completed and submitted by postmasters, 

mostly from 1845 until 1945, giving the 

location of their Post Offices and other 

geographical information. The reports 

typically show Post Office locations in relation 

to nearby Post Offices and transportation 

routes. Some reports show locations in terms 

of legal land descriptions, small grid maps 

of the vicinity of the office, or both. Reports 

submitted for proposed Post Offices, referred 

to as “applications to establish the Post Office,” 

also list the number of patrons the Post Office 

would serve. (See also the description of this 

record at www.archives.gov. Search for post office 

records.)
22 Publication 119

Site location report for the Berkeley Springs, 

West Virginia, Post Office, with a hand-drawn map of 

Morgan County, West Virginia, submitted by Postmaster 

Ann M. Mead in 1868.
Sources of Historical Information 23

These reports have been reproduced as 

National Archives Microfilm Publication 

M1126, Post Office Department Reports of Site 

Locations, 1837–1950 (683 rolls), which are 

available for purchase from the National 

Archives and may be available from your 

local library through inter-library loan.

United States Official Postal Guide, 

1874–1954

The United States Official Postal Guide provides 

alphabetical lists of Post Offices nationwide, 

by state, and by state and county. Monthly 

supplements to the Guide show the latest Post 

Office establishments, discontinuances, and 

name and county changes.

Selected issues of the United States Official 

Postal Guide may be available from your local 

library through inter-library loan.

Locations of Records

Historian 

United States Postal Service

475 L’Enfant Plaza SW

Washington, DC 20260-0012

Copies of many of the publications described 

in this booklet are available in the Postal 

Service’s collection of historical materials, 

which is managed by the historian’s staff 

and is open to the public by appointment. 

The historian’s staff responds to requests 

for information on Post Offices and former 

postal employees, and the staff can provide 

guidance in researching specific aspects of 

postal history. For further information, write 

to the above address or send an e-mail to 

phistory@usps.gov.
24 Publication 119

Library of Congress

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20540-0002

The Library’s Manuscript Division houses 

some records of the Confederate Post Office 

Department. The Geography and Map Division 

has early post route maps. To see some of its 

other useful maps, go to http://memory.loc.gov/

ammem/index.html.

National Archives and Records 

Administration

700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20408-0001

The Records of the Post Office Department, 

Record Group 28, and the War Department 

Collection of Confederate Records, Record 

Group 109, are housed here. Many of the 

records most useful to researchers have been 

reproduced on microfilm and are available 

from the National Archives and its regional 

branches, and they may be available from your 

local library through inter-library loan. For 

further information, write to the above address 

or go to www.archives.gov.

National Archives at College Park

8601 Adelphi Road

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Post route maps are located in the 

Cartographic and Architectural Section of 

the Archives’ College Park facility. For further 

information, write to the above address or go 

to www.archives.gov.

National Personnel Records Center 

Civilian Records Facility 

111 Winnebago Street

St. Louis, MO 63118-4126

The Civilian Records Facility has pay and 

personnel records for some postal employees 

whose service ended after about 1901. It 
Sources of Historical Information 25

also houses rural route cards. For further 

information, write to the above address or go 

online to www.archives.gov/st-louis/

civilian-personnel.

United States Board on Geographic 

Names

U.S. Geological Survey

523 National Center

Reston, VA 20192-0523

The United States Board on Geographic Names 

is tasked with standardizing geographic name 

usage. To search its domestic geographic 

names database, go to http://geonames.usgs.gov/

domestic/index.html. Post Office names were 

typically suggested by prospective patrons; 

there are no postal records that explain their 

origin. 

Further Reading

A detailed description of many of the 

postal records in the collection of 

the National Archives and Records 

Administration is available in Preliminary 

Inventory Number 168: Records of the Post Office 

Department, prepared by and available from 

the National Archives.

Many private researchers have compiled books 

on Post Offices by state, using postal records at 

the National Archives as well as local records. 

Your local library might be able to help locate 

copies of these and other local postal history 

sources.

Alabama Helbock, Richard W. United States 

Post Offices, Volume VIII — The Southeast.

Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

2007.

Alaska Helbock, Richard W. United States Post 

Offices, Volume I — The West. Lake Oswego, 

Oregon: La Posta Publications, 1998.
26 Publication 119

Arizona Theobald, John, and Lillian 

Theobald. Arizona Territory: Post Offices and 

Postmasters. Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona 

Historical Foundation, 1961.

Arkansas Patera, Alan H., and John S. 

Gallagher. Checklist of Arkansas Post Offices.

Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot, 1983.

California Salley, Harold E. History of 

California Post Offices, 1849–1976. La Mesa, 

California: Postal History Associates, Inc., 

1977.

Colorado Bauer, William H., James L. 

Ozment, and John H. Willard. Colorado 

Postal History: the post offices. Crete, 

Nebraska: J-B Publishing Co., 1971.

Connecticut Warmsley, Arthur J. Connecticut 

Post Offices and Postmarks. Portland, 

Connecticut: self-published, 1977.

Delaware Smith, Chester M. Jr., and John L. 

Kay. The Postal History of Maryland, the 

Delmarva Peninsula, and the District of 

Columbia: The Post Offices and First 

Postmasters from 1775 to 1984. Burtonsville, 

Maryland: The Depot, 1984.

District of Columbia Smith, Chester M. 

Jr., and John L. Kay. The Postal History 

of Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula, and 

the District of Columbia: The Post Offices 

and First Postmasters from 1775 to 1984.

Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot, 1984.

Florida Bradbury, Alford G., and E. Story 

Hallock. A Chronology of Florida Post 

Offices. [Vero Beach, Florida]: The Florida 

Federation of Stamp Clubs, 1962.

Georgia Helbock, Richard W. United States 

Post Offices, Volume VIII — The Southeast.

Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

2007.

Idaho Patera, Alan H., and John S. 

Gallagher. A Checklist Of Idaho Post Offices.

Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot, 1984.
Sources of Historical Information 27

Illinois Helbock, Richard W. United States 

Post Offices, Volume III — The Upper 

Midwest. Lake Oswego, Oregon: La Posta 

Publications, 1999.

Indiana Baker, J. David. The Postal History of 

Indiana. Louisville, Kentucky: Philatelic 

Bibliopole, 1976.

Iowa Patera, Alan H., and John S. Gallagher. 

Iowa Post Offices, 1833–1986. Lake Oswego, 

Oregon: The Depot, 1986. 

Kansas Baughman, Robert W. Kansas Post 

Offices, May 29, 1828–August 3, 1961.

Topeka, Kansas: Kansas Postal History 

Society, 1961. Information from this book 

is available at www.kshs.org; search for post 

offices.

Kentucky Patera, Alan H., and John S. 

Gallagher. A Checklist of Kentucky Post 

Offices, Lake Grove, Oregon: The Depot, 

1989.

Louisiana Germann, John J. Louisiana Post 

Offices. Lake Grove, Oregon: The Depot, 

1990.

Maine Dow, Sterling T. Maine Postal History 

and Postmarks. Portland, Maine: SevernWylie-Jewett Co., 1943.

Maryland Smith, Chester M. Jr., and John L. 

Kay. The Postal History of Maryland, the 

Delmarva Peninsula, and the District of 

Columbia: The Post Offices and First 

Postmasters from 1775 to 1984. Burtonsville, 

Maryland: The Depot, 1984.

Massachusetts Merolla, Lawrence M., 

and Frank M. Crowther. The Post Offices 

of Massachusetts. North Abington, 

Massachusetts: Massachusetts Postal 

Research Society, 1981.

Michigan Ellis, David M. Michigan Postal 

History: The Post Offices, 1805–1986. Lake 

Grove, Oregon: The Depot, 1993.
28 Publication 119

Minnesota Patera, Alan H., and John S. 

Gallagher. The Post Offices of Minnesota.

Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot, 1978.

Missouri Schultz, Robert G. Missouri Post 

Offices, 1804–1981. St. Louis, Missouri: 

American Philatelic Society, 1982. 

Montana Lutz, Dennis J. Montana Post Offices 

& Postmasters. Minot, North Dakota: 

publisher unknown, 1986.

Nevada Frickstad, Walter N., and Edward W. 

Thrall. A Century of Nevada Post Offices 

1852–1957. Oakland, California: Philatelic 

Research Society, 1958.

New Hampshire Smith, Chester M. Jr., 

and John L. Kay, The Postal History of 

New Hampshire: The Post Offices and First 

Postmasters from 1775 to 1985. Lake Grove, 

Oregon: The Depot, 1986.

New Jersey Kay, John L., and Chester M. 

Smith Jr. New Jersey Postal History. Lawrence, 

Massachusetts: Quarterman Publications 

Inc., 1977.

New Mexico Helbock, Richard W. A Checklist 

of New Mexico Post Offices, 1849–1988. Lake 

Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

1989.

New York Kay, John L., and Chester M. 

Smith Jr. New York Postal History: The 

Post Offices and First Postmasters from 1775 

to 1980. State College, Pennsylvania: 

American Philatelic Society, 1982.

North Carolina Stroupe, Vernon S., et al. Post 

Offices and Postmasters of North Carolina, 

Colonial to USPS (four volumes). Charlotte, 

North Carolina: North Carolina Postal 

History Society, 1996.

North Dakota Patera, Alan H., and John S. 

Gallagher. North Dakota Post Offices, 

1850–1982. Burtonsville, Maryland: The 

Depot, 1982.
Sources of Historical Information 29

Ohio Gallagher, John S., and Alan H. Patera. 

The Post Offices of Ohio. Burtonsville, 

Maryland: The Depot, 1979.

Oklahoma/Indian Territory Helbock, 

Richard W. Oklahoma Post Offices. Lake 

Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

1987.

Oregon Helbock, Richard W. Oregon Post 

Offices, 1847–1982. Lake Oswego, Oregon: 

Raven Press, 1985.

Pennsylvania Kay, John L., and Chester M. 

Smith Jr. Pennsylvania Postal History.

Lawrence, Massachusetts: Quarterman 

Publications, Inc., 1976.

Rhode Island Merolla, Lawrence M., 

Frank M. Crowther, and Arthur B. Jackson. 

Rhode Island Postal History: the post offices.

Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island 

Postal History Society, 1977.

South Carolina Helbock, Richard W. United 

States Post Offices, Volume VIII — The 

Southeast. Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta 

Publications, 2007.

South Dakota Patera, Alan H., John S. 

Gallagher, and Kenneth W. Stach. South 

Dakota Post Offices. Lake Grove, Oregon: 

The Depot, 1990.

Tennessee Frazier, D. R. Tennessee Post Offices 

and Postmaster Appointments 1789–1984.

Dover, Tennessee: self-published, 1984.

Texas Wheat, Jim. Postmasters and Post Offices 

of Texas, 1846–1930. [Garland, Texas]: 

self-published, ca. 1974. Information from 

this book is available at www.rootsweb.com/

~txpost/postmasters.html.

Utah Gallagher, John S. The Post Offices of 

Utah. Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot, 

1977. 
30 Publication 119

Vermont Slawson, George C., Arthur W. 

Bingham, and Sprague W. Drenan. The 

Postal History of Vermont. New York, 

New York: Collectors Club, 1969.

Virginia Helbock, Richard W. United States 

Post Offices, Volume VI — The Mid-Atlantic.

Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

2004.

Washington Boardman, Tim, and Richard W. 

Helbock. Washington Post Offices. Lake 

Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

1986.

West Virginia Helbock, Richard W. United 

States Post Offices, Volume VI — The MidAtlantic. Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta 

Publications, 2004.

Wisconsin Hale, James B. Wisconsin Post 

Office Handbook. Madison, Wisconsin: 

Wisconsin Postal History Society, 1988.

Wyoming Helbock, Richard W. A Checklist 

of Wyoming Post Offices, 1850–1988. Lake 

Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 

1989.

F

or information on United States Post 

Offices before 1811, see the following 

publication: Stets, Robert J. Postmasters & 

Postoffices of the United States, 1782–1811. Lake 

Oswego, Oregon: La Posta Publications, 1994.

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