The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-04-28
THE LOCAL
POSTOFFICE.
Story Of the Growth Of More than
s A Century.

Frederick King, First Postmaster,
Appointed in I782-His Son and
Grandson Received Commissions
Also During the Years that Fol-
lowed - Contrast of Service of
Those Days With the Present
Efficient Mail System.
n S THE letter carrier hands you
~ your mail from day to day have
you ever thought of the time
Awhen no such deliveries were
made, or of the time when the post
Office of Morristown was but mere bird
of passage, its flight and resting place de-
pending entirely on the wishes and con-
yenience of the postmaster. who not
infrequently ''tended the mails" in con-
nection with some other business. This
recalls the period when Morristown as
struggling village had no postal service
at all. Those days contrast very strangely
with the present.
While the building now used for the
local mail service is far from being an
imposing structure and its interior is not
as attractive as might be desired, still
| improvements have been made from
year to year and residents are for
tunate IN having quick and eff
Gent service. Obliging and efficient
clerks and carriers have replaced
the postmaster of old who would hand
out your mail if nothing more important
attracted his attention. Then letters
were the exception, not the rule, with
the average person; newspapers were few
and packages by mail were unknown.
Now thousands of letters, papers and
packages of every description are handled
with neatness, care and dispatch.
| The American postal establishment
was under the control of the British
Government until 1776 when the Con-
tinental Congress took it into their own
hands and appointed Benjamin Franklin
Postmaster General. He resigned the
following year and his son-in-law, Rich
ard Bache, was appointed. The latter
was succeeded by Ebenezer Hazard
early in the year 1882 and it was at this
time that the post Office of Morristown
was established and Frederick King was
appointed the first postmaster. His first
quarterly account was rendered to the
post Office department on March 81, 1852.
He resigned four years previous to his
death and the commission of his son,
Henry King, from Postmaster General
Pickering was received on June IA, l724.
In 1894 Henry King Joined the company
of volunteers under Captain David Ford,
raised to go to Western Pennsylvania to
suppress an unlawful rising of the in
habitants there, known then and since as
the insurrection of the "Whiskey Boys"
From its inception the local post Office
had been located where the Washington
Hotel now stands, most of the population
being concentrated in that vicinity. But
in 1915 many residents began to complain
that the Office was too far from the
Green, this part of the town having
become more thickly settled. and in order
to satisfy the compliments Henry King
sold his house on Morris street and on
March, 1890, purchased a small building
on the present site of the Methodist
church. Here he continued to act as
postmaster until April 10, 1884, when he
was succeeded by Edward Condit. From
the best records obtainable it seems that
Postmaster Condit, for some reason, but
whether from illness or death cannot
be learned, was succeeded by Jason King
on November 10, 1886 This official was
not related to his two predecessors of the
same name On June 81, 1841, how
ever, Jacob M. King received the COM
mission of postmaster. He was a grand
son of Frederick King, Morristown's first
postmaster and son of Henry King, the
second person TO serve the town in that
capacity. So it will be seen that three
generations of this family were post
masters Vincent B. King, who now
lives retired on South street, is son of
Jacob NJ King, the third postmaster Of
that family
During those years no stamps were
used and as postage was not prepaid the
postmaster not infrequently lost nearly
as much money as was paid him by the
government. These losses were due to
the fact that many persons would re-
ceive letters and being "trusted" by their
custodian, collections could not always
be made. For great many years the
rates for postage were ~, Is and "a cents
so that letter writing in those days was
something approaching luxury.
Joseph j. Roy was postmaster from
July 6, 1913. until August %, 1851, and
during his administration the change
was made from the house opposite the
Green to building located on what is
now the site of Hiblers store on South
street. Later he removed the Office to
the old New Jersey Hotel on the same
street and this being burned in 1916 the
Office was moved back to its former loca-
ton.
The next postmaster was Philip W.
Crater, who served two years, when he
was succeeded by Nathan b. Luse. Mr..
Luse retained the Office from April II,
1858, to July 16, 1861, during which
period it was located on the corner now
occupied by the Morristown Trust Com
pany and later in building on Market
street near the Farmers Hotel. Frank
Fl. Fairchild was clerk to postmaster
Luse, and later to his successor, serving
in that capacity until he engaged in the
business he now conducts-14 years in all.
The administration of Alanson A.
Vance dating from July 16, 1861, to
March II, 1875, was an important and
in many respects remarkable one.
Postmaster Vance was appointed during
President Lincoln's administration and
hs ffi,e was changed to a building en-
the present site of Andrew G.. Phillips's
hardware store in Park place. This
building was burned to the ground five
years later and the Office was conducted
temporarily in the place that is now the
bar of the United States Hotel and which
was then occupied by GeorgeC. King for
haf ofOra A -Four r,aal1c lofa,. tho off 20