Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1935-05-02
Mail Routes Supplying And
Which Have Supplied
Bristol Township
(By C. B Raw

When we first remember the
mail route went from McConnels-
vile to Caldwell, the carrier going
out one day and back the next. The
first carrier we remember was Mr..
Smoot who rode a mule. He car
ried a lock sack. Each postmaster
had key which he used to unlock
the sack. pouring out all the mail
on the counter, looking it all over
and taking out the part that was
addressed to the patrons of his Of
flee, putting the rest back in the
sack and locking the paddock Then
the carrier proceeded to the next
office, where the same procedure
was gone through. All the mail for
the whole route was thus handled.
The postmaster at the first office
had the advantage, as he knew who
got mail at all the offices, whereas
the second did not know about the
first office, and so on. OF course
the matter was reversed the next
day. Then the carrier would pro-
ceed to the next office. The mail
for the last office on the route was
handled as many times as there
We're offices on the route.
Any late news was carried by
word of mouth. The first daily pa
per in the neighborhood of this Of
flee which was then Meigs Creek,
was received by John King. The
carriers were paid SO much per
month by Mr.. King for delivering
his paper each day, and of course
all other mail addressed to him.
Friday, the day the county pa
pers came, was always big day at
the store, as the merchant was also
postmaster. Farm folks went many
miles to get their mail, many only
getting their mail once a week, and
did their trading on the same trip.
We remember when the Edward
Murray, the first farm over the
Bristol-Meigsville township line, got
their mail at Bristol and the Leroy
Sang, the next family south got
theirs at Meigsville (Unionville)
To the north the distance travelled
| to get their mail was perhaps farth-
er. Folks living up the creek and
ridge got their mail at Bristol un-
| til the Rowland and Cloud offices
| were granted.
But back to the old store. Dad
Farus whose real name was John.
veteran of the Civil war, was there
to trade knives. j. A. c. Leland,
to see if any of the farmers had
any stock to sell. The Pedicord boys
with their father, Zachariah, some
times The Chambers boys, the An
dersons, Smileys, McDowells, Nc
Donalds, John Whitney, Samuel
Gibbs, and many more to read and
discuss the news. All important
questions of those days were fully
discussed and disposed Of
In regard to the route, the first
stop was at Meigs Creek, where the
Lindimores, Jeffy and Dick Gray,
Israel Fouts, Jas. Easlick, White
houses, VIM. Greer. John Ellis, A.
p. Wilson and many others congre-
gated. Later the postoffice depart
ment dropped the creek, leaving
only Meigs, which reminds us of the
story Billy Shook used to tell Of
one Of his comrades in the Civil
war telling about his uncle being
great penman. One day he didn't
dot his is nor cross his t's, and he
saved So worth of ink.
The next stop was at Bristol,
Reinersville. Olive Green, Sharon
and Caldwell, of which only Rein
ersville has survived the march of
progress, which at this time is the
end of the route. When we wrote
the original manuscript the carrier
started from McConnelsville at II
a. M Since then a change has been
made, and the carrier leaves at 8 a.
M, delivering mail along the route,
with the mail for the Reinersville
office and the one route from that