TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2005-12 > 1135288232


From: "Donna St. Felix" <>
Subject: RE: [TMG] Post Office vs City on Census
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:50:32 -0500
In-Reply-To: <000801c60723$f650ad50$6b01a8c0@CAROL>


I could be wrong but per some past research I've done in other areas, there
was one main area post office that also included delivery into what today
would be called the suburbs (outer cities). There was the post office that
it was sent to - and the post office would then direct delivery to the mail
man who delivered to 'that' suburb area. As areas grew, the post office
would then add postal office branches direct into the suburbs and add
differing addresses to fit the suburb. ... The 'Pony Express' was growing.
Today many decent sized older cities all have what is termed or slang termed
'the Main Post Office' which is where all mail once came to in that city
area.

Just an FYI about mail deliveries from my own experience:
- In the 1950's the mail would be delivered twice a day.
- Zip codes were written between the city and state on letters and only had
one or two numbers (depending on city size). A true mid 1950's Detroit
example: Detroit 5, Michigan.
- One who mailed a letter to the same city it was mailed from could write
'city' instead of the city name and omit the zip and state.

If anyone is working with old phone numbers, here's some history of the
1950's:
- Large cities had two letters and five numbers. An example from Detroit:
LA7-6824. The LA would be said as 'Lakeview'.
- Smaller cities had two letters and four numbers. An example from Dayton,
Ohio: KE-2413. The KE would be said as 'Kenmore'.
- In that time frame and earlier, phones had large letters on the phones and
small numbers. And in case there are young ones on the list, the phones
were not 'touch tone'. You 'dialed' the phone.
- The early table phones that you 'dialed' were VERY heavy metal.
- No one normally had more than one phone and it usually sat in the
telephone area that was built into many hallways. ... Anyone remember the
old 'milk shoots' for the milk mans deliveries and 'laundry shoots' to the
basement that were built into homes ~ and what all got thrown into that
(giggle)?

Donna


-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Simpson [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 1:17 PM
To:
Subject: [TMG] Post Office vs City on Census

I am entering a lot of censuses right now and am not clear on how the post
office (if there is one) and the city differ. Which is the bigger area -
i.e., are post offices in cities (as they are today) and so that refers sort
of to neighborhoods, or are multiple townships/cities in one post office
area? I am including both in the CD, but am unsure of the best way to put
them on the tag. Options:
(1) Record city in city field and leave PO off the tag (just in the CD).
(2) Record the PO in the city field and leave the city off the tag (just in
the CD).
(3) Record the PO in the detail field and city in the city field (and both
in the CD, too).

I have been mostly leaving the PO off the tag, but came to an entry just now
where they lived in what is now a suburb of Bridgeport CT in 1870. That
town is now small and Bridgeport is big, but in 1870 it may have been the
other way around, as the town is labeled as the city and Bridgeport is the
PO. I wonder if Bridgeport was smaller than Trumbull in 1870, but on the
other hand, I have lots of Bridgeport families, too, and the
household/family numbers are quite high.

Part of what influences me in what info to put on the tag is the
consideration of where to look for other details, either for myself or
others, later. So I wonder where other town-level records might be found at
this point - in Trumbull or Bridgeport? Any advice regarding this concept in
general, and perhaps this instance in particular?

Thanks,
Carol Simpson
Homer, Alaska

This thread: