Gilead, Michigan, was active from 1833 to 1906, largely by Philander Chase's efforts to establish a college. Although the college never materialized, the post office served local settlers from general stores and homes. -- Full analysis here
Deep Dives
Every old cover and letter has a story to tell, and sometimes that story is far more interesting than the postal markings that first caught our attention. In our Deep Dives, we take selected pieces of postal history well beyond the usual description, following the people, places, events, and circumstances surrounding their journey. Using historical records, contemporary newspapers, postal references, maps, and whatever other evidence we can uncover, we try to reconstruct the world each piece traveled through. Some investigations lead to remarkable discoveries; others leave a few intriguing mysteries. Either way, the goal is the same: to bring history to life through the letters and envelopes that have survived it. These are not simply items for sale. They are small pieces of our shared history, each with a story worth preserving.
Each historical letter comes with an illustrated PDF document containing our complete research results.
What makes this Auburn cover especially appealing to me is the letter still with it. Beside a young man’s promise to study hard for the ministry is a lively pen-and-ink drawing of a bespectacled man seated at a desk, smoking a pipe. The drawing appears to be a humorous self-portrait of him preparing for that “great future.” I would call it an apparent self-portrait, since the manuscript does not label the figure. It is an original drawing within the letter, not printed stationery or a design on the envelope. -- Full analysis here --
David Riddle Breed was born June 10, 1848, making him twenty when he wrote this letter. The family record places him at Hamilton College, graduating in 1867, and at Auburn Theological Seminary, graduating in 1870. It records his call to the House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul on December 28, 1869, and the beginning of his work there after leaving the seminary in 1870. His January letter therefore belongs to the year immediately before his first pastorate. - Full analysis here
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