Pomeroy, Independent Mails of Upstate NY: America's Private Posts Guide 1

Pomeroy, Independent Mails of Upstate NY is the first volume in the series America’s Private Posts, which documents private mail companies of the mid-to-late 1800s that challenged the U.S. Postal Service’s monopoly. These independent carriers offered faster and cheaper delivery than the government, prompting reforms that ultimately lowered rates and strengthened the postal system. The first two guides focus on the Independent Mails:Guide 1 covers Pomeroy’s Letter Express and three other New York posts (332 pp.).Guide 2 covers five posts in New England and Pennsylvania (310 pp.).Together, they present a survey of 1,300+ surviving covers, illustrating over 90% in full color, and include essays on stamps, forgeries, plating, printing variations, and the history of each company. Because private posts left little documentation, most knowledge comes from these preserved letters. The series also explores how local and intra-city delivery firms, known as Locals and Carriers, filled gaps the government neglected, especially home delivery. Later volumes cover these companies, based on a massive survey of 10,000 covers from 151 firms and 747 stamp issues. Guides 3–6 address posts in New England, New York, and New Jersey, with subsequent volumes expanding to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the West. Read more