EARLY TRANSMISSION OF INTELLIGENCE LIMITED--FIRST POST-OFFICE UNDER THE STATE--ROUTES FIRST ESTABLISHED IN NEW ENGLAND--ESTABLISHED BY THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN 1792--RATES OF POSTAGE--STAMPS FIRST USED IN 1847--PROPOSALS FOR CARRYING THE MAIL TO GOFFSTOWN--RURAL DELIVERY--COMPLETE LIST OF POSTMASTERS IN TOWN--TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE

In the earlier days the means of transmission of intelligence were very limited, and in some towns there was an entire destitution of postal facilities. When the earlier settlers took up land and established a home in the wilderness, they realized that they were in a great measure deprived of the reception or transmission of intelligence.

Before the War of the Revolution, there were no post-offices or post routes in New Hampshire. When necessity demanded the sending of a letter, it was sent by a messenger, friend, or someone going near the one who was to receive it. The necessity of better means of communication stimulated the early inhabitants for some method of transmission of intelligence. It is true that letters were very few, and papers less.

The Amherst Cabinet was the only paper published in this section for many years, and this, with perhaps a copy of some paper printed at Portsmouth or Boston, which accidently found its way to the home, was all the news they received.

The first postal arrangement in New Hampshire was under the jurisdiction of the state, and this continued for some time. The first post-office of any kind in New Hampshire was established May 18, 1775, at Portsmouth, and Samuel Penhollow was appointed postmaster, and the vote further states that he, together with the members from Portsmouth, shall be a committee to agree with the postrider or riders.¹

Preceding 1775, the sending of mail was altogether a private affair; little advancement seems to have been made during the war. A few postriders were appointed upon military account to carry dispatches to and from the army; one of these was to make a weekly circuit from Exeter to Charlestown and return, to carry letters to the northern army. At Charlestown another rider took the package across Vermont to New York.

November 9, 1785, the House of Representatives of New Hampshire voted "to establish two post routes, one to extend from Portsmouth to Haverhill, N. H., and return, and another from Portsmouth around Winnipesaukee Lake and return, and the President and Council were empowered to appoint postmasters and postriders, and fix postage on letters."

This resolve was found insufficient for the purpose intended, and March 3,1786, the legislature established four post circuits through different sections of New Hampshire, one to set out from Portsmouth and proceed through Exeter and Concord to Hanover and return by way of Boscawen, Canterbury, etc.; another from Portsmouth through Exeter, Chester, Londonderry and Litchfield to Amherst and return.

It will be seen that neither of these routes directly accommodated Goffstown, and sometimes letters were mailed to be left at the post-office at Amherst, or to be left at the post-office at Concord. It is more than probable that a cross route existed at this time between Concord and Amherst, or if not between Concord and Amherst, between Goffstown and Amherst.

In 1791, the legislature rearranged the four routes, the third beginning at Portsmouth, thence through Exeter, Kingston, Plaistow, Hampstead, Chester, Londonderry, Litchfield, Goffstown, Bow to Concord, returning through Pembroke, Deerfield, Nottingham by way of Newmarket Bridge to Portsmouth, this was known as the third route, and the rider should perform his route or circuit weekly, and receive 9� a year. He was required to reverse his route each week, going out through Exeter one week, and by way of Newmarket Bridge the next.²

A person was appointed in Concord and Amherst, whose duty it was to take charge of all matters which were conveyed by the posts, and should receive respectively as a compensation two pence, to be advanced on the postage of each private letter, packets, etc. The postage on single letters was six pence for forty miles, and four pence for a distance less than that.

Concord was the only towa named on this circuit that had a post-office. The postrider distributed the mail himself, the time of his arrival in each place being understood, and the people going to receive their mail, or if not there to receive it, it would be left with some person on the route. He rode on horseback, carrying the mail in saddlebags. Each rider carried a horn which he sounded when approaching tbe village, or the residence where he had mail to deliver.

Samuel Bean of Weare was appointed the first postrider of Route 3, but he declined to serve, and Ozias Silsby of Acworth, a graduate of Dartmouth College in the class of 1785, was appointed in his place. Mr. Silsby undertook the post circuit on account of ill health, entertaining fears of consumption if he followed an indoor life, having previously preached in Henniker.

In 1792, an act was passed by the general government "To establish the post-offices and post routes in the United States," and a United States post-offlce was established in Concord. And in 1794, there were only five national post-offices in New Hampshire.

It may not be uninteresting to people of the present time to compare the rate of postage fixed by this act with the rate of the present.

For each single letter conveyed by land not exceeding 30 miles 6 cents
Over 30 and not exceeding 60 miles 8 cents
Over 60 and not exceeding 100 miles 10 cents
Over 100 and not exceeding 150 miles 12 1/2 cents
Over 150 and not exceeding 200 miles 15 cents
Over 200 and not exceeding 250 miles 17 cents
Over 250 and not exceeding 350 miles 20 cents
Over 350 and not exceeding 450 miles 22 cents
And more than 450                      25 cents

Double letters paid double rates, while every packet weighing over one ounce paid at the rate of four single letters. The postage for newspapers was one cent for any distance not over one hundred miles, and one and one-half cents for a greater distance. Every printer of newspapers could send one paper to each and every other printer of newspapers in the United States free of postage. A single letter meant one written on a single sheet of paper, however large or small. Two sheets made a double letter, and three sheets made a triple.³

In 1828 the charges or rates were modified, as follows:

For a single letter of one piece of paper for a distance not exceeding 30 miles 6 cents
Over 30 not exceeding 80 miles 10 cents
Over 80 not exceeding 150 miles 12 cents
Over 150 not exceeding 400 miles 18 3/4 cents
Over 400                      25 cents

There were no envelopes in existence. A half sheet of paper was written on one side, or a whole sheet could be written upon three sides, the sheet or half sheet was folded twice, and one end of folded paper inserted in the other, and securely closed by two red wafers; the address and postage mark were written upon the outside.

The postage was not prepaid, and the postmaster or postrider must collect of the one to whom the letter was addressed. From this time to 1851 various efforts were made to reduce postage, but little was accomplished until that date, when a law was passed fixing the rate for a single letter one-half an ounce, three cents under three thousand miles, and over three thousand miles, six cents, and if not prepaid, double the rate.

The very perplexing and annoying problem of distance had to be considered in every post-office, and the writer well remembers the very ridiculous computations, as well as the ignorance of the geography of the country made by postmasters in fixing the rate of postage.

The three thousand miles distance clause was retained until 1868, when it was abolished, and newspapers were likewise made free that year in the county where published. Prepayment on postal matter was made compulsory July 1, 1855.

Postage stamps were first used in United States in 1847, and they were received by the public with much hesitation at first. They were adopted in England seven years before, and by Brazil in 1843. There is a tradition that stamps were used in Paris on letters as early as 1653, and after a few years abandoned. The first postal cards were issued May 1, 1872, and two-cent postage stamps on letters went into effect October 1, 1883. November 1, 1917, the rate was increased to three cents.

When the stage superseded the postrider in the carrying of the mail to and from Goffstown is not apparent. As late as February 18, 1887, the following notice was published in the N. H. Patriot, printed at Concord: "Mails carried from Concord by North Dunbarton, Dunbarton, Goffstown, New Boston to Amherst thirty miles twice a week. Leave Concord every Tuesday and Saturday at 8 o'clock A. M., arrive at Amherst same day at 6 P. M. Leave Amherst every Monday and Friday at 8, arrive at Concord at 6 same day. Goffstown Center to be supplied from East Dunbarton 5 miles once a week, East Dunbarton supplied from Bow, and Bow from Concord. Concord to Bow 5 miles, Bow to East Dunbarton 4 miles, East Dunbarton to Goffstown Center 5 miles."

From the publication of the above to the time of the opening of the Concord railroad from Nashua to Manchester July, 1842, was a period of something over five years, and to the opening of the N. H. Central Railroad to Goffstown February 19, 1850, a period of thirteen years. Consequently the transmission of mail by stage must have been a brief period, as in all probability after the advent of the steam cars at Manchester, the mail to Goffstown came that way. And after the opening of the N. H. Central Railroad the mail was carried on the train. A post-office was established at Goffstown, January 14, 1814; Amoskeag, December 15, 1826; at Goffstown Center, January 22, 1832, and on the 17th of February, 1840, the same was discontinued, and remained so until January, 1846, when it was reestablished. In November, 1900, a rural mail route was established from the village post-office covering the northwesterly portion of the town and a portion of Dunbarton. George H. Hoit was the agent who continued in the service for nineteen years, ceasing his labors on account of ill health, from which he deceased. Subsequently other rural delivery routes were established; one from Grasmere over a portion of the Mast Road, Shirley Hill, the northeriy part of Goffetown entering Dunbarton; also two routes from Manchester post-office, one over the easterly part of the town and the road from Grasmere to Amoskeag, and the other covering Pinardville, a portion of the Mast Road, Shirley Hill and the Uncanoonuc Mountains. By the different routes a large majority of the rural inhabitants have their mail delivered which is a great convenience, especially to those residing distant from the post-office.

The following is a list of the postmasters at Goffstown, Amoskeag and Goffstown Center:

TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE

The word telegraph is derived from two Greek words, primarily far off, and to write, writing afar off or conveying intelllgence by means of signals.

The first telegraph used in the United States was in 1844, and the first message sent was from Baltimore to Washington, announcing the nomination of James Knox Polk of Tennessee as a candidate for president.

The electro-magnetic telegraph, after some years of a partial success in Germany and England, was perfected by Prof. Samuel F. B. Morse of Charlestown, Mass., who studied and worked upon the subject for twelve years before it was successfully completed.

In 1874 the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph was first established in Goffstown, and the first office was opened in June of that year in the drug store of 0. F. Sumner, and Miss Ida Stowell was the operator for about four years, when the office was moved to a room above Parker's store and Mrs. Estella Sawyer was the operator.

The office remained over Parker's store, with Mrs. Sawyer as an attendant, until about 1883 when the telegraph business was abolished and the telephone substituted, and then the office was moved back to Mr. Sumner's drug store. At this time the company was a local affair owned by ex-Governor Cheney and others.

In 1891 or 1892 the New England Telegraph and Telephone Company purchased the line and, reorganizing the same, brought it to its present state of perfection.

The telephone, like the telegraph, is made up of two Greek words,

The transmission of intelligence, by means of the telephone, has been of inestimable value and a great saving financially. The present necessity of the same is seen from the following figures:

In 1878 there were only two telephones in use in the world and today there are 15,000,000 scattered all over the world. The first attempt at telephoning in Goffstown was a local telephone, extending from the parsonage where Rev. Dr. Gerould then lived to the house of John G. Dodge; the two houses were connected with a taut wire which perforated at each end a tin can used as transmitter, and with this crude affair conversation could be carried on quite distinctly. At the present time there are over 200 telephones in Goffstown, where thirty-six years ago there was only one.

Today it is possible from almost any section of the town to talk to any city of New England, and do business at your home, which thirty-five years ago required miles of travel.