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Postmaster Finder
Postal History
Research Sources
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Postmaster Finder
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why is some information prior to 1986 not available in Postmaster Finder? |
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What are the sources for the data contained in Postmaster Finder? |
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How can I get information on a postmaster or a Post Office that is not in Postmaster Finder? |
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Why am I not listed as officer-in-charge at a Post Office where I served on a detail? |
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Where can I get a copy of the application to establish a Post Office? |
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Do personnel files for past postmasters exist? |
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Where can I find information on a Post Office's location? |
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Where can I find information on the origin of the Post Office name? |
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Is a Post Office's establishment date the date it opened for business? |
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How were postmasters appointed and what were the necessary qualifications? |
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How early did women serve as postmasters? |
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My ancestor was a postmaster. Why is his or her name not in Postmaster Finder? |
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How were Post Offices established? |
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Why were Post Offices discontinued? |
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| Q: Why is some information prior to 1986 not available in Postmaster Finder? |
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A:
The Postmaster Finder database was created in 1986. Since that time, it has served as the Postal Service's
national record of postmasters by Post Office. Pre-1986 information is researched and added to the
Postmaster Finder database upon request on a case-by-case basis.
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| Q: What are the sources for the data contained in Postmaster Finder? |
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A:
Prior to 1971, the primary sources of information are National Archives Microfilm
Publication M1131, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, October 1789 - 1832,
and M841, Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832 - September 30, 1971. The
Postal Bulletin, the Official Register of the United States, and
the Journals of the Postmaster General, along with various lists, tables, and directories
of Post Offices, are sometimes used in conjunction with the Record of Appointment of Postmasters.
From 1971 to 1986, information is pulled from record cards of postmaster
appointments located in the USPS Historian's office.
Since 1986, information in Postmaster Finder has been updated from PS Forms 2030 and 8020,
Report of Installation (Postmaster or Officer-In-Charge), completed by field personnel;
postmaster appointment lists compiled by Human Resources; and the Post Office Changes
sections in issues of the Postal Bulletin.
Further sources of information are discussed in
Publication 119
, Sources of Historical Information on Post Offices, Postal Employees, Mail Routes and Mail Contractors.
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| Q: How can I get information on a postmaster or a Post Office that is not in postmaster
Finder? |
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| A:
The National Archives
will provide information on postmasters and Post Offices prior to 1971 upon request. Information
after 1971 can be obtained from the USPS Historian. Additionally, historians have compiled
books on Post Offices for many states, some of which include postmasters' names and appointment dates.
A partial list of such books is available in Publication 119
, Sources of Historical Information on Post Offices, Postal Employees, Mail Routes and Mail Contractors.
Your local library should be able to assist you in obtaining these. |
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| Q: Why am I not listed as officer-in-charge at a Post Office where I served on a detail? |
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A:
Postmaster Finder primarily serves as a record of the individuals who have served as
postmaster at a particular Post Office. Names of officers-in-charge are included only when they served
between two different postmasters.
If you are a current or former employee with a correction or addition to the database, please
click here. |
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| Q: Where can I get a copy of the application to establish a Post Office? |
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| A:
If an application to establish a Post Office exists in postal records, it would be filed among the
site location reports for the Post Office at the
National Archives |
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| Q: Do personnel files for past postmasters exist? |
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| A:
The National Personnel Records Center, Civilian Records Facility (NPRC-CPR)
maintains and will furnish by mail extant personnel records for federal employees whose service ended
after about 1910. Researchers requesting records from the center should provide the full name of the
employee, date of birth, Social Security number if known, name of agency where last employed, and place
and approximate dates of employment. |
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| Q: Where can I find information on a Post Office's location? |
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| A:
Site location reports of Post Offices, available from the
National Archives,
give a general idea of Post Office locations, mostly from the mid-1840s to the mid-1940s.
Local libraries and historical societies, county courthouse records, and contemporary newspapers may also be
sources of information on past Post Office locations. |
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| Q: Where can I find information on the origin of the Post Office name? |
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| A:
The National Archives' Web site provides general information on Post Office names
and naming policy as does the paper Whatโs in a (Post Office) Name?.
Post Office names were typically suggested by prospective patrons; there are no postal records that explain their origin. |
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| Q: Is a Post Office's establishment date the date it opened for business? |
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| A:
Generally, a Post Office's establishment date is the date of appointment of its first postmaster. Typically
there was up to a two-month delay between the appointment of a postmaster and his or her first day in office.
For example, Alfred Hunnewell, appointed as the first postmaster of the Columbia, California, Post Office on September
15, 1852, took office on November 16, 1852. Less typically - for example, at the Sacramento, California, Post Office
- the first postmaster began serving before his appointment was officially recognized in Washington. |
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| Q: How were postmasters appointed and what were the necessary qualifications? |
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| A:
From 1836 to 1971, postmasters at the larger Post Offices were appointed by the President,
by and with the consent of the Senate. Postmasters earning less than $1,000 per year were appointed
by the Postmaster General, generally upon the advice of the local congressman or townspeople.
Regulations required that postmasters execute a valid bond and take an oath of office. Minors were ineligible,
and U.S. citizenship was required for appointment to all but the smallest Post Offices. Prior to 1971, it was also
required that postmasters live in the delivery area of their Post Office. Since 1971, postmasters have been selected
through the merit system. |
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| Q: How early did women serve as postmasters? |
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| A:
Women have served as postmasters since the Revolutionary War and even earlier, under British rule. "Postmaster," and not
"postmistress," always has been their official title. |
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| Q: My ancestor was a postmaster. Why is his or her name not in Postmaster Finder? |
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| A:
Postmaster Finder contains only some of the information that is available prior to 1986.
Additional data are continually being added. It is estimated that it will take about 28 more work
years to research every Post Office. |
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| Q: How were Post Offices established? |
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| A:
Citizens of a community who desired a new Post Office generally submitted a request
to the Post Office Department stating reasons why they thought a Post Office should be established,
the number of patrons who would be served, and the names proposed for the Post Office.
Other factors considered were the nearness of existing postal units and the relative
cost involved, including the estimated expense of mail transportation to the proposed office. |
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| Q: Why were Post Offices discontinued? |
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| A:
According to the 1897 Annual Report of the Postmaster General, "In cases where an office ceases to
be a public necessity, or it is impossible to secure a suitable postmaster, the office is discontinued. . . . "
The number of Post Offices peaked in 1901 at 76,945; the number sharply declined in the ensuing decade,
due to the spread of rural free delivery. Changes in demographics and transportation
patterns have contributed to a gradual decline in the number of Post Offices. At the end of the
fiscal year 2010, there were 27,077 independent Post Offices. |
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