phsc journal...fall 2012 • phsc journal • 3 in this issue this issue kind of defined itself. as...

PHSC Journal

$8.75 The only national journal totally dedicated to Canadian postal historyCANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40069611

Nº 151 ISSN 0714-8305 Fall 2012

PEOPLEPEOPLE

Places PostmarksPeopleCELEBRATING OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Fall 2012 • PHSC JOURNAL • 3

In This Issue

This issue kind of defined itself. As you know, the last two issues were devoted to favourite covers. As a result, we began to stockpile articles, most of which appear in this issue. (That was a very subtle hint that we need articles.)

Without realizing before hand, we ended up with an issue that is essentially devoted to the postal hsitory of Western Canada. (See further comments on this in “The Editor’s Word” on page 7.

Here’s a brief summary of the articles in this issue:

A Little Island’s Big Apostrophe Puzzle … Page 10Peter Smith offers us a very interesting conundrum: where does the apostrophe on Manson’s Landing actually belong? You might ask, “what’s the difference?” Let Peter explain it to you.

continued on next page

CONTENTSFeatures10 A Little Island’s Big Apostrophe Puzzle … Peter B. Smith17 RPO Hammer Configurations of Western Canada …

Robert K. Lane 24 The Rossland Cooperative Transportation Society …

Pete Jacobi26 Letter to Mr. Isaac C. Fowler … A Favourite Cover of

David Oldfield28 Postal History of Cochrane, Alberta and Adjacent Ghost

Towns … Dale Speirs37 Canada to Samoa … A Favourite Cover of Brian Plain40 Unreported Post Offices of Saskatchewan … Dean

Mario43 Reading Postal Meter Indicia …Ross W. Irwin45 Escuminac Flats, Quebec to Seoul, Korea, 1912 … A Favourite Cover of George B. Dresser46 Settling Into Woodstock, U.C. in the 1830s: The Trials

and Tribulations of William Lapenotiere … Robert StockDepartments 6 Message from the President …Stéphane Cloutier 7 The Editor’s Word … Larry Goldberg 8 Secretary’s Report…Scott Traquair58 Letters to the Editor

Departments (cont’d)61 New P.O.s…Doug Murray63 Coming Events64 Ontario Broken Circles: New Discoveries…Robert C. Smith66 P.O.D. Rules & Regulations…Gus Knierim68 Study Group Reports…Brian Cameron71 PHSC Books74 OfficersAdvertisers23 Back 2Paul Stamps & Covers45 British North America Philatelic Society 3 Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain (CPSGB) 22 Canadian Stamp News72 Classified Ads76 Hugo Deshaye (Philatelist) Inc. 2,9 Eastern Auctions23 Jim Forte 5 Greenwood Stamp Company38-9 Gary Lyon (Philtelist) Ltd.73 R. Maresch & Son70 PHSC Books57 Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC)16 Saskatoon Stamp Centre75 John Sheffield Philatelist Ltd.27 Société d’histoire postale du Québec (SHPQ)23 Toronto’s First Post Office

4 • PHSC JOURNAL • Fall 2012

In This Issue … continued from page 3

RPO Hammer Configurations of West-ern Canada … Page 17This is a very comprehensive summary of the evolution of RPO postmarks. Using routes in, out of and within Manitoba as representative of routes throughout Western Canada, Bob Lane paints an excellent picture for us.

The Rossland Cooperative Transporta-tion Society … Page 24Pete Jacobi, one of the two recipients of the Stan Shantz awards for the best article published in this journal during 2011, provides us with another interesting look at the “Golden City” aka Rossland, B.C. Pete tells us how workers in Rossland took the bull by the horns and banded together to help each other to get through an economic crisis through the establishment of a workers’ cooperative.

Postal History of Cochrane, Alberta and Adjacent Ghost Towns … Page 28We are fortunate to have another interesting study of an Alberta post office from Dale Speirs. This is one of a continuing series of glimpses into the history of these offices with which Dale has favoured us. Look for another in the next issue.

Unreported Post Offices of Saskatchewan … 0Our thanks to Dean Mario for compiling a list of offices that have come to light but did not appear in the 1995 update of the

late Bill Robinson’s listing that originally appeared in PHSC’s CAPEX ’87 issue (Number 50).

Reading Postal Meter Indicia … Page 43There is a lot more in postage meter indicia then most of us realize. Ross Irwin provides a comprehensive albeit short explanation of just how to interpret what all the type and numbers mean.

Settling into Woodstock, U.C. in the 1830s: The Trials and Tribulations of William Lapenotiere … Page 46Sometimes, if we dig deeply enough, we can find out a lot more from a cover than just a little geography and a look at rates and postmarks. Such is the case with Bob Stock’s overview of the letters of William Lapenotiere which does just that and explains how even examples of the social history of early Windsor county Ontario is in evidence.

Favourite CoversHopefully, we will continue to receive brief articles about your favourite covers. In this issue, we are offered some interesting examples by David Oldfield (page 26), Brian Plain (pge 37) and George Dresser (page 45).

Plus … new information from our regular contributors on the subject of Post Office regulations, reviews of study group periodicals, new discoveries of broken circle cancels and new PO’s.

Enjoy!

R. F. Narbonne, OTB, FRPSCTelephone: 1-613-257-5453

or toll-free 1-800-247-5619 (Canada only)

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WE SELL POSTAL HISTORY


Message from the PresidentStéphane Cloutier

I have recently been going through all of our current members’ paper files. Up until a little more than a year ago, each member had a file, which contained mostly the original application form, re-

newal forms and various correspondence. All new members now automatically have their documents stored in electronic for-mat, and we now systematically scan and preserve any important correspondence. The Directors have decided that in order to help me save some valuable space, I could keep only important documents, which brought down the total amount from two full banker’s boxes to one. These will soon all be scanned and attached to each mem-ber’s electronic file as a PDF, only accessible by myself, our webmaster and our Secretary.

As a separate project, I intend to also go through all of our past members’ files (four full banker’s boxes), keep only the important documents, and scan them into a protected electronic member database. Once this project is completed I will have all the remaining paper documents professionally shredded. In the history of our Society we have rarely if ever had to go into a past members’ file, other than if the person rejoins, so scanning documents will let us keep a good historical record of our membership.

We have had a very good response to our two “Member’s favourite covers” issues, and are now in discussion as to whether we could continue this project in some form or another. We must retain our fully researched in-depth articles, but we could also somehow continue the popular one-page articles.

As I write this at the start of November I look at the names of the 40-plus members who still have not renewed their memberships. June 30th seems like a long time ago, and each of these members has now been contacted twice by email if we have one on file, or by mail if we don’t. Last week we sent out a third and final renewal reminder by mail. To these members: I truly hope that your non-renewal was simply an oversight and that you have already renewed by the time this Journal arrives in your mailbox; otherwise please let us know your intentions. Sending out reminders is not only costly but also takes up a lot of our time. This phenomenon happens every year, although not always at this high level, and I am at a loss as to why it happens.

I hope many of you will be able to attend ORAPEX this coming May 4th and 5th. The theme of the show in 2013 will be the “The 250th Anniversary of Formalized Postal Service in Canada (1763-2013)” and there will likely be several high quality postal history exhibits as well as many fellow postal historians present.

Please have a look at the mailing label of your Journal; if it says EXPIRED, please contact the Secretary to let us know your intentions. e


The Editor’s WordLarry Goldberg

The Content of This Issue

You will un-doubtedly note that the majority of the articles in this is-sue are on subjects related to Western Canada. In fact, you might recognize the

fact that a significant amount of our edi-torial content for this issue leans in that direction. Having made this discovery, one might ask, “Why?”

While I collect Yukon and Northwest Territories history, my collecting interests extend beyond those borders. So, one cannot accuse the editor of being biased.

Someone else may think that we concentrate more on the west because there is more interesting material about that area that is readily available. Get serious. It’s like love; it’s all in the eyes of the beholder. So lack of interesting subject matter is definitely not the reason.

Thanks to my tremendous powers of reasoning, I have been able to make this deduction. Hardly anyone sends us articles on subjects east of Manitoba (and I might even be stretching it a little to include Manitoba.)

How about it, people? Share your knowledge of the other provinces as well. Our franchise as an organization comprises all of Canada … all ten provinces and three territories.

I look forward to hearing from you (that’s “you” plural!).

Take a Look At Our WebsiteOne of the incentives that induced me

to join the PHSC was its website. I cannot begin to count the number of times a week that I find answers to the questions I have just by looking at the website.

I bring this to your attention because I have found that as good as I thought it was, in recent months I have found that it has gotten even better. Extensive work has been done building a database on CDS cancels.

Another very useful database is the post office database that provides comprehensive information on individual post offices by province. Unfortunately, we only have this information for Ontario, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and the Yukon.

If you are interested in helping expand this wonderful knowledge source, please contact our webmaster, Rob Leigh, at [email protected].

Remember: “None of us is as good as all of us.”

Thanks …… to Bob Lane for his help on the

editorial committee and as a director of the Society. Bob has recently resigned to pursue other interests. Our thanks to Bob for his help with the publication and the Society. (continued on page 8)


The Editor’s Word (continued from p.7)

… to Brian Cameron who has asked to be relieved of his duties as Study Group reporter. He has done a consistently great job for which we are very grateful. This issue includes Brian’s final report.

… to Martin Schofield who has agreed to take over the Brian’s duties as Study Group reporter. Thanks, Martin.

… to the membership. Thanks for all the kind words about the last two issues. Your willingness to cooperate greatly eased my task. The success of the Favourite Cover concept greatly exceeded our expectations. I guarantee it will not be another 40 years before we try it again. Keep sending us covers and we will use your submissions as space allows. e

.Secretary’s ReportScott Traquair

New Applicants:The Membership Committee has ap-proved the follow-ing applications for membership in the Society, and unless the Secretary receives valid objections in writing within sixty

(60) days of the publication date of this is-sue, membership will be granted to the per-sons listed below in accordance with the con-stitution, a copy of which is available from the Secretary. If correspondence with the applicant is desired, sealed correspondence may be sent under cover to the Secretary, who will forward it, provided the applicable Canadian postage is included. Members are encouraged to send changes of address, or changes in e-mail address, to the Secretary.

1518 Greg Nesteroff, BC1519 Stephane Jeannet, France1520 Garfield Portch, ON

1521 James K. Wood, SK1522 Andre Rondeau, QC1523 Yohann Tanguay, NB1524 James D. McLeod, BC1525 Andrew Liptak, ON

New Members:The nine applicants published in

Journal #150 have been admitted to full membership status, having met all admission requirements.

Deceased:

153 James Kraemer

Resigned:

1338 Charles LaBlonde1393 Keith Hawkins 1483 Neil Elson e


A Little Island’s Big Apostrophe Puzzle

Peter B. SmithIn the best English grammar textbooks

the rules governing the use of the dreaded apostrophe sound so simple. You use the apostrophe to indicate possession. If the subject is singular, the possession is indi-cated by “apostrophe s” – for example, “the philatelist’s stamps” meaning the stamps belonging to one philatelist.

If the subject is plural, the possession is indicated by “s apostrophe” – for exam-ple, “the philatelists’ stamps” meaning the stamps belonging to several philatelists. What’s difficult about that?

Well, try applying the rule when you’re talking about a post office on Cortes Island, a tiny island off the west coast of B.C. and you end up with a postal history conundrum.

It all started back in the 1890s when a pioneer homesteader all the way from the Shetland Islands north of Scotland landed on Cortes Island (then called Cortez Island) and quickly made a huge impact. Michael Manson never let the grass grow under his feet. Already a Master Mariner and a trader he quickly became the local general store-keeper, a special constable, the local Justice of the Peace and in later years he became the MLA for Comox. (Fig. 1) It wasn’t long before he had a large and sturdy wharf built on his property at the southwest corner of the island which later became the Govern-ment Wharf. (See Fig. 2)

Now the Union Steamship Company steamships which carried the mail to and from Vancouver could land there and the residents were quick to realize how much this could improve their lives. On November 26, 1892 they sent a petition to the postal authorities calling for a post office at the head of the wharf with Michael Manson as their postmaster. This was granted and the “Cortez Island” post office opened on April 1, 1893 with “postmaster” added to the list of Manson’s appointments.

Fig. 1 Michael Manson, first postmaster of the Cortez Island Post Office at Manson’s Landing, after whom Manson’s Landing was named.


Fig. 2 Union Steamship Company’s S.S. Cardenaq unloading mail at the Manson’s Landing Wharf.

On the island, his wharf was known as Manson’s Landing – with the learned folk on Cortez being careful to make it “apostrophe s” as the landing belonged to their one postmaster - Manson.

At this time the post office wasn’t involved in the delicacies of the apostrophe because the post office there was called “Cortez Island” post office, and anyway, it wasn’t many years before the population of the southern end of the island dwindled, and the post office closed on November 30, 1898. Among those who had left the island was Manson who went on to new adventures on a more southerly island called Hernando Island which he bought and owned.

Records in the postal archives show that in 1898 the post office was

paying Manson a salary of $20 while the year’s revenue was only $18.95. This unsatisfactory financial situation became one of the main reasons for the closure of the office.

Early in the new century, Michael’s brother John Manson arrived at Manson’s Landing on Cortez at about the same time that the population began increasing again, and on May 1, 1904 the “Cortez Island” post office was re-opened, this time with John Manson as the postmaster.

Various old documents show that some people now called the little community with the wharf at its centre “Mansons’ Landing” with the “apostrophe s” reflecting quite accurately the situation that this was the landing belonging to more than one Manson.


Still the post office wasn’t much involved as this was still called the Cortez Island post office. (Fig. 3) But a new factor was eventually going to change that situation.

Whaletown was another community on Cortez Island which had had its own post office since 1894, but by the 1920s the ladies of the Whaletown Women’s Institute were becoming very frustrated with a recurring problem with their mail.

Their friends who knew they lived on Cortez Island would understandably address their letters to “Mrs. Homesteader, Cortez Island, BC.” But the letters didn’t go to the Whaletown post office where they lived (there being no mention of “Whaletown” on the envelope) and where they would have been quickly picked up.

Instead they went - again understandably - to the “Cortez Island” post office, (which was the name written on the envelope) where, after NOT being picked up, they were sometimes returned to sender, causing a delay of up to three weeks.

The ladies of the Whaletown Women’s Institute wrote to the post office authorities on January 8, 1924, suggesting that the post office in the community of Mansons’ Landing shouldn’t be called “Cortez Island” at all, but instead should be renamed the “Mansons’ Landing” post office and all their problems would disappear.

“Certainly not,” said the post office authorities, and the problems continued for another 17 years. But suddenly, in 1941 the authorities relented, decided

Figure 3. Cover addressed to Michael Manson’s sister-in-law posted from Manson’s Landing when it was still known as Cortez Island Post Office


that the ladies had a good point after all and made the name change from Cortez Island post office to Mansons Landing post office.

Now, for the first time, the post office authorities were involved in the question of the apostrophe. As it happened, by this time, the community had been in existence for more than 40 years and most people took no notice of the apostrophe and had forgotten all about it.

So it was that when the first circular datestamp appeared for the newly named post office on July 9, 1941, it was plain “Mansons Landing” with no apostrophe at all.

This seems unfortunate to me because to the English language student, this is the only one of the three options which was completely wrong. The family name was

Manson, therefore the word “Mansons” (with the additional “s”) must indicate possession and must have an apostrophe - the only question being whether it should be singular or plural, before or after the “s”.

Since then, undeterred for more than 70 years, the post office has continued to use “Mansons Landing” (with no apostrophe) in the circular datestamp. (Fig. 4) And to emphasize the point they also went without the apostrophe with the MOON (money order office number) handstamp which also appeared as “Mansons Landing,” and which was used occasionally to cancel mail. (Fig. 5)

In Fig. 6, we see that one professional photographer found his own way round the problem by sitting on the fence when he produced this postcard of aircraft at the landing when he placed the apostrophe

(left) Fig. 4. The “Mansons Landing” cds in use for about 70 years with no apostrophe(right) Fig. 5. The “Mansons Landing” MOON cancel with no apostrophe used on piece


right on top of the letter “S.” But recently, the post office stirred up

the whole question once more by bringing back the apostrophe.

It all happened on the handstamps issued for the Mansons Landing POCONs (post office computer organization numbers) which are also sometimes used to hand-stamp mail, in which the post office made the grammatically correct decision to include the apostrophe. But where should they put it?

In 2003 the boxed POCON hand-stamp appeared to acknowledge all the Mansons by making the post office name plural with an “s apostrophe” as it appeared “Mansons’ Ldg.” (Fig. 7)

But by 2011, a new smaller boxed POCON hand-stamp appeared to revert back to the days of Michael Manson as the

lone singular Manson with an “apostrophe s”, appearing as “Manson’s Ldg.” (Fig. 9)

And yet, despite having now decided the name ought to have an apostrophe, no matter where they put it, the post office then reversed its own decision when it came to replacing the very worn circular-date-stamp in late 2011. They replaced it with a new oblong boxed hand-stamp which shuns the apostrophe altogether and is inscribed “Mansons Landing” (Fig. 8). They repeated this move with the official sign on the post office wall which also reads “Mansons Landing”(Fig.10)

As it happens, the post office isn’t the only authority wrestling with this confounded problem as you can discover when approaching the community from any direction.

Official Provincial Park signs are

Fig. 6. Postcard of aircraft moored at the landing. Note strange apostrophe.


unanimous in declaring “Mansons Landing” with no apostrophe wherever they appear on all the approach roads to the community’s park – at 14 km out, 12 km out and three km out. (Fig. 11) But, lo and behold, when you arrive there at the park itself, the official park signs all suddenly change to Manson’s Landing (with an “apostrophe s”). (Fig.12)

As if to contradict all the Provincial Park “Mansons Landing” signs out on the road, the transportation authorities responsible for Cortes Island road signs are equally adamant that the community is actually called “Manson’s Landing,” harking back to the original single Manson.(Fig. 13)

On some road junctions, the conflicting signs seem to be arguing with each other face to face.

Given the efforts of all these bodies, I suppose you have to admire the post office most for finding the only complete solution to the problem by having all three versions in use at various times – “Mansons Landing”, “Manson’s Landing” and Mansons’ Landing.”

One of them must be right! ePictures of Michael Manson and the Union

Steamship Cardena at Mansons Landing wharf by courtesy of the Cortes Island Museum & Archives Society

Fig.7. (left) 2003 POCON with Mansons’ Landing. Fig. 8. (center) 2008 POCONwith Manson’s Landing. Fig. 9. The most recent boxed cancel has no apostrophe.

Fig. 10. (top left) Canada Post sign on post office wall. No apostrophe.Fig. 11. (top right) A Provincial Park sign outside the park with the apostrophe after the “s.”Fig. 12. (bottom left) Official Provinical Park sign at Park with apostrophe.Fig. 13. (bottom right) An is-land road sign with an apos-trophe.


RPO Hammer Configurations of Western Canada

Robert K. Lane

Although postmarks from railway post offices (RPO) had a lengthy period of use in Eastern Canada, it was not until the late 1870s that rail lines began to operate in Western Canada. This summary describes the evolution of configurations of those postmarks, using routes into, out from, or within Manitoba. These can be considered representative of routes found in Western Canada, except for those using ships.

RPO hammers were designed to show the train route, the direction of travel, and the date of use. Additionally, because the specifications above were often repeated on additional hammers needed on that route, or because hammers had to be re-placed, a hammer number was also usu-ally included.

I. Hammer Types

The two most recent catalogues of RPO postmarks in Canada are Ludlow1 and the update prepared and edited by Gray2. In both, there are illustrations of hammer “types” (shapes and sizes). Gray has simplified these and it can be seen that the hammers discussed in this article are of type OC1 (single line connecting arcs), CC2 (single complete circle with di-ameter 25-29 mm), CC3 (single complete circle with diameter 21-24 mm), and SQR (squared circle). The squared circle post-marks were two of only three issued in Canada for rail mail. All three were first issued in 1894. Between 1893 and 1895, squared circle hammers were also issued for several towns in Manitoba and else-where. (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 (left to right) a. OC1, the first RPO postmark issued to western Canada and the only one of this type. b. CC2, the first type issued for CPR main line in western Canada. c. CC3, the most common postmark type issued in western Canada. d. SQR, two of the three squared-circle RPOs issued were in Manitoba.


Only the direction of travel and date, termed “indicia set”2 were changeable in these hammer types, using plugs supplied to the clerks. The route and hammer number were permanent parts of the steel hammer. Gray2 defined “the basic non-replaceable let-tering for any cancellation of a consistent text format” as a Listing, which has a unique catalogue number. A listing might include a number of different hammers with the same lettering but measurably different.II. RPO Routes

Railway mail cars were assigned to spe-cific routes. In the earliest development of several rail lines in western Canada, the routes were uncertain because the line(s) were still under development. When lines were completed, the Post Office eventually described routes using the towns at each end. There were actually three iterations, as described:

1. Name of the railway company and region of operation only

In Manitoba, four rail lines that eventually expanded elsewhere in western Canada began carrying RPOs even before the routes were fully constructed. In these cases, the names of the railway companies were used in the route names (Table 1). No town names appeared at this time. See also Figure 1b.

These examples include designations for hammer numbers – also part of the permanent construction. These could be in the format of a number (e.g. 2 or No.2) or a letter (A, B, C. etc.). The examples also include the conventions for direction. As shown in the Table, only the first of the 1882 hammers were of type CC2 (hammers 1 and 2). All others were type CC3.

ISSUE NAME DIRECTION (PROOF) DIRECTION (USAGE

1882 C.P. Ry WEST OF WINNIPEG/# (CC2) EAST EAST, WEST; E in 1899

1882 C.P. Ry WEST OF WINNIPEG/ No. 3 EAST EAST, WEST; E,W 1894 & after

1883-1891 C.P.Ry WEST OF WINNIPEG/ (letter).(NOTE: nine hammers)

EAST, WEST EAST, WEST, E,W varied

1893 C.P. R. WEST OF WINNIPEG/ LOCAL # EAST, WEST EAST, WEST, E, W, Train #

1895 C.P. Ry. WEST OF WINNIPEG. C/ W E, W

1885 MAN. & N.W. RWY. /M.C. NIPB See below*

1885 MAN. & N.W. RWY. M.C. 2 NIPB See below*

1892 SOURIS (C.P.R.) SECTION/ M.C. W E,W

1892 SOURIS C.P.R. SECTION M.C. / No. 2 W E,W

1897 ** LAKE MAN. Ry. & C. Co. M.C./No. NIPB N,S* The Manitoba & North Western Railway postmark records show a complex but systematic pattern of direction usage.3 All of EAST, WEST, E and W were used. There are also examples of using FE for E and a baskwards 3 for E, illustrating probable loss or damage to a plug.** Lake Manitoba Railway & Canal Company

Table 1: RPO Routes in Operation While Lines Were Still Under Construction


2. Railway company, with the towns at the endpoints

In 1887, mail cars were established on ten major branch routes in Manitoba. In these cases, both the railway company and the towns at the endpoints were

included (Table 2). All were of type CC3. Railway companies included: Canadian Pacific Railway, Northern Pacific Railway, Canadian Northern Railway, and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. For examples, see Figure 2 (below).

Table 2: RPO Listings Containing Rail Companies and Town Endpoints

ISSUE NAME DIRECTION (PROOF) DIRECTION (USAGE)

1887 C.P.R. WINNIPEG & GLENBORO/ 3 E E,W

1887 C.P.R. WINNIPEG & DELORAINE / NO. W E,W

1891 NOR. PAC. RY M.C. WINNIPEG & BRANDON/No. W W

1897 C.P. Ry Pt. ARTHUR & WINNIPEG M.C./ No. W

1901 C.N.R. W’PEG & DAUPHIN/No. NIPB E,W

1901 C.N.R. W’PEG & BRANDON/ No. NIPB E,W

1907 C.N.R. W’PEG & VIRDEN R.P.O. / No. NIPB E,W, train #

1909 G.T.P. WINNIPEG & RIVERS R.P.O. / No. W E,W, train #

1915 C.N. RWY EMERSON & WINNIPEG R.P.O./NO. NIPB N,S, train #

1919 PEM. & WIN. R.P.O. No./ N>P>R> N Train #

Figure 2. Example of RPO names combining railway company and route end-points. (Canadian Northern Railway, Emerson & Winnipeg)

3. Town end-pointsOther than the routes in Tables 1

and 2, the town end-points were used for nomenclature. There are too many hammers of this configuration to show all of them. Table 3 attempts to represent groups of hammers that describe the configurations used.

Rail car designations in Table 3 include P.C. (postal car), M.C. (mail car), and R.P.O. (railway post office). These are shown with the Type, as described earlier. See also Figure 3.


Table 3: RPO Listings showing town end-points, including Types

START YEAR TYPE EXAMPLE No. OF LISTINGS

1881 OC1, P.C. ST. VINCENT & WINNIPEG / P.C. 1

1882-1888 OC3, M.C. WINNIPEG & MANITOU M.C. / # 4

1894 SQR, M.C. SOURIS & WINNIPEG M.C. / No. 1 2

1904-et al CC3, R.P.O. BRANDON & ALAMEDA R.P.O. / No. Many listings

Figure 3. Example of namesconsisting only of end-points

III. RPO DirectionsRPO cars ran in both directions of

a route. In western Canada, there was a sequence of how directions were shown; not always systematically adopted. Each hammer had direction plugs for the clerk to use as appropriate. The earliest Manitoba postmarks show a compass direction: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, or WEST (see, for example Figure 1b). Later, N, S, E, or W were used for replacement hammers or plugs, and for newer listings (see, for example, Figure 2). Still later, directions were replaced by the number of the train, which was assigned by the railway company (see, for example Figure 4). The convention was that odd numbers

went north or west; even numbers went south or east.

The history of changes in hammer formats can be sought in the proof books. However, these are not complete and examples sometimes ignored the reality of rail car procedures. For example, some proofs show the time marks AM or PM as would appear in town postmarks, instead of direction or train number. Also, the body of reports of actual postmarks show instances where clerks apparently did not receive the appropriate plugs or just ignored them.

Hammers issued before 1886 were all proofed with full-name directions. In 1886 and later, NEW hammers were proofed

Figure 4: example of RPO postmarkshowing train number - #2 eastbound

Grand Trunk Pacific, Winnipeg and Rivers.


Table 4: changes in the configurations of direction and dates (see next section).Some added hammers for listings as early as 1949 were issued Roman dates.

with abbreviated directions, except for the LOCAL hammers, which show full names.

Hammers that were issued usually came with the indicia set plugs as shown

in the proofs. Changes to abbreviated direction plugs came at various times, from 1897 to 1894 and even later, apparently at the discretion of the clerks.

Start Year Direction No. of Listings Date

1881-1885 Full 5 English

1888 Abbreviated 1 English

1894 Full, then Abbrevated 1 English

1904-1909 Abbreviated 6 (Short duration) English

1904-1924 Abbreviated, then train # Many English

1925- Train # Many English

1954- Train # 7 Roman

IV. DatingChanges also occurred to the way the

date was shown in the indicia set. The style of 2-letter month (in English) and day (eg AP 2), centred above a 2-digit year (eg 1898 or 1917) existed for over 67 years in the west (see, for example, Figure 4 and others). In late 1948, the date convention changed to Roman numerals (figure 5), thereby addressing the issue of bilingual months. In early 1949, there were several new RPO hammers issued in the west and they all were proofed with Roman numbers.

It is surmised that Roman dating would occur on new hammers issued after the policy change, and perhaps on older hammers when date plugs needed replacing. Otherwise, the application seems to have been discretionary. Oddly,

there are instances in later years of the occurrence of traditional numbering but in reverse (e.g. 2 AP). Such instances illustrate the independence of some clerks.

Figure 5: Example of RPO postmark using Ro-man date. This is from a “favour” cover, so is quite clear – Winnipeg and Yorkton, train 51, March 17, 1955.


V. SummaryUsing Manitoba RPOs as examples,

it is shown that four Types1,2 of hammers were used in western Canada; with the earliest (Type OC1) used by only one listing. Three characterizations of rail cars were used: P.C., M.C., and R.P.O.

Train route descriptions were affected by the construction status of lines but evolved to the most common format of town to town.

Train directions were at first shown by full-name directions, then by abbreviated directions, then by train numbers. Dates were shown in English until about 1949, when hammers added to existing listings used Roman numbers for the month. The first new listings using Roman were in 1954.

VI. AcknowledgementsThe author thanks Ross Gray for his

review of a draft, and provision of images

in Figures 1 to 4. Ross excels at clarifying and reproducing RPO postmarks. A few examples are from the proof book4

VII. Bibliographic Refrences1. Gray, Ross, ed. Catalogue of Canadian Railway Post Office Cancellations and Related Railway Postmarks including Selected Waterway Postmarks. British North America Philatelic Society Ltd. 2009. 2. Ludlow, Lewis M. Catalogue of Canadian railway cancellations and related transportation postmarks. Tokyo. 1982. 3. Lane, Robert K. “Manitoba and North Western Railway: Chronology of RPO Hammers”. PHSC Journal, No. 130 (June, 2007). 36-42. 4. Hughes, J. Paul, ed. Transportation Part 2 and Squared Circle Proof Strikes of Canada. Volume XVII of Proof Strikes of Canada. Print. Kelowna: Robert A. Lee Philatelist Ltd., 1992. e


back2paul Stamps and Covers

Interesting Canadian stamps and postal history at

http://stores.ebay.ca/back2paul-Stamps-and-Covers

Large and clear scans of all items front and back.Member of BNAPS (#R6543) and PHSC (#1438).

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The Rossland Co-Operative Transportation Society

Peter JacobiAt the beginning of the 1930s, Rossland

had become a bedroom community for employees of the Trail [Cominco] smelter and fertilizer plants. There were approximately 400 of Trail’s employees living in Rossland, where the air was clear of smelter smoke and land was relatively cheap. The problem however, was transportation. Rossland was situated approximately 2000 ft. higher than Trail and 6 miles to the West. Work cutbacks were in place in the early 30s and while nobody lost their job, employees earned about $4 a day and it cost them 40¢ a day for bus fare to and from work.

To help themselves, on May 21, 1932 fifteen men got together and launched the “Rossland Co-Operative Transportation Society”. Members deposited $5 and agreed

to pay a daily transportation cost of 30¢. The society bought its first car on easy terms and put it into service on three shifts. By the end of the second month membership had increased to 40 and a second car was bought. By the end of 1933 membership was 200 and growing. In 1934 the society made a deal to purchase an existing garage and service station across from the post office and secured the Chrysler & Plymouth dealership for Rossland. By 1938 the society had 600 riding members, 25 late model cars and assets of $ 60,000. It owned its own garage, built by volunteer labour and employed its own staff of mechanics, bookkeepers and a manager. It had been responsible for nearly doubling the population of “The Golden City.” e

Fig. 1: Rossland machine cancel dated July 31, 1957 on Rossland C-op Society envelope.


Fig. 3: It is not clear if the assembled Plymouth cars are the Co-op owned cars or if it is stock for sale. Photo taken in 1940.

Fig. 2: Illustrated advertising window envelope cancelled with Rossland duplex DBC–328, dated Oct. 4, 1938 and showing the first garage owned by the society.


Letter to Mr. Isaac C. FowlerA Favourite Cover of David Oldfield

In 1852, the Eastern Tennessee community of Bristol was established on the plantation of the Reverend James King, straddling the Virginia state line. The Bristol post office opened its doors on November 5 the following year. At just about the same time, the town of Goodson was established on the Virginia side of the line, and the two communities grew together as one.

After the Civil War many families moved to the area seeking new lives. Mr. Isaac Chapman Fowler was one of those good people. Fowler was born at Tazewell, Virginia on September 23, 1831. He was educated at Emory and Henry College. After his arrival in Bristol, he erected a house, finishing it in 1868. It still stands today – perhaps the oldest extant home in the community.

On August 7, 1868, I. C. purchased the Bristol News. He used that platform to encourage growth and investment in the area. I. C. Fowler eventually became

known as a “one man Chamber of Commerce.” Throughout the days of the Reconstruction, his newspaper carried articles proclaiming the town’s potential and marking the arrival of various businesses and families. Today, students can scan its pages as though it was an historical journal of the area’s growth and development.

Using his public position, I. C. became mayor of Goodson in 1871, following that, from 1875 to 1881, he was a member of the House of Delegates in the General Assembly of Virginia, and then he was elected Speaker of the House of Delegates.

This mysterious cover (see facing page), sent from Montreal to Bristol just before Fowler purchased his newspaper, carries a Scott #17 (Prince Albert) which was the proper cross-border postage for 1868 – just three years after the Civil War. Another interesting feature is its early use of the Berri duplex cancel. e


La Société d’Histoire Postale du Québec(Quebec Postal History Society)

invites applications for membership

The SHPQ publishes an award-winning quarterly journal in French.Christiane Faucher265 du Chalutier, #306, Québec, QC G1K 8R3phone (418) 524-2042e-mail: [email protected]

Early cross-border cover from Montreal to Bristol, Tennessee franked with with 10¢ Prince Albert (the correct rate) with Berri duplex cancel.


Postal History of Cochrane, Alberta, and Adjacent Ghost Towns

by Dale SpeirsIntroduction

Cochrane, Alberta, is a town of 16,000 people circa 2011. It is located on the old Trans-Canada Highway, now called Highway 1A, about 25 km northwest of Calgary. It has a thriving lumber industry, but the main impetus in its growth is its proximity to the big city, a half-hour drive from Calgary. It is located on the north bank of the Bow River on a medium-sized piece of bottomlands, the only wide opening of the valley for several kilometres in either direction. Access to the flats is via a steep descent on Highway 1A from the plateau, known as Big Hill, although technically it is an escarpment, not a hill. Every other business in the town seems to be named Big Hill something or other. Winter driving up or down the Big Hill can be a stomach-churning experience.

Upstream and downstream of Cochrane the valley narrows, with few bottomlands and mostly narrow strips at the foot of cliffs that barely had room for the Canadian Pacific Railway trans-continental railroad to squeeze through. This is an important point because the narrow access was to cripple the growth of two hamlets, Mitford and Glenbow, that might have competed with Cochrane. Glenbow was located on the north bank of the Bow River, a few kilometres downstream of Cochrane,

and existed only to quarry the sandstone cliffs. Mitford was on the south bank a few kilometres upstream of Cochrane and was a forlorn attempt at lumbering and brickworks. Mitford has vanished and only a small cemetery with a few graves remains on private land.1 Glenbow has also vanished but the land is currently in the process of being organized into a new provincial park. Figure 1 shows a map of this area, just northwest of Calgary.

Figure 1. Map showing Cochrane, Mitford, and Glenbow along the Bow River, west of Calgary

A Tale Of Two Cochranes.Before proceeding further, one

confusing aspect of the postal history of the Cochrane area must be clarified. There


were two men named Cochrane actively involved in the history of the district, but they were not related to each other. One was a Quebecois and the other was an Englishman. The town of Cochrane was once part of the Cochrane ranch, one of the largest ranches in the British Empire, stretching up the Bow River valley into the Rocky Mountains. It was owned by Quebec Senator Matthew Cochrane (1823-1903). The townsite is named after the ranch, and, indirectly after the Senator.

Mitford was founded by Tom Cochrane, son of a British admiral, and married to Lady Adela, daughter of the Earl of Stadbroke. The couple emigrated to Canada from England and first settled near High River before moving north to Mitford in 1885. They eventually returned

to England in 1898, after the failure of Mitford.Cochrane.

The present-day town of Cochrane began as a settlement in 1881 at the east end of the Cochrane ranch. The village grew up around the ranch house headquarters. After the ranch was broken up and sold by Senator Cochrane, the village became independent. Cochrane was incorporated in 1903 and became a town in 1971. It is located at the intersection of Highway 1A, which runs west up the Bow River valley into the mountains, and Highway 22, which runs north-south through the foothills. The dominant features of the town are the large sawmills and lumber yards along the riverbank. New suburbs are sprawling

Figure 2. Present-day Cochrane, looking west up the Bow River valley toward the Rocky Moun-tains. The foot of Big Hill is at centre right. All the land in the valley out to the mountains was once part of the Cchrane ranch. (Photo by Dale Speirs, 2011.)


outward as dormitory communities for people working in Calgary (Figure 2).

The Cochrane post office opened on July 1, 1887 with James Johnson as postmaster in his general store until he resigned on April 27, 1899. The CPR trans-continental railroad came through in 1883, so the post office always would have had good mail delivery service. The proof strike of its first postmark is shown in Figure 3; this was a territorial postmark since Alberta did not become a province until 1905. From Jume 1, 1899 to October 25, 1905, C.W. Fisher was postmaster and operated the general store. From 1909 to 1921 he was the riding member for the Alberta legislature, as a Liberal. He was succeeded as postmaster in 1905 by T.S. Fisher, who lasted until April 15, 1912, when he was dismissed for political partisanship. I haven’t found anything about the dismissal in the local newspapers because that also happened to be the day that the Titanic sank, and much local news was spiked to make room for the bigger story. However, in the September 1911 election the federal government changed over from Liberal to Conservative, so presumably the family interest in politics cost them the postmaster job.

Andrew Chapman then took over as postmaster and lasted until August 31, 1949, when his wife Margaret briefly took over. He was a business associate of the Fishers and built their store for them, but somehow evaded the wrath of the Tories. He and his twin brother Robert built most of the early buildings in Cochrane. He was the first mayor of Cochrane and later served as a police magistrate.5

Figure 3. Proof strike of Cochrane’s first postmark.

On January 2nd, 1950, Cyril Camden took over and served until 1960-04-30. The Camden family were originally stonemasons from Scotland and helped build the Fisher store. Evelyn Isabelle Lambert then served briefly until Gordon Hall took over on September 1, 1960.

Canada Post records are not available after this date but two subsequent postmasters were Cecile Tempany and Neana Walker.2 The main post office is now in a separate building rather than in a general store. Figure 4 shows the post office as it was in 1989, and Figure 5 shows its current location in 2011. Figure 6 shows one of its pictorial postmarks, that of a pioneer woman feeding chickens. Figure 7 shows a pictorial postmark issued in 2003 for the centennial of the town’s incorporation. Despite being past its due date, it is still being used as a regular business postmark. Shown in the figure is its use on a non-philatelic item by the postal clerk as part of ordinary business, not as a favour cancel.


Figure 4. Cochrane Post Office 1989

Figure 5. Cochrane Post Office 2011


A retail postal outlet opened in Goulet’s Pharmacy on January 1, 1990, located in central Cochrane at 305 - 1 St West. It changed hands and became a Super Drug Mart, which in turn was bought out by

Figure 6 Figure 7: Obsolete pictorial post-mark still in use eight years later as a regular business hand cancel. Non- philatelic use.

Rexall Drugs in 2009. Figure 8 shows a photo of its latest incarnation as a retail outlet, with only the signage changed, taken 2011. Figure 9 shows the evolution of its postmarks.

Figure 8. Third incarnation of retail postal outlet in the same location. Photo by Dale Speirs, 2011.


Figure 9. Evolution of postmarks of Cochrane retail postal outlet

Mitford.When Thomas and Adela Cochrane

moved in 1885 to what became Mitford, they set up a saw mill financed by her (Tom married into money), and the settlement was prosaically named Saw Mill. Lady Adela objected to this and re-named it Mitford after her niece’s married surname. William Van Horne, the railroad baron who was vice-president of the CPR and thus held sway over the naming of railroad sidings, was a close friend of hers. Lady Adela wrote to him: “ ... Saw Mill is not a pretty name. I think that if this place were called Mitford it would be much better.” Van Horne agreed and thus the new name went through.3 The location was squeezed between the Bow River and a cliff, and separated from the timber lands by Horse Creek canyon. A spur line from the trans-continental railroad had to be built. The Cochranes decided to save money by using wooden rails instead of steel. The fatal mistake was that by the time they cut

enough lumber for railroad ties, wooden rails, the sawmill building, a bridge across the Bow River, and all the other buildings and houses, there was little or no good-quality timber left to actually run the sawmill. A further problem was that the grade was so steep in and out of Mitford that the CPR was very unhappy about making stops in the hamlet to load cargo or pick up passengers. After stopping, the trains had to back up about a kilometre in order to gather enough speed to make it up the grades. The sawmill soon failed, so the Cochranes started up a brickworks, using clay brought in from 3 km north of the hamlet on the far side of the river. The village of Cochrane was starting to grow about this time, so there was a demand for bricks. The quality of the bricks was so poor that this industry went under after two summers of operation. Mitford began to fade and by 1898, the Cochranes gave up and returned to England.1


The post office opened on May 1, 1889 with James Carstairs as the first postmaster, staying until May 16, 1890. He was succeeded by D.W. Crowley who resigned on December 30, 1891. By this time the hamlet was starting to die, so Tom Cochrane himself became postmaster. On April 1, 1895, Lady Adela took over until the Cochranes left town, and the post office was officially closed in 1899. It would be interesting to know if any other Canadian post office had titled nobility as a village postmaster.

Mitford took a long time dying. It struggled onward with a handful of families. A coal mine had opened up nearby and used the sawmill rail spur, but its product was inferior and difficult to dig out. It never really prospered. The CPR also maintained a section crew at Mitford for several years. The post office actually managed to re-open on June 15, 1913 with Margaret Ewing as postmistress. The proof strike of the postmark is shown in Figure 10. She didn’t last long, giving up the position on November 15, 1913. Thomas Lumsden then took over until September 1, 1914, when he handed off to John Russell. The post office closed during his tenure on August 10, 1915, by which time Mitford was well and truly dead.2 The church was moved to Cochrane, and all the other buildings salvaged for lumber or left to rot or burn. The only sign today that a settlement ever existed is a small cemetery with a few graves overgrown by vegetation.

Figure 10. Mitford proof strike

GlenbowGlenbow was 8 km downstream of

Cochrane on the north bank of the Bow River. It was so named because the only open area was a steep coulee or glen going down to the river. The mouth of this coulee was blocked by cliffs, so practical access to the hamlet was via the railroad on the riverbank. Its sole reason for existence was a sandstone quarry used to supply building material to nearby Calgary. An American millionaire named Chester de la Vergne saw the potential for sandstone blocks and in 1908 started up a one-industry village that at its brief peak had as many as 500 people, of whom 180 were single men living in a dormitory. The quarry operated around the clock. In 1913 the Calgary housing boom collapsed, and the quarry shut down for good just before World War One began. De la Vergne attempted to start a brickworks to compensate, but the market for bricks was equally depressed. There was also an attempt at raising sheep and purebred horses. The village slowly sank into oblivion and by 1920 was dead.1


John Charyk, a section foreman with the CPR, was the first postmaster of Glenbow when the post office opened on September 1, 1908. The first postmark is shown in Figure 11 as a proof strike. He resigned on March 28, 1909 to take up a business investment in Portage la Prairie.

Charyk’s place was taken by L.H. Kennerly, who was a business partner of de la Vergne and an in-law. Kennerly gave up the position in 1911 when he moved to Calgary.4 Cecil Edwards was postmaster from May 26, 1911 to March 1, 1918 and operated it out of his general store. W.F. Potter was the final postmaster from June 16,1918 to October 15, 1920, when the post office permanently closed.2 The ruins of the general store/post office are in what will become the Glenbow Provincial Park in the next few years. Urban sprawl from both Cochrane and Calgary is headed towards the area, and one can anticipate that within the next couple of decades the park will be surrounded by suburbs on the glacial terraces overlooking the Bow River where the village once was.

The District As A Whole.The Sessional Papers of the House

of Commons contain the Postmaster General’s annual reports, which included detailed information on expenses and income of individual post offices, although some years only include major post offices.6 Using the gross revenue of post offices as a proxy for the economic health of a town, one can make some interesting analyses. Using figures for years in which all the Cochrane area post offices are represented (not that many of them unfortunately), plus Calgary for comparison, the following data are presented. These amounts are for the federal government’s fiscal year, which ended in June or March depending on the year. What matters is not the absolute amount of gross revenue but the relative comparison.

Cochrane’s post office opened only four years after Calgary’s. Both were on the transcontinental railroad and the same river, but Calgary had the advantage that shortly after the CPR arrived in 1883, north and south railroad lines were built that made the city a railroad hub whereas Cochrane never had north-south lines. Thus, although starting conditions were the same, Calgary had the head start. For fiscal 1888, the first year that the two post offices can be compared, Calgary post office had gross revenues of $6,777.38 and Cochrane had $251.65. Cochrane’s income is not listed again until 1895, by which time it had $239.65 while Calgary was definitely a big city at $10,893.04 in gross revenue. That year is the first time

Figure 11. Glenbow proof strike.


Mitford’s post office income was listed, as $236.00, indicating that it was a strong competitor with Cochrane. The next available listing is 1899, when Cochrane was up to $385 but Mitford only did $48 of postal business in its closing year.

1914 was the first year when all four of the post offices in the area are listed. Calgary was booming at $308,874.22, while Cochrane was at $1,604.65. Glenbow took in $226.36, which indicated at least a viable post office, but the temporarily-revived Mitford only managed $69.10 from the few remaining railroad and mine workers. For fiscal 1921, the final year of Glenbow, it was down to $73.31, while Cochrane had slowly grown to $2,549.11, and Mitford was long gone. Calgary was then at $558,569.38. e

References.1. Read, Tracey. (1983) Acres And Empires: A History of the Municipal District Of Rocky View No. 44. Irricana: Tall-Taylor Publishing, 1983. Pages 65, 72-75, 86-89.2.Library and Archives Canada (down-loaded 2011-05-31) Post offices and post-masters. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/post-offices3. Klassen, H.K. Eye on the Future: Business People In Calgary and The Bow Valley, 1870 - 1900. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2002. Pages 311-312.4. Calgary Herald, various issues of this news-paper between 1909-01-20 and 1909-05-285. Russell, Karen and Luxton, Donald Town Of Cochrane Heritage Register. 20026. Canadian Post Office (1889 to 1921) Report of the Postmaster General. Sessional Papers of the Dominion Of Canada, Appendices C and D.

Have you sent usyour favourite cover yet?

Favourite covers are a regular featureof the PHSC Journal. Why not share

your favourite with your fellow members?Sent your favourite to the editor at the address shown on page 74.


In 1899, the Navigator’s Islands (Samoa) were proclaimed neutral territory. All islands east of longitude 170˚ W. were assigned to the United States, and those to the west were assigned to Germany. In 1920, following the end of WW1, the islands belonging to Germany were mandated to New Zealand by the League of Nations. Pago Pago is situated to the

Canada to SamoaA Favourite Cover of Brian Plain

west of longitude 170˚ W and therefore came under the control of New Zealand. This change in status meant that Canadian mail could be sent at the Empire rate.

The postcard shown below was mailed at Toronto on December 2, 1927. There is no receiver’s mark. I have not determined which ship carried the card. e

Shown full size.


Unreported Post Offices of Saskatchewan

Dean Mario

It has been some seventeen years since the late W.G. “Bill” Robinson, FRPSC, OTB updated the listing of unreported post office hammer strikes from the PHSC’s original listing published for CAPEX ‘87 (No. 50)]. I am sure that several have been discovered since the 1995 update and perhaps members can help to “strike off” some of the remaining towns listed below:

Should you note anything which you have found incoreect or missing, please feel free to contact the editor with the information. He would look forward to any updates, so that we can bring this listing current.

AkraAlfordAlhambraAlstonAnnetteArchieArmorinAxford

Battle ValleyBauvalBear StreamBeaver HouseBeaver PlainsBeckettBell CampBeresina

BisonBoakviewBondBonneauvilleBonningtonBotanyBotwrightBradaBrandenburgBrockingBukowinaBunkerBunyanBurradon

CactusCaesarville

CalvintonCamholtCarissCarrolltonCarvaleCastle CoombCedar LakeCeepeeChromarChurcaneClaptonClaysiteConflictConiferConnell CornersCoulee ViewCouncilCouteauCowperCraigieCraylandCree HillCrocusCrocusvaleCroftdaleCrooked LakeCrowesfordCrowtherviewCroydeCtystal LakeCrystal SpringCubittCypress Hills

DalzellDeer ValleyDerrickDimmockDiovaDneisterDonjeanDorrellDreamwoldDrumagueDrumboyDrummond CreekDuftonDunleath StationDupuis

Ear HillEasterleaEbenezer ValleyEdelaneEdenlandEden Valley (2)EdmundElmarthaElsasEquityEyebrow Station

FairdaleFairmuirFartownFernviewFlacks


FordForgrayFort ComfortFossemourFountainFriesenFrobyshire

GallonGlen LoneyGlenwellGlenwherryGolburn ValleyGolden AcreGoldenvale (1)Gowland LakeGowrieGrand RapidsGravesboroughGravesendGraydahlGreenbushGreystonesGuestwickGully

HallidayHamonaHansonHappy ValleyHare HillsHarrislandHaverhillHessledaleHilcrestHillthorpeHoathHolarHomeHoosier Valley

HopehillHorse Butte

IdaleenIdylwildInterlake

KelsoniaKelstern (1)KenaschukKensmithKessockKievilleKitchimanitouKolinKramerKronau (1)Kvitka

Lac ChapleauLac la PlongeLadder ValleyLake CentreLamontLandestrewLandscapeLangevinLawlerLawrieLehmanLobethalLone Spruce (1)Long CreekLongnorLorimervilleLothianLowetonLundeenLyle

McCarterMcGuireMacnabb ParkMcNaughtonMcOuan

ManresaMarkellMarthetonMarneMasonvilleMayview (1)Meadow BankMedonaMeeks SidingMiddleton HillMilburnMillerMimerMistatim StationMoirvaleMoraMountainsideMullranyMulvihill

Narrow LakeNatikaNaultNeasdenNegusvilleNeuheim,NewbankNew HoffnungNew HolsteinNew HomeNew UffordNordenNorrishvilleNummola

OldburyOlsonOmegaOrpingtonOtterton

ParkfieldPasture HillsPearl ParkPechetPengamPengePepperPetit NordPine CouleePinwherryPioneerPoint ViewPolsonPollockshawsPoplar ValleyPortage la LochePowerminePrairie BellPrestfoss

Quinnox

RadougaRangeviewRastadRaven LakeReell DanaReihnReynoldtonRich PrairieRidge HillRivers EndRiversideRobert


RobertsRock HillRoeRoecliffRosemountRosewellRotherwoodRouenRoydenRoxboroRushfordRushvilleRyerson (1)

St. AldwynSt. Charles ParishSt. SwithinSalt PlainsSalviaSaskatchewan

SaskhartSchmidtSeven PersonsShaySheho LakeSherrardSilver GlenSisleySketchleySnake LakeSnohomishSouthminsterSporranSteerfordStone FarmStoneyroydStony CroftStoweSturdeeSunnyside Beach

Surprise Valley

TennexThe SummitThree CreeksToppinghamTulsaTurtle Grove

UbankUbleyUlrie

VerdantVictory HillViewfairVigilantVilla LeaVille Bouvier

WalawaWaniskaWapashoe*Wavy CreekWellnageWest DykeWest GravelbourgWhitewood HillsWillow MoorWillow RidgeWillow SpringsWindgapWirralWortley PlainsWrightville

YankeetownYpres

* Listing error. It is recorded as RF “E” in the 1987 book Saskatchewan Post Offices, Ed. 1912-31,W. Topping.The number (1) after a listing refers to the hammer/period of use, i.e. when a station closed, then reopened, etc. e

HELP WANTEDYour editor havs noted that the ‘feast’ of articles he has been able to draw on is rapidly turning into a famine. Please send him your article by early February for inclusion in the first issue of 2013.

One of the main reasons we exist as a society is to share our knowledge. Please do your part.

Send articles to: [email protected] or by snail mail to

Larry Goldberg | PHSC Journal | P.O. box 7170 | Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7170 USA


Reading Postage Meter IndiciaRoss W. Irwin

Some HistoryIt was 90 years ago, October 4,

1922, that the Dominion postal officials authorized the use of metered mail in Canada. The first Pitney Bowes postage meter was authorized for use in July 1923 and the first despatch of metered mail was August 7, 1923, to the Postmaster General.

By 1960 the sale of metered mail exceeded the sale of postage stamps and in 1981 was 45 percent of total post office revenue. However, in 1991 Canada Post Corporation adopted a new “flight” logo and promoted the PPIC (postage-paid-in-cash) system of permit mail. This system has drastically reduced the use of postage stamps and postage meters.

Postage meter models were upgraded over the years as new technology became available from single value prints to multiple value imprints to the keeping and recording of postage, all by mechanical means, with postage additions only available at a post office.

Canada Post has always been concerned about the financial security of postage devices. In 1996 the Post Office Department began a system of changes by declaring mechanical postage meters obsolete as they could be compromised.

The postage-by-phone system was adopted in 1980 for remote setting of mechanical postage meters. Meters were no longer to be taken to a post office for refilling after December 31, 2002.

Canada Post forced this change to decrease the administrative burden and eliminate fraud.

By December 31, 2006, Canada Post withdrew all postage meter models which did not comply with new remote-setting, security, and digital indicia that produced data capture. Effective June 30, 2007, Canada Post required all mail be digital and would not process mail with earlier postage meters. Now, every time a meter is refilled by phone the information is relayed to Canada Post .

A postage meter is now called a Postage Security Device (PSD). It is a device that is used to produce evidence of postage on a mail item. A “postage meter” imprints an amount of postage, functioning as a postage stamp, a cancellation and a dated postmark all in one.

A Note on Indicia DimensionsIt is common to use metric dimensions

as it is cleaner in print; however, it is less accurate since the actual indicia and devices were made in inches. For a Pitney Bowes indicia the 2-D box is 15/16 inches or 24 mm. 2-D box plus the setting is 1-7/16 inches or 37 mm. Overall is 2-13/16 inches or 72 mm.

The first commercial digital postage meter used in Canada was a Franco-Post used in June 2000 followed by Neopost in late 2001. Pitney Bowes entered the digital area in June 2002.


Reading the IndiciaWhat information is available to

us when examining a postage meter impression? Well they are all supposed to be red in colour. Canada Post adopted a 2-D (dimensional) square grid data matrix having an even number of rows and columns. There are 144 squares. The upper right corner module is blank. A finder pattern is around the perimeter. The encrypted code box is filled with “0” and “1”.

The Rate Box bears the CANADA POST title and logo in both official languages. Below the logo is the 4-digit rate 00.00. At the base, left, is the postal code of the originating location. At the lower right is the year , month and day of mailing., separated by periods. The “DD” often does not print when the meter is used to pay a bulk rate.

Between the 2-D code box and the rate box are 3 lines of information in a vertical format.

First line: The manufacturers identifi-cation in 2 spaces - PB - Pitney Bowes; , NE - Neopost; FP - Franco-Postalia. Followed by 2 digits for the PSD model identifica-tion. The meter serial number follows in 4 digits; that is, each serial block is in

units of 10,000.Second line: a 6-digit item counter

and a 6-digit security code. The security code uses all 25 upper and lower case letters except “o” and 9 numerals except “0” and 34 symbols. It is randomly generated.

Line three contains the Creation Date - (MM.DD) month - day in numbers. It is followed by the

CreationTime: 6 digits (HHMMSS) for hours, minutes and seconds.

An ad-space at the left is for postal directives and company advertising. The costs of ink and advertising now limits its use. Only a few users adopt the practice today.

So, due to uniformity, if you have one metered cover you have a collection - but not quite. Collecting tends to centre on the serial number which signifies the model of PSD that generated the postal image. Earliest and latest date of use.The rate box outline may have heavy and light outlines. The postal directives which tend to wander about the indicia are more difficult to find.

Collectable varieties include Bulk Mail which often has no day in the date mark. Another less available item occurs when a secretary prepares and meters a letter on a Friday but does not post it until Monday. The creation and post dates in the indicia are different.

Other collectable impressions include Post Office directives such as CORRECTION, RETURN POSTAGE PREPAID, MEDIAPOSTE, STATEMENT, additional postage. e


Escuminac Flats, Quebecto Seoul, Korea, 1912

A FAvourite Cover of George B. Dresser

This is one of my favourite covers for two reasons. Covers to Korea during the Edward VII period are scarce, and the cover is addressed to Miss Esther L. Shields.

The franking pays the proper 5¢ UPU rate for less than one ounce. The Escuminac Flats cancel is faint. It has a Kobe Japan 12.2.11 receiver on the back and a Korea 11.2.15 receiver on the front.

In September 1897 Miss Esther L. Shields arrived in Seoul as the second registered nurse of the Presbyterian missions.

In September 1906, Miss Esther L. Shields established the first nursing school in Korea within Severance Hospital as a professional institute to train outstanding nurses. This school produced the first nurses in Korea in 1910.

Source: UCLA Online Archive Korean Christianity, Open Port Period 1876-1910, http://koreanchristianity.humnet.ucla.edu/chronology-/openport)


Settling into Woodstock, U.C. in the 1830s: The Trials and Tribulations of

William Lapenotiere1

Robert Stock

Some of the most fascinating postal historical finds are of interest not only because of the characteristics that tend to be of greatest interest to postal historians: postal markings, rates and routes, and the like. Such items provide “something extra,” such as insights into the social history of the mails – who was writing letters, and for what purpose, and what that tells us about society at the time. Sometimes the “something extra” comes in the form of compelling personal stories of triumph or tragedy.

Early stampless folded letters are a particularly rich source of social historical insights. Letters are more likely to have survived than in the case of the letters con-tained in envelopes dating from the 1840s on. Early stampless folded letter sheets were sent at a time when prohibitively-high post-age rates meant that personal letter-writing was usually limited to important or unusual circumstances. Moreover, early Canadian stampless letters often discuss details of early European settlement of the Canadian frontier, when more formal information sources, such as newspapers and censuses, are less likely to exist.

This article looks at a series of letters written in the late 1830s by William Lape-notiere, who had recently settled at Wood-stock, Upper Canada, to George Acworth,

his solicitor in England. The discussion re-lates to four such letters in my collection, plus one additional letter (dated January, 1838) that was featured in an eBay auction in 2005.

These five letters also refer to other cor-respondence from Mr. Lapenotiere to Mr. Acworth. The first sentence of a letter writ-ten in 1836 reads: “I have written you sev-eral letters since my arrival in this Province ….” Other letters in the series all refer to other letters recently sent to the same recipi-ent. Without doubt, additional letters writ-ten by Mr. Lapenotiere exist and are owned by other collectors.

The Lapenotiere-Acworth letters pro-vide a small treasure trove of early postal markings from Woodstock, as well as in-triguing glimpses of social postal history in the 1830s. Because the correspondence was trans-Atlantic and often related to urgent requests related to financial matters, timely delivery was a key consideration, irrespec-tive of the extremely high cost of trans-Atlantic postage in the 1830s. A number of the letters contain explicit instructions on the routing of mail – generally through New York rather than via Halifax – and in-sights into the reasons for doing so. They also contain information on a variety of subjects, ranging from the rebellion of 1837, to the precarious state of the econ-


omy in Upper Canada in the 1830s. As in the case of other single-correspondent finds, these letters have the added advan-tage of allowing us to get to know the writer (and the circumstances in which he is writing) better by tracing themes from one letter to the next, and getting a better sense of the writer through a comparative and sequential reading of the correspon-dence.Woodstock in the 1830s

While Woodstock has long been the largest urban centre in Oxford County,

as well as the location of the county seat, several other towns and villages developed at an earlier stage. These include Ingersoll (Oxford prior to 1853), Tillsonburg (Dereham or Dereham Forge prior to 1868), Beachville, and Norwich. When Governor John Graves Simcoe passed through what became Oxford County in 1798, he identified the site that later became Woodstock as ideal for the development of a settlement, and called it Town Plot.2 During the early years of the 19th century, a few settlers – primarily

Figure 1. Oxford County in 1839; it became the District of Brock in the same year. At that time, large parts of the County remained unsettled. The map shows areas that had supported the rebellion of 1837. Woodstock had been founded in the early 1830s as a counterweight to these forces of opposition. Source: B. Drewe. “Old Oxford is wide Awake! Pioneer Settlers & Politicians in Oxford County 1793-1853,” p. 61. John Deyell, 1980. Used with permission.


American – occupied land in the vicinity of Town Plot.3 Many of these early settlers were squatters. However, a third of a century passed before there was any official effort to develop what had been designated as Town Plot.

As settlement grew in Oxford County (see Figure 1), the British establishment that ruled the province became increas-ingly concerned with the growing con-centration there of American settlers who were thought to pose a threat to the status quo.4 They were considered to be “dis-respectful” and enamoured with ideas of political and economic reform. Moreover, there was a fear that their allegiance was still to the United States, and that this posed a threat to British rule in Canada.

The solution proposed by Sir John Colborne (Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, 1828-1836) was to establish a new settlement at the site of Simcoe’s Town Plot.5 The new town, which was named Woodstock, would serve as a counter-weight to the settlements of Norwich, Oxford (later Ingersoll), and Dereham Forge/Tillsonburg that were considered to be hotbeds of reformist political activity. Retired and reserve military officers from England were recruited to be the founding settlers in the new community. These settlers would not only provide a political and social defense against the reformists, but also would serve as military “insurance” in case trouble broke out.

In the mid-1830s, when William Lapenotiere first arrived in Woodstock, the new settlement had a population of only 200. However, it continued to grow and prosper. Subsequent waves of settlers came

from much more humble backgrounds than the initial group of retired officers. Nevertheless, the privileged and military backgrounds of its founding citizens did play an important role in differentiating Woodstock’s early development from that of other communities in Oxford County.

Who was William Lapenotiere?William Lapenotiere was born in

Cornwall, England in 18076 with a silver spoon (or at least a silver-plated one) in his mouth. He was descended from French Huguenot ancestors who migrated to England in 1688 at the same time as King William of Orange.7 Successive generations of Lapenotiere men held senior military positions. William’s father, John Richards Lapenotière (1770-1834), went to sea at a young age, and after participating in expeditions to various parts of the world, including the West Coast of Canada and the South Seas, he was given command of a small ship, the H.M.S. Pickle.8

In 1805, John Richards Lapenotière became a central figure in a pivotal event in British history. The H.M.S. Pickle participated in the Battle of Trafalgar (October 5, 1805). After the battle, J.R. Lapenotière was assigned the task of returning to England to bring the news that the British fleet had prevailed but at a heavy cost – that Lord Nelson had been killed in the battle. As the Pickle approached England, adverse sailing conditions forced Mr. Lapenotière to land at Falmouth – some 270 miles west of London – and to proceed overland to the capital. Because of the urgency of


the news, Mr. Lapenotière travelled day and night, using a series of coaches and horses to complete the journey. His epic journey along what came to be known as the “Trafalgar Way” became an important part of the Trafalgar/Nelson legend. As a result of his heroic role in delivering this vital news from the battlefront, John Richards Lapenotière was hailed as a hero, and received a naval promotion and numerous gifts.9

Thus William was raised in a relatively privileged family with a father who enjoyed long-lasting respect for his service to the nation in 1805. William trained as a solicitor, and in 1833 married Jane Colebrooke Akid in northern Ireland.10 Shortly thereafter (1834 or 1835)11, they sailed to Canada and settled at the emerging village of Woodstock in Oxford County.

The choice of Woodstock was no accident. As noted above, Woodstock was supposed to become a bulwark to protect royalist, status quo control in Oxford County against agitation for reform, especially among settlers who had originated in the United States. Retired and reserve military officers and other members of the English gentry were given incentives to accept this challenge. While the young Mr. Lapenotiere lacked the status of some of Woodstock’s prominent early settlers – among them Colonel A.W. Light, Captain Philip Graham, Captain Andrew Drew, Rear-Admiral Henry Vansittart – he was certainly of the “calibre” that Lieutenant Governor Colborne had wished to attract to Woodstock.

In 1839, Mr. Lapenotiere was

appointed the District Clerk of the newly-created District of Brock with headquarters at Woodstock. His letters of recommendation came from Sir John Colborne and the Colonial Secretary Lord Glenelg – a clear indication of his social status.12 By 1851, he had been appointed Judge of the Surrogate Court and Clerk of the Peace for Oxford County.13 He was also active in the Oxford Militia, helping to put down the rebellion of 1837 and later serving as an officer (Lieutenant and Quarter Master of the 3rd Regiment, Oxford Militia).14 Corporate Acts of Incorporation filed with the provincial government indicate that he was a participating partner in two early railway initiatives that were to serve Oxford County – the ill-fated Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway and Harbour Company (1848)15, and the Great Western Railway (1854)16.

Letters written by Mr. Lapenotiere suggest that his early years were a great financial struggle, and that he depended to a large extent on being able to draw resources from England, and on the charity of fellow settlers. The letters indicate that his difficulties relate not only to the challenges that most new settlers face, but also to the precarious state of the Upper Canadian economy at the time.

The letters also provide evidence that his financial trials and tribulations also relate to his spending habits and “expectations.” Despite his privileged status and resources, William Lapenotiere seems to have had trouble living within his means. Urgent requests for his solicitor in England to send him money, or to pay bills on his behalf, constituted


the primary theme in his letters. The five letters were addressed to George

Acworth, a solicitor in Rochester, located east-south-east of London in the County of Kent, England. The Acworth family had been quite prominent since at least the 16th century; members of the family had occupied key roles in the clergy, politics, and legal profession. George Acworth represented William Lapenotiere in respect to his legal and financial affairs in England. But it appears that they were also friends. In his letter of 1838, Mr. Lapenotiere asks Mr. Acworth for a break with respect to his legal fees, saying “ … you must take into consideration that I am a brother chip.” The specific meaning of “brother chip” is unknown, but it does suggest a bond that was more personal than the usual solicitor-client relationship; it is possible that they had once been schoolmates. The Letters: Postal Markings

Four prestamp folded letters from the Lapenotiere-Acworth correspondence are illustrated. They are dated between December 1, 1835 and October 9, 1839 (Figures 2-5). Each of these four items shows a different Woodstock postmark:

• Figure 2: Woodstock U.C./1st dec.

1835 (manuscript)• Figure 3: Woodstock U.C. 19 July

(1836) (locally-handcrafted hard-wood device; manuscript date)

• Figure 4: Woodstock U.C. 19 July 1839 (double circle – brass; manu-script date)

• Figure 5: Woodstock U.C. Oct 11 1839 (double circle- brass; partially typeset date; the day (11) is in manu-

script)

The double circle marking with a manuscript date, shown in Figure 4, is the type most commonly used for mail from Woodstock during the period in question (apparently used between 1837 and 1839). It was also used to postmark the fifth letter discussed in the article (dated 10 January 1838, not illustrated here). The device made with the provisional hardwood (shown in Figure 3) is rare, and the other two markings are unlisted/unreported (Graham17; PHSC website database18).

The post office in Woodstock opened on October 6, 1835. The first postmaster was Thomas Short; the office was located in his store, located across the street from Old St. Paul’s Anglican Church.19 However, an unofficial postal service was apparently offered for several months prior to the official opening of the post office; the earliest example of a postmark made with the handcrafted hardwood device dates from 1834.

Other transit and destination markings also appear on these five letters. Four of the five have dated New York transit marks. All have two-line SHIP LETTER markings, four from Liverpool and one from Portsmouth. All were given red CDS stamps in London (dated, but without the city name).

With the exception of the last (October 1839) letter, all have manuscript directions routing them through New York (and usually via Liverpool). In accordance with these instructions, postage to New York is noted as having been paid – in the case of the 1836 letter, 11d & 25¢ was paid, while


Figure 2. Manuscript Woodstock U.C. 1st dec. 1855 – just seven weeks after the official opening of the Woodstock post office. The cover has two backstamps: a boxed LIVERPOOL/SHIPLETTER and a double circle arrival mark, B 31 DE 1835, As with most of these letters, there is a manu-script notation for delivery “Via N York & Liverpool.”

the others were assessed at 9d & 25¢. In four of the covers, the postage for remaining trans-Atlantic and British portions of the voyage was assessed as 1/8d.20

Mr. Lapenotiere’s Comments on Routes and Rates

The Lapenotiere-Acworth letters are notable as postal history not only because of their postal markings, but also because several contain explicit discussion of postage costs, as well as the reliability and speed of service for mail going through New York and Halifax. Mr. Lapenotiere repeatedly instructs his solicitor to write by way of New York to ensure speedier delivery. But there also appears to be an element of self-interest,

as he acknowledges that it costs him less to receive letters sent through New York (since the sender will have absorbed the cost of postage at least to New York; letters sent through Halifax could be sent unpaid, leaving the recipient in Canada to absorb the full cost).

Note as well that his claims about the extra delivery time through Halifax vary considerably. In the 1835 letter, he says that delivery takes at least 6 weeks longer than mail sent via New York: “So in writing via N York you save me 3/ of postage and at least 6 weeks in time”. The 1836 letter (Figure 3) has a similar, but more detailed message: “So write by way of N York – if you don’t I shall not hear for at least 6 months after the letter leaves


England but in order to write by N. York you must pay the postage to that place.” This request (and the unlikely claim of 6 months for delivery) comes at the end of a letter in which an obviously-desperate Mr. Lapenotiere writes about his urgent need for funds to cover his costs in Canada, and begs for information about the anticipated sale of his interest in a property in England. In the 1838 letter, the claimed delivery time through Halifax is 3-4 months. However, while he is anxious to have letters sent to him via New York, Mr. Lapenotiere’s stated concerns about slow delivery do not stop him from sending important legal documents (a signed deed) via Halifax so that he can save on the cost of postage.

The 1838 letter relates primarily to the sale of this same property, and describes to Mr. Acworth his difficulties in receiving mail sent to him from England, as well as the arrangements he has made to send the signed deed of sale for the property under separate cover to England. The letter contains extensive explanations of postage rates via New York and Halifax. He claims that the letter from England sending him the deed, which had come via Halifax and Montreal had cost him an astonishing £4/-/1d in postage. This claim needs to be put into context, i.e. Mr. Lapenotiere insists that he should be reimbursed for the cost of postage by the purchaser of the property. It is to his advantage to claim an inflated cost for postage.

“About three weeks ago I forwarded … through the Adjutant General’s office Horse Guards the deeds duly executed by me – I did not receive them until about the

10th of last month and then was obliged to get them forwarded to me by post from Montreal – the post of which was £4-1d currency. Having a friend here connected with the Horse Guards who could send them to England postage free I forwarded them in that way via Halifax. I hope you will get them in time. I see your letters have written on the back of such ‘Via N. York’, not one of which has reached me that way but by Halifax, creating a great delay and rendering the postage much more expensive – the English postage to Halifax is 2/2 and from Halifax here is 3/, whereas by N York the English postage is 1’4 and from N York 2/1, making a difference of 1/8d besides the difference of time by Halifax. I never get a letter within 3 months frequently 4 that by N York generally reaches me in less than 1 month.

“P.S. … I think Mrs. Graves should bear amounts of the expenses incurred in forwarding the Deed to me. £4-1d currency would be £3-12-10 sterling.»

William Lapenotiere’s Observations on Life in Woodstock in the 1830s

The Lapenotiere correspondence makes reference to his experiences as a new settler in a new town in Upper Canada. The letter of 1838 is especially interesting, since it contains lengthy discussions of the 1837 Rebellion, including his own role as part of the government militia:

“Just as I received the parcel containing the Deeds the rebellion broke out in this Province which caused me to be held in constant attention on the Magistrate until I marched with a musket on my


shoulder with many other—to the Township of Norwich … the cowardly scoundrels did not stand a shot. We took many prisoners and about 40 stand of rifles. All is quiet now in the interior but McKenzie with a lot of Yankee cutthroats has taken possession of Navy Island belonging to us in the Niagara River….”

The letter goes on to say that although the rebellion is over in Lower Canada, the prospects in Upper Canada are more uncertain. He expresses fears that the American government may not be strong enough to prevent elements of the U.S. Army in the border regions from coming to the assistance of “what are termed patriots”. Later, he predicts that England and America will be at war within six months.

As previously noted, the primary subject matter in each of the five letters referenced here was the financial hardship Mr. Lapenotiere was experiencing as a new settler. Moreover, he refers in his letters to other letters he had written to Mr. Acworth, apparently in the not too distant past. He repeatedly despairs about having to make purchases on credit, and having to go deeper into debt. He writes in hope of being able to draw upon assets in England – particularly his interest in a property that would eventually be sold in 1838. Several of the letters tell Mr. Acworth to anticipate the separate arrival of bills due to creditors, which he trusts will be paid on his behalf.

In the letter of 1836 (shown in Fig-ure 3 on the next page), Mr. Lapenotiere is especially desperate about his finan-cial plight as someone recently arrived in Canada. He explains that the provincial

economy has almost ceased to function:The Province for various circumstances is almost without money. Banks have for some time ceased to Discount money, consequently almost every thing that I do is on credit and how long that credit may be I cannot say. A little money say £20 would be of the greatest use … I can assure you my Dear Sir, I am much in want of money at present and shall never want it as much as at present. I am working up hill, have many things to contend with, and shall find myself eternally grateful if you can sell the house for me. Will you write to me immediately upon receipt of this and say whether I may draw upon you and to what extent.

The letters also leave the impression that Mr. Lapenotiere’s difficulties are not only the result of the weak state of the provincial economy, but also his difficulty living within his means. Unlike Mr. Lapenotiere, few early settlers had the luxury of drawing upon substantial assets from home after they left for the New World. He apparently wrote several letters per year to his English solicitor, and would no doubt have been billed for the costs of postage he did not pay himself – hardly a prudent strategy for someone finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet, given the cost of international postal rates in the 1830s. In the two letters written in 1839, Mr. Lapenotiere despairs that little more than £20 remains of the English assets on which he has depended. However, in the July 1839 missive (see Figure 4 on facing page), he tells Mr. Acworth that he plans to travel back to England on a visit later that year.


Given that he appears to be spending freely, to be constantly in debt, and to have to write repeatedly to beg for financial favours from his English solicitor, it was not entirely surprising to learn that he continued to have trouble making ends meet in the years that followed. Having good personal connections to influential political figures helped him to become the Clerk of Brock District, and later a judge, but Mr. Lapenotiere apparently accumulated such heavy debts that he chose to abandon his wife and eleven children and flee to England in 1860.21 He remained in England until his death

Figure 3. An example of a postmark made with the handcrafted hardwood device used on a provisional basis during Woodstock’s early days. Woodstock U.C., with a manuscript date of 19 July (1836).

in 1880; he practised law in London, but remained impoverished.

The Woodstock that he left in 1860 was significantly different from the emerging village he had encountered in the mid-1830s. The population, which had been only 200 in the mid-1830s, had reached 2,112 at the time of the 1851 census.22

When Woodstock was officially incorporated as a town in 1856, the population had reached 3,200.23 Whereas most of Oxford County had remained unsettled in the 1830s, land in the

Text continues on page 56


Figure 4: A brass double ring device with a manuscript date was in use at Woodstock between 1837 and 1839. This cover is dated 19 July 39. The usual rate for trans-Atlantic service via New York was paid,v i.e. 9d to the lines plus 25 cents to New York (both prepaid), then 1/8 for trans-Atlantic delivery.

Figure 5: A variation on the brass double ring WOODSTOCK U.C. postmark – this time with a partially-typeset date (OCTR 11 1(839). Based on measurements of the two types of brass double ring markings from Woodstock, this strike appears to have been made with the same hammer as Figure 4, but with modifications to use partially-typeset dates in place of manuscript dating.


county had been fully occupied by 1860. The growing prosperity of Woodstock resulted not only from the growth of population and production in the town and in the county, but also from major improvements in transportation. The completion of the Great Western Railway through Woodstock in 1853 was especially instrumental in its growth as the main economic hub of the county.

The social composition of Woodstock had also changed dramatically. The Woodstock into which he had settled was purposefully designed to be an enclave of privilege and conservative values – hence the early emphasis on recruiting former military officers. But as the town grew and other, more plebian settlers arrived, the influence of its privileged English gentry faded into insignificance.24 It seems unlikely that Mr. Lapenotiere would have fully embraced this change. e

References:1 I use the spelling “Lapenotiere” because

that is the way William wrote his name in these letters. His father used Lapenotière, and other relatives spelled the name La Penotiere or La Penotière.

2 “That aristocratic neighbourhood of Woodstock.” Toronto: The Weekly Globe, May 24, 1878. (Reprinted in The Globe and Mail, July 24, 1967).

3 Dawe, B. Old Oxford is Wide Awake! Pioneer Settlers and Politicians in Oxford County 1793-1853. John Deyell, 1980.

4 Dawe, op. cit.

5 Dawe, op. cit.6 LaPenotiere, C. “William H. LaPeno-

tiere”. www.thetreeofus.net/15595.htm7 “John Richards Lapenotière.” Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Richards_Lapenoti%C3%A8re

8 Royal Museums Greenwich. The Navy – H.M. Schooner Pickle. www.rmg.co.uk/visit/exhibitions/past/boats-that-built-britain/hm-schooner-pickle/

9 “The Trafalgar Way.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trafalgar_Way

10 LaPenotiere, C., op. cit.11 According to The Ships List (www.

theshipslist.com/ships/Arrivals), a Mr. Lapenotiere arrived in Quebec on May 19, 1834 aboard the bark Helen. C. La-Penotiere (op. cit.) indicates he arrived circa 1835.

12 Dawe, op. cit.13 Shenston, T.S. The Oxford Gazetteer.

Hamilton, C.W.: Chatterton and Helliwell, 1853.

14 Rootsweb. “Oxford Settlers: Lapenotiere, William.” www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onoxford/settlers_l.htm

15 “An Act to Incorporate the Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway and Harbour Company”, Provincial Statutes of Canada, Vol. 2 (3rd Sess. 2nd Parl.). Montreal: Stewart, Derbishire, and George Desbarats, 1847.

16 Acts Incorporating the Great Western Railway. Hamilton: Spectator Office, 1854.

17 Graham, W.B. Ontario Broken Circles. Postal History Society of Canada, 1999.


18 PHSC. Broken Circle Cancellations of Canada. www.postalhistorycanada.net/php/BrokenCircles

19 Canfield, E. “Woodstock’s postal service traced from colonial days”. Woodstock Sentinel Review, March 1, 1964, p. 27A.

20 The classic sources on historical postal rates are volumes by Allan Steinhart (edited Gray Scrimgeour): The Rates of Postage of Canada 1711 to 1900, Including some Rules and Regulations Regarding Rating and Treating of the Mails (2011), and British North America and Great Britain 1838-1865 (1991). Both are available online on the PHSC website (www.postalhistorycanada.net/php/Library/steinhart.php)

21 Clark, P. Entry dated 30 May, 2011 on Tim Sandberg’s Genealogy Database.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=sandberg&id=I28052

22 City of Woodstock. Local History. www.city.woodstock.on.ca

23 “That aristocratic neighourhood of Woodstock”, op. cit.

24 Anstead, C., and M. Bouchier. “The ‘Tombstone Affair’, 1845: Woodstock Tories and cultural change”, Ontario History, vol. 86 (1994), pp. 363-381.


Coming EventsYour EVENT AD will be published

for FREE on this page. All you have to do is to email the editor, <[email protected]> with the information for your Club Show or Event.

Saturday, January 12, 2013, 10AM–4PMBRANTFORD STAMP CLUB ANNUAL SHOW & BOURSEWoodman Community Centre, 491 Grey St. (at James Ave.), Brantford, ON

Free admission and parking, Canada Post franchise, 15+ dealer bourse, silent auctions, Club circuit books, door prizes, stamps exhibits (special categories for Junior and Novice exhibitors), lunch counter and refreshments.For more information visit the Club website at www.brantfordstamp.org. Phone: (519) 442-3242 .

Friday-Sunday, March 22-24, 2013Edmonton Spring National Stamp Show

Sponsored by the Edmonton Stamp Club.West Edmonton Mall-3rd floor above Europa Boulevard. Stamps for sale. Exhibits (WPS: Grand Awars)For more information: www.edmontonstampclub.com.

Saturday April 6, 2013, 9:30AM-4PLONPEX 121

Lonpex 121 sponsored by the London Philatelic Society will be held from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm in the Churchill Room at the Ramada Inn, 817 Exeter Road, just

north of the 401 and Wellington Road interchange. Exhibits, 12 dealers plus club sales circuits, draws, free parking and admission. For more information contact Don Slaugh-ter at [email protected].

Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, 2013ORAPEX 2013

ORAPEX stands for Ottawa Recreational Association Philatelic Exhibition. The RA Stamp Club in partnership with Canada’s oldest stamp club, the Ottawa Philatelic Society, and l’Amicale des Philatélistes de l’Outaouais hosts ORAPEX each year. ORAPEX is now one of the four national level philatelic exhibitions recognized by the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada.

Each year ORAPEX has a theme. In 2013 it will be “The 250th Anniversary of Formalized Postal Service in Canada (1763-2013).” In addition, each year ORAPEX honours a distinguished Canadian philatelist, who has made a significant contribution to the hobby. In 2013, ORAPEX will honour Doug Lingard, who has served on the ORAPEX committee for 35 years and has chaired it for the past fifteen years.

Collectors interested in exhibiting can obtain a copy of the entry form and rules at the ORAPEX website (orapex.ca) or by contacting Brian Watson, the exhibits coordinator, at [email protected] admission and parking. For more information, email: [email protected].


Letters to the EditorEDITOR’S NOTE; I have combined “Ask the Expert” and “Letters to the Editor.” This was done because so much of the mail I receive could go either way. In all cases requiring a response, please write me at the addresses shown on page 74.

WANTS“I do have a question for members.

A cover shown on the cover of the PHSC Journal (then called The Postal Histo-Mine) Vol. 1, No. 2 (December 1972) owned by Stan Shantz is of great interest to me. Its front corner address indicated it was sent by my great granduncle William Cecil Coo, Principal of the Western Ontario Shorthand Academy I assume in London, Ontario. The cover is interesting to most postal historians for its cachet about the Western Fair in 1892 but of very different interest to me. I know little about Cecil Coo’s Branch of my mother’s family. Another brother, my great grandfather, lived in Teeswater, Ontario (he was named George H. Coo).

“Has anybody any idea where this cover now rests? I would love to acquire it or receive a high quality colour scan. I am now writing a book on my mother’s family, so this cover might be a great item to have.”

Clayton Rubec

CONCERNSSeveral months ago, Ron McGuire was kind enough to forward the following email concerning the planned closures

and down sizing of Library and Ar-chives Canada. This email was original-lysent by Liam McGahern, president, Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Canada, Ottawa:

“Sorry, Canada, your library has closed (Library And Archives To Slash Work Force – May 2). Not your local neighbourhood library, but Canada’s national library, Library and Archives Canada.

“The past few years have seen this once proud institution wither through a pause or moratorium of acquisitions. This is a polite way of saying we’re not collecting books, maps, ephemera, photos and letters that would help define our national identity for future generations.

“Now Library and Archives will no longer have staff on hand to answer your questions without an appointment? It’s okay, you can send them an e-mail. The world has changed and digitizing our history has tremendous value. But someone needs to protect these artifacts of history, and keep acquiring more pieces for future generations of Canadians.

“As we prepare to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, the Harper government will spend $30-million to promote the war’s history but won’t spend $1 to protect its history.”

Equally disconcerting was an an-nouncement that precipitated the fol-lowing letter from Grey Scrimgeour and Bob Smith:

“The recent announcement of a


change in mission of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the change of its name to the Canadian Museum of History has as one of its aspects the decision to dismantle the Canadian Postal Museum. We hope that those responsible realize the importance of the history of communications to this country. In its early years, before the telegraph was invented in the middle of the nineteenth century, the only means of communication was the written word, delivered by the Post Office or privately. While a separate branch of the Museum is not necessary to tell this story, it is nevertheless an important part of Canada’s history, and we can but hope that it will remain a part of the Canadian Museum of History in one form or another.”

REQUEST FOR EXPERTISEI recently visited a local postcard

store, and in the new arrivals box, I found an O.H.M.S. cover marked for a quick sale. Since it was firmly protected in a plastic container and since I assumed that it was empty, I just set it aside to add to my purchase. On getting it home, I investigated the cancel – a 30 mm circle with the words “Ottawa, Canada, Postage Paid.” In the lower left corner there are the initials “C.M.H.Q.4.” Still thinking that it was empty, I casually looked inside and found, towards the unopened end, a partially burned Army Air Letter (W.3077A) with a British 3p King George VI. The cancel appears to have been applied on on March 21, 1944 and bears the notation “Field Post Office #313.” Contacting a friend, and hoping for more information,

he was able to tell me....”Checking with my Malott exhibit catalog, I quote about your flight. ‘The war-time delivery of mail to and from Canadian Armed forces personal was on occasion, interrupted by air crashes.’ ‘Mailed from Field post office 313 somewhere in Italy during WWII, the location of the crash is unknown.’” From what I can read in the body of this letter, the sender was a Canadian in the military, writing to a former girl friend in Trail, B.C. I assume that he was a Canadian as well. I was hoping that some of our readers might have more information about FP 313 and/or the crash which damaged this cover....

David Oldfield

David’s request was forwarded to Dean Mario by your editor, and resulted in the following reply.

continued on next page


“FPO 313 (Canadian FPO TC1) was associated with the 1CDN Inf. Division Supply Point. The location at the time of the postmark (21 MR 44) was around the Ortona, Italy area (from 2 February 1944 until 4 May 1944).

“If the sender of the item was Pte. J.M. Johnston, K74376, D Co. PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s), Central Mediterranean Forces, I may be able to add to the story. In the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain’s Maple Leaves journal (Whole No. 247, Vol. 23 (7), April 1994) there was an article by Kim Dodwell “Fifty Years Ago--April 1944” (pp. 237-238) where a similar item from Trail, BC to the above was illustrated. According to Kim, Canadian P.O. records do indicate that a plane enroute (or over) the Mediterraean jettisoned some 5,059 lbs. of air and surface letters. These could be both connected as each bear a similar marking. It is an odd coincidence that both a letter to, and from Trail, BC would be on the same plane but perhaps the incident happened on the ground (differing episodes).

“As an aside, Kim relates that Johnston did survive and by war’s end had been promoted to Corporal and was with the Patricia’s in Holland.

“As a coincidence, I too have a 21 MR 44 Air Letter with FPO 313 with the same marking but mine is addressed to England! Inside is dated “12 MR 43” but that is presumably an error. Inside details include “weather has been terrible lately” which could account for the problems with flights.

“Unfortunately I don’t know any other specific details of the crash/incident and one would have to do some intensive investigation work in the National Archives. However, as the crashes may be sensitive still, much of the information even after this time may be classified.”

Dean Mario

If you can shed further light on David’s inquiry, please let us know.


New Post Offices In CanadaDoug Murray

Editor’s Note: Due to our focus on favour-ite covers in the last two issues, most of our regular columns have not been published. The content of this issue should pretty much brings us up to date in most areas. e

May to August 2012

104206 London ON N6P 0B0104223 Lawrencetown NS B0S 1M0104225 Toronto ON M5J 2T0104226 North Vancouver BC V7R 2N0104248 Winnipeg MB R3J 0P0104262 Cambridge ON N1R 6B0104266 Sheho SK S0A 3T0104275 St Benedict SK S0K 3T0104276 Toronto ON M6S 1T0104278 St Hyacinthe QC J2S 1A0104279 Flaxcombe SK S0L 1E0104280 Stead MB R0E 1Z0104286 La Tabathèque QC J6W 4Z0104287 Falmouth NS B0P 1L0104288 St-Tite-des Caps QC G0A 4J0104289 Lomond AB T0L 1G0104291 Mississauga ON L5N 7L0104296 Tessier SK S0L 3G0104297 Gatineau QC J9A 1M0104300 Crooked Creek AB T0A 0Y0104302 Little Brook NS B0W 1Z0104303 Bécancour QC G9H 3R0104307 Port Sydney ON P0B !L0

104308 Edmonton AB T5H 4E0104309 Waterdown ON L0R 2M0104311 Peers AB T0E 1W0104318 Carmacks YT Y0B 1C0104321 Lang SK S0G 2W0104325 Montréal QC H2Y 1B0104331 150 Mile House BC V0K 2G0104332 Sturgeon County AB T8T 0E0104334 Moyie BC V0B 2A0104343 Calgary AB T2N 3T0

August to November 2012 104268 Halifax NS B3K 2B0104270 St-Nicolas QC G7A 1B0104292 Abbotsford BC V2S 1K1104294 Matane QC G4W 3W8104306 Abbotsford BC V2S 2C7104313 Sheridan Lake BC V0K 0A0104314 Amherstburg ON N9V 1Z9104319 Clova QC G0X 3M0104323 Frelighsburg QC J0J 1C0104326 Clair NB E7A 2H0104328 Toronto ON M6P 1Y0104330 Oromocto NB E2V 1R0104338 Calgary AB T3C 2P1104339 Kelowna BC V1X 6A0104340 Kelowna BC V1V 1Y0


104341 Calgary AB T3E 5R0104342 Calgary AB T3G 4J8104344 Airdrie AB T4B 3K3104345 Alma ON N0B 1A0104346 Alvinston ON N0N 1A0104347 Edmonton AB T6E 5Y0104349 Yellow Grass SK S0G 5J0104350 Kitchener ON N2E 2M2104351 Edgemont BC V7R 2N0104352 Pond Inlet NU X0A 0S0104355 Chippewa ON L2G 6B0104356 St-Juste du Lac QC G0L 3R0104357 Laval Ouest QC H7R 1S0104358 Vancouver BC V6N 3E0104359 North Vancouver BC V7P 1S0104363 Toronto ON M5R 2G0

104365 Saskatoon SK S7N 4V0104368 Mississauga ON L5A 3Y0104369 Bonanza AB T0H 0K0104373 Petite-Vallée QC G0E 1Y0104376 Mitchell MB R5G 1G8

ELK

DO YOU COLLECT THE POSTAL HISTORY OF ESSEX, LAMBTON OR KENT COUNTY?

If you do, then you should become a charter mem-ber of ELK, the PHSC’s newest study group. It is your chance to exchange information and build mutually beneficial relationships with other PHSC members who have interests like yours.

For more information, please contact:

Rob Leigh:[email protected] ORLarry Goldberg: [email protected]


Ontario Broken CirclesNew Discoveries

Robert C. SmithThanks to Rick

Carson, Peter Kritz, Bill Longley, David Oldfield, Steve Peters, Michael Rixon, and a number of our faithful past reporters for adding to our early and late dates and

our growing list of newly-discovered postmarks.

Town Proof Date Type Dia. Arcs EKD LKD Cty/Distnew Allansville ms 15 March/52 WTNnew Arthur ms 10 Augt/ 1851 WTNfirst BLESSINGTON/ U.C B2x 25 22nd/August/ 1865 HASnew CADERETTE/ ONT. A1 20.0 6.0,6.0 DE 23/13 NIPfirst CAINTOWN/ U.C B2x 25.5 November/ 26/1862 LDSfirst CASTLEFORD/ C.W B2 25 DE 27/1853 RFWfirst CHELTENHAM/U.C AP 22 1852 B2x 25 28/May/1888 PELfirst CLARKE/U.C. DC 30 11th/Apl/1843 DURfirst COLDSTREAM/U.C B2x Nov 16/59 MDXnew Drayton ms April 29th 52 WTNnew Dumbarton ms 27th Oct 1853 ONTnew EGLINGTON/U.C B2x 25 Jan/25/58 YRKnew EKFRIED/ U.C. B2sx 29 8/May/1847 15/June/1847 MDXfirst ELLENGOWAN/U.C A2 19.5 DE 18/68 BRUnew ERAMOSA/U.C B2sx 29 nude June 13 1868 WTNnew FAIRFIELD/ONT A1 20.0 9.0,10.0 OC 3/73 KNTnew GADSHILL/C.W A2 20.5 8.0/? MR 28/81 PTHnew GILFORD/ ONT. A1 20 ?, 10.0 JU 14/10 JY 10/10 SIMnew GORES LANDING/C.W B2x 24.5 20/June/74 NHDnew GREENBUSH/U.C B2x 25.0 13th/March/1860 LDSfirst GRENNON/ ONT A1 19.0 8.0, 6.5 DE 20/10 LDS


Town Proof Date Type Dia. Arcs ERD LRD Cty/Distnew HOLLEN ms Decr 9/58 WTNfirst HOMER/U.C A2 12?,12 MY 23/65 LINnew JAMESTOWN/U.C(1) B2x 22/August/1854 ELGnew JURA/ONT A1 21 11.5,11.5 NO 12/75 LAMfirst KENMORE/U.C B2x 25 29/Jan?/63 CRLnew KETTLEBY-/C.W* B2x 25 Apr/15/62 Oct/21/64 YRKnew Kitley ms 7 April (1833) LDSnew Merrittsville ms Apr 24/50 WLDfirst MOULINETTE B2sx 30 29 Decr/’42 STOnew NEW-DUBLIN/ONT A1x 20.5 7.5,7.0 July 17/1872 LDSnew PENETANGUISHENE/U.C. B2s 29? JAN 18/1852 SIMfirst PHILIPSVILLE/U.C Berri B2 25.0 SP 9/1858 LDSfirst PORT-GRANBY/C.W A2 20 NO 11/78 DURfirst RAMSAY/ONT. JAN 16/13 A1 19 9.5,9.5 FE 13/13 SUDnew RATHBUN-STATION/ONT. A1 20.0 1.0,0.0 DE 2/85 HASnew RAVENSWOOD/U.C B2x ~25 28/8/71 LAMfirst RICHMOND HILL/U.C. DCx 30/19 3rd/May/1845 YRKnew SANDHURST/U.C A2 DE 12/64 NO 18/86 L&Anew Seaforth ms Mrch 16 1860 HURfirst SOUTH-MONAGHAN/C.W B2 25 FE 15/71 NHDfirst SPIKES-CORNERS/C.W AU 7/1850 B2 25 1854/MR 2 FROnew TRUDELL/C.W A2x 20.5 10.0,11.0 11/Dec/63 ESXfirst UNIONVILLE/U.C. B2sx 27 11th/April/33 LDS* This is the KETTLEBY-MILLS / C.W B2x with MILLS excised.


P.O.D. Rules & RegulationsGus Knierim

LETTER BILLS119. Letter Bill

Must Accompany Every Mail.

(1) A letter bill must be enclosed with every mail despatched. (2) O r d i n a r y (or “dodger”) letter

bills (form 2G) are used when there is no registered mail included in a despatch.

(3) Registered letter bills (form Series 23B) are used when there is registered

mail.(4) In no case should both a dodger

and a registered letter bill be enclosed with the same mail.

120. When no Letters, etc., to be Despatched –

In cases when there are no letters or other articles of mail on hand for dispatch, a dodger letter bill properly prepared must be placed in the letter bag and the bag dispatched at the usual time. The dodger bill in such instances will constitute this mail.

Letter Bill of the type used in 1947.


A later version of an actual letter bill. This letter bill accompanied the mail dis-patched from Huntsville via Route 35 to Russell Landing, a summer office in Hali-burton County. It was dispatched and arrived on the same day where the post-master datestamped the letter bill according to regulations. Although faint, the datestamp is dated AM / VII 2 / 84, with the two being inverted making it look like a 5.

121. Dating of Letter Bills – Letter bills must bear the date upon

which mails are due to be dispatched. Thus a letter bill prepared on Monday evening to cover a mail for dispatch any time after midnight should bear Tuesday’s date.

122. To Be Properly Filled Out – Dodger letter bills must be properly

filled out with the names of the dispatching office and the office of destination, date stamped and initialed by the Postmaster dispatching the mail.


NORTHERN CANADA STUDy GROUP (phsc)

Study Groups ReportBrian Cameron

loaded with what appears to be camping equipment. Another shows a building with a window made entirely of (liquor?) bottles. Issue 83 has 11 pages of real photo cards of Yukon and Atlin steamers. There is also a link to a video of the last trip of a Yukon stern wheeler, the S.S. Keno. Other items in these two issues include early Manitoba covers, post cards and covers from the Canol project, QSL cards, and a cover from H.A. Larsen, commander of the famous RCMP patrol ship, the St. Roch.

GREy, BRUCE, DUFFERIN & SIMCOE POSTAL HISTORy STUDy GROUP (phsc)

Issue 46 of the Georgian Courier features Gus Knierem’s postal history of Craigleith, a hamlet on the shores of Georgian Bay near Collingwood that owes its existence to Sir Sandford Fleming, Canada’s celebrated railway engineer, and designer of our first postage stamp. Fleming settled his father, brothers and sister here in 1854, and his father subsequently became Craigleith’s first postmaster. The post office became a summer office from 1939 to 1945, and then closed. Gus also contributes an article on the postal history of Key Junction, a small town on the Canadian Northern Railway, which was created as a trans-shipment point for iron ore from Sudbury. Other items in this issue include a history of Sinclair’s Corners, which had the first post office in the Township of Bruce.

The Northerner has come back from a brief near-death experience. Issue 82 included an editorial suggesting that the relative paucity of contributions in recent years indicated there might be insufficient

interest in continuing the newsletter. Gray Scrimgeour asked members of the study group to give him their opinions about the viability of the newsletter and study group. Many responded to his appeal, and as a result of their input, Gray and colleague Ian Mowat announced in Issue 83 that The Northener will continue, but in electronic format only. In addition, the newsletter will now be available free of charge to all PHSC members on the PHSC web site, as well as to study group members who are not also PHSC members. This is welcome news for all who appreciate the wide-ranging research presented in this interesting newsletter. In response to a member’s suggestion, future issues will include “My Favourite Cover,” modelled on the PHSC Journal’s feature.

One of The Northerner’s many attractions is its galleries of Yukon post cards, and the two most recent issues include many of these. An amusing card in Issue 82, titled “Yukon Automobiles,” shows three dog carts with slab wheels and


MONEy ORDER OFFICE STUDy ESTAB-LISHMENT (MOOSE) (phsc)

Editor Doug Murray shares further results of his research into Money Orders and Postal Notes in Issue 81 of The Bull.MOOSE. Money Orders were first issued in 1855, and were used solely in accounting offices. Smaller non-accounting offices had no way to transmit money until Canada Postal Notes were introduced in 1898. These had the value of each note printed on the form, and could be purchased from both accounting and non-accounting offices the same way people purchased stamps. Doug includes scans of a few Postal Notes, and invites readers to submit other examples showing different values and from different periods. Other items in this issue include regional reports on new markings from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec, as well as examples of attractive large circular wing markings from across the country, and aberrant usages of Money Order markings. In Issue 82, Gus Knierem contributes various Post Office forms which show markings from the operations section controlled by the financial branch. Doug Murray continues his discussion of Money Orders and Postal Notes, and there are illustrations of new markings from Western Canada and Quebec. Both issues also have the regular listings of new Post Offices in Canada.

CANADIAN MILITARy MAIL STUDy GROUP (bnaps)

Issue 202 of the Canadian Military Mail Study Group’s Newsletter features new information by Colin Pomfret about the types and sub-types of the Royal

Canadian Navy censor devices used in the Second World War. Colin’s findings are revisions and additions to the late Wilf Whitehouse’s 1991 study of RCN censor markings. This issue also includes an obituary of C. Douglas Sayles, the Chairman and Treasurer of the Canadian Military Mail Study Group, who passed away in January 2012. In addition to his work with the Study Group, Doug compiled and edited Volumes II (1936-1945) and III (1945-Afghanistan) of the BNAPS Catalogue of Military Mail Markings, and was working on Volume I (before 1936) when he died.

Issue 203 includes a detailed study by Paul Binney of the Sub-Post Offices at the St. John’s, Newfoundland escort naval base, HMCS Avalon. During the Second World War, this base grew to include a complex patchwork of shore installations and housing amongst the existing community of St. John’s. Paul illustrates a series of covers with return or inbound addresses that indicate the existence of two Dispatching Offices and six Sub-Offices at HMCS Avalon.

WORLD WAR II STUDy GROUP (bnaps)Issue 48 of War Times consists of

excerpts the 1945 Canada Year Book. The extracts concentrate on the economic issues faced by Canada and how the Government financed the war effort. In addition, interesting historical information is included to show the government organizations involved. The subsequent issue of the newsletter (#49) illustrates a variety of covers from these new organizations, including Wartime


Housing Limited, National Housing Administration and Wartime Merchant Shipping Limited.

BRITISH COLUMBIA POSTAL HISTORy RESEARCH GROUP (bnaps)Issue 81 of the B.C. Postal History Re-search Group’s newsletter includes illustrations of postal markings over the years for Squamish. B.C., as well as recent Vancouver postmarks, and an index to the first 20 volumes of the newsletter.

CALGARy PHILATELIC SOCIETyIssues 112 of the Calgary Philatelist

continues Dale Speirs’ account of ranch house post offices of Calgary. Dale describes the Simons Valley office and its first postmaster, W.E. Simons, who appears to have been removed from office because of

Study Group s Report (continued) financial malfeasance. While the average gross revenue for ranch post offices was about $50 to $100 a year, for three years between 1909 and 1911, Simons claimed revenues ranging for $644 to $721. Dale speculates that this high revenue was the result of a scam involving stamps that postmasters received at a discount. At the time, many businesses accepted payment as sheets of stamps because they had so much mail, so a smart storekeeper or rancher who had a post office could pay his bills with discounted stamps accepted at face value, and also resell them to Calgary businesses at a slightly less discount and pocket the difference. Issue 113 includes a history of the Calgary Stampede by Dale Speirs, with examples of Stampede covers and markings, and an explanation of paquebot covers by Ron Tabbert. e

For more information or membership details visit our website at www.canadianpsgb.org.uk or write to the Secretary: John Hillson, Westerlea, 5 Annanhill, Annan, Dumfriesshire DG 12 6TN

A warm welcome to The Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain

Our 2013 convention will be held in the West CountrySeptember 25-28th, Plymouth, Devon www.canadianpsgb.org.uk

Founded 70 years ago to promote and study all aspects of philately in British North America (Canada and its Provinces), the Society offers its members:-• Aquarterlyaward-winningfullcolourmagazine,‘MapleLeaves’

• Uptotwoauctionsayearwithmanyhundredsoflots

• Anextensivelibraryofpublishedbooksandarticles

• Newonlineexchangepacketfacility

•Subscriptionspayableinlocalcurrency

Philatelic_80x120.indd 1 05/11/2012 17:09


ILLUSTRATED • HARD COVER • 216 PAGES

PRICE $45.69 (+ postage)please make cheques payable to

postal history society of canada

PayPal payments accepted at e-mail address, below

PHSC Treasurer Scott TraquairP.O. Box 25061, RPO Hiway, Kitchener, ON N2A 4A5 Canada

e-mail: [email protected]

Stampin’ Aroundor

The Life of a Stamp Collector

The Memoirs ofFred Jarrett

available from

J. Gus KnierimP.O. Box 3044, Stn C, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R5

e-mail: [email protected]$30 (plus shipping)

please make cheque payable to J. Knierim – we can also accept PayPal payments at above e-mail address

The

ONTARIOPOST

OFFICEEric Manchee

– 2003 –

ONTARIO POST OFFICE

The

Atlas

ALL ONTARIO COUNTIES + THE DISTRICTS OF MUSKOKA, NIPISSING (SOUTH HALF), PARRY SOUND, & MANITOULIN IS.

Atlas

The PHSC Book Page

CANADA’S BARREL POSTMARKSperfect bound, 8½ x 11, 64 pages – full colour

is available, printed on demand, for just$28 + $5.00 (s&h) – H.S.T. includedfrom J. Gus Knierim, [email protected] make cheques payable to J. Knierim

Limited Edition!

The Rates of Postage of Canada 1711-1900,

Including Some Rules and RegulationsRegarding Rating and Treating

of the Mailsa

alan l. steinharta

edited by gray scrimgeour

Allan Steinhart’s

The Rates of Postageof Canada 1711-1900

available on a print-on-demand basis

444 PAGES, 8½ x 11 ISBN 978-0-919615-40-3

published by PHSC

PERFECT-BOUND (soft cover)

$39.00 + shippingfor general inquiries, shipping

costs, and orders

email [email protected]

J. KnierimP.O. Box 3044, Station C, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R5

We accept PayPal payments at the above email address(cheques payable to j. knierim)


Classified Ads Reach over 450 interested postal historians and collectors and support your Society. Take out an ad-vertisement in the PHSC Journal. Classified ads are just a $1 per line or portion thereof. Simply type out your message and send it with your remittance (cheque or money order) to the Advertising Manager, George Power, RR2, 668207 20th Sideroad, Lisle, Ontario, L0M 1M0. telephone (705) 466-3221 or email <[email protected]>. Please make cheques/money orderspayable to the Postal History Society of Canada – do not send cash in the mails.

DUFFERIN COUNTY postal history on post cards orcovers. Require the following offices: Auguston, Blount (1),Cardwell, Chedworth Crombie, Elba, Elder, Farmington, Granger, Lorraine, Lucille, Scarlet Hill, and Vanatter. Contact George Power, RR 2, 668207 20th Sideroad, Lisle, ON L0M 1M0 or e-mail [email protected]

• 152

NEW SPECIAL PRICE: Stampin’ Around or The Life of a Stamp Collector – Fred Jarrett’s memoirs are exciting to read and give a real insight into the hobby of previous generations. Now available. Cdn $29.95 + postage (please make cheques payable to postal history society of canada; we also accept PayPal at the email address listed below):

PHSC Treasurer Scott TraquairP.O. Box 25061, RPO Hiway, Kitchener, ON N2A 4A5

or e-mail [email protected]

CANADA, NEWFOUNDLAND COVERS on-line from my web-site, <http://www.donslau.com>. Thousands scanned – stampless to QE II – have a look. Don Slaughter, Box 8002, Sherwood Forest RPO, London, ON N6G 4X1 • 156

FOR SALE WANTED

LITERATUREWANTED: GRAIN COMPANY post cards, covers and covers with contents. D. Jansen, Box 161, LeRoy, SK S0K 2P0.

• 153WANTED: Canada Postal Notes and receipts (1900-1950), preferably used. (Only receipts with pre-print-ed values come from Postal Notes.) Also wanted - denominative Money Orders from the 1950s. Contact: Doug Murray, [email protected]

• 151WANTED: Duplex cancels of Harrow and Windsor, Ontario on cover. Buy or trade. Contact: Larry Goldberg at [email protected]. or by snail mail (see page 74). •151

Got something to buy or sell?Classified ads in the PHSC Journal …

efficient, effective, economicalonly $1 per line per issue!


OFFICERS * TERM: 2012–2014 # TERM: 2011–2013

PRESIDENT: * Stéphane Cloutier, 255 Shakespeare St., Ottawa, ON K1L 5M7 • email: [email protected] PRES.: G. Douglas Murray, Box 693, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7L3 • email: [email protected] PRES.: # Dr. Robert G. Leigh, Champaign, IL, USA • email [email protected].: # Scott Traquair, P.O. Box 25061, RPO Hiway, Kitchener, ON N2A 4A5 • email: [email protected]: # Larry Goldberg, P.O. Box 7170, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7170 USA •˜email: [email protected] # Justus (Gus) Knierim, P.O. Box 3044, Stn C, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R5 • email: [email protected] # Roger F. Narbonne, 136 Morphy Street, Carleton Place, ON K7C 2B4 * Kevin O’Reilly, P.O. Box 444, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N3 • email [email protected] * William S. Pawluk, Box 6032, Station A, Calgary, AB T2H 2L3 • email: [email protected] LARGE: * Dr. Gray Scrimgeour, 188 Douglas St., #570, Victoria, BC V8V 2P1 • email: [email protected]

JOURNAL EDITOR / CIRCULATION MANAGER:

The PHSC Journal is the official organ of the Postal History Society of Canada and is published quarterly. The subscription price for PHSC members is $35, per annum, included in the membership fees. All members automatically receive the Journal. Non-members cost: $40 per annum. Changes of address, undeliverable copies, and orders for subscriptions are to be sent to the Secretary at the address above; return postage guaranteed. Recent back issues are available from Gus Knierim: 113-144 may be obtained for $3 each; issues 1-140 at $7.50 each; and issue 141 and later $8.75 each. A one-time example may be purchased by a non-member for $8.75 postpaid. Membership applications should be mailed to the Secretary.

DUES: Canadian addresses, Cdn$35 per year, July 1 to June 30 membership year, prorated to the time of joining. US addresses: Cdn$45 per year; addresses in other countries: Cdn$55 (due to higher postage rates outside Canada).

ARTICLES: Anyone interested in reprinting articles published in the Journal must contact the Editor for details. The Publisher, the Society, its Directors, and its Members assume no responsibility for statements made by authors of articles in the Journal.

Copyright 2012 by Philaprint Inc. Printed by Conestoga Press, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R5 Canada Post Agreement Number 40069611 Published December 31, 2012

☛ PayPal accepted at [email protected] for all your PHSC payments

Larry Goldberg • email: [email protected] P.O. Box 7170, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7170 USA EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: John Bloor • email: [email protected] Larry Goldberg • email: [email protected] Gus Knierim, Editor Emeritus • email: [email protected] K. G. Scrimgeour • email: [email protected] R. C. Smith • email: [email protected]: George Power • email: [email protected] RR 2, 668207 20th Sideroad, Lisle, ON L0M 1M0

PHSC CERTIFICATES & RIBBONS: J. Michael Powell • email: [email protected] 72 R12 Big Rideau Lake, RR 1 Lombardy, ON K0G 1L0WEB SITE COMMITTEE: www.postalhistorycanada.net Rob Leigh, webmaster, [email protected] Stéphane Cloutier • email: [email protected] Gus Knierim • email: [email protected] APPLICATIONS, CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Scott Traquair • email: email:[email protected]

P.O. Box 25061, RPO Hiway, Kitchener, ON N2A 4A5

phsc journal...fall 2012 • phsc journal • 3 in this issue this issue kind of defined itself. as...

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