Last year I disposed of my collection of the postal history of London, England, a primary collecting interest for nearly 30 years. As the Englishman who was making the purchase for his firm prepared to depart, he asked me if there was anything in it I wished to retain as a souvenir.
Quickly, my mind passed over several favorites: the 1626 prison letter, the 1670 Bishop Mark which was my first acquisition, and the 1705 1etter from Charleston, Carolina in which the author described how much she hated living in the New World and chewed out her family back in London for not writing to her for over a year. Then I opened up one of the Local Poet volumes, pointed to an average looking folded letter from 1774 and said, “I will keep this one.”
As you can see, the letter was sent from London to Bendley on February 22. 1774. It was posted at the Temple Office of the London Local Post. A four pence General Post postage charge for a single sheet letter sent over 80 miles was due upon receipt. What makes this letter so interesting? It is a marriage proposal sent by Samuel Cox to “Miss Duncumb.”
“My dear Miss Duncumb: I return your thanks for your last letter of the 7th instant, which I received on Sunday. But I confess your account has very much chagrined me. I had heard you had been in London, but could never give any credit to the information: for I thought it impossible you could be so near me. and not let me know a syllable of the Matter. You might have acquainted me in the letter you wrote just before you set out where you was coming to.“
Take that!
With that off his chest, Samuel Cox gets down to stating the reason for sending to her a postage due letter.
Your constant Admirer and most Obliged Humble Servant
PS: I shall be in Town next week to receive your answer. Adieu”
Collecting postal history contains many challenges. We can trace the evolution of postage rates and the muting of mail.
Postal historians can illustrate important historical events such as the collapse of East Germany. They can trace the evolution of postmarks and pursue them with all of the vigor of a collector trying to track down a nice copy of the “Schooner Bluenose” with a perfectly centered and lightly applied date stamp.
However, postal history represents not only a study of transmission On of the mails but often provides glimpses into the lives of those living now and centuries ago. We can imagine Samuel Cox boiling over as he was beginning this letter and then settling down as he approaches the marriage offer. Most of us know someone who is like him and would react similarly. This letter is also a record of the formality of life 225 years ago and how it shaped expressing strong emotions like love and anger. How many of todays lovers would sign their letters, “Your constant Admirer and mast Obliged Humble Servant”?
The question that has been in the back of my mind since I acquired this cover in 1978 has been, did Samuel Cox ever marry Miss Duncumb? I suspect they did marry or the letter would not exist! If she was not that interested in him, the letters nasty tone would probably have caused her to toss it into the trash.
Sometimes postal history research leads a collector down interesting paths that have nothing to do with the stamps, or other postal markings. The challenges become even more interesting, and sometimes even more difficult to solve.
This article is an appeal for help. The writer is unfamiliar with how and where a successful genealogical search can be started in England to find out how the story ended. Perhaps some member living in or around London or some member who has already solved a similar correspondence problem can help me. There may be other pieces of correspondence from or to the persons involved in this “romance” which are hiding in other collections that will help me to solve the puzzle. Who knows, perhaps some revenue collector has a relevant divorce document in his/her collection! The writer would appreciate any information or assistance. You can reach me by mail at 2949 Duvall Road, Daisy, Maryland, 21797, USA or over the Internet at Kimber.Wald@fema.co.
Postal history provides many interesting challenges. Here is one more for the adventurous collector.
Editor’s note: And help he did get. On July 5, 2000 Kim Wald received a letter from a reader in West Sussex who wrote, in part:
“I gave my wife your article in The Canadian Philatelist to read last week and she found it most enjoyable. She is a member of the Society of Genealogists UK so immediately saw it as a challenge and carried out a short 8earch here via the internet.
If you have not already been advised, we can tell you that Miss Sarah Duncumb did indeed marry Mr Samuel Cox, according to the parish records of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, on 6 August,, 1774. Unfortunately my wife has not (yet found trace of any children from the marriage, nor where the couple lived. Perhaps another correspondent has been able to shed further light.”
And so, the question that has captured the imagination of collectors since 1774 has been solve in 2000 with the help of the Internet!