This is a case of something being so ubiquitous that we hardly notice it anymore; in fact, we pretty much take for granted that our mail will be delivered six days a week. Has it always been this way? Well, not quite. Probably during our grandparents’ lifetimes, mail could be delivered more than once a day. But very early in our country’s history, especially on wherever the frontier was at the time, postal deliveries were not regular. Nor were they taken for granted. The postal service was an important part of early America, and helped connect far-flung parts of the fledgling country together. Our founders realized how important that could be, so they made sure to put postal service in the Constitution.
While mail delivery was not an American invention, we definitely made some adaptations. Before the era of our Revolution, most postal delivery was restricted to official, governmental documents. Or, if they could afford it, merchants and the wealthy. One of America’s innovations was to also send out newspapers, which proliferated in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, for a low postage rate. While oligarchies did not want the common person to know too much about current events, democracies depended on it. That explains why it was important for every town to have a post office, even if it only consisted of a counter in the general store.
Of course, the method of delivery changed over the years. We started with a man riding a horse, or a post rider. Hence Post Roads. Once the roads got a little better, the Post Office would contract with stage coach drivers to carry the mail. And they could carry more than just one horse. Eventually, once canals were completed and rails for railroads were laid, the mail could be transported by water and rail. What was carried changed over time as well. Magazines and packages were added to the letters and newspapers. The price of mailing a letter actually started out rather high, and was lowered over time.
If this was your family, how would you research them? As our ancestors moved west, the Post Office was not far behind. In 1860 and 1870 censuses, the local post office is called out at the top of the page. For other years, if you go to Family Search, and go to the wiki, and look for Post Offices, you will find a list of publications that list the post office locations for various years. For 1813 through 1870, there are ten booklets available through Hathi Trust. Obviously, not one for every year, but at least once a decade. For 1876 through 1947, there are sixteen publications available through Google Books. Again, not every year, but enough to track when a Post Office near your ancestors might have been established, or discontinued. Also, on Ancestry, you might find a hint that your ancestor was a Postmaster.