Back to Davis County Genealogy

1929

                The First Post Office was established in Davis County in the spring of 1842, at what was afterwards the village of Stringtown, east of Bloomfield. At this time it was located on the Black hawk purchase, Samuel Anderson Evans was the first postmaster. The second Post Office was at the house of Loyd A Nelson, on the old Wishard farm, 2 miles north of Bloomfield. Mr Nelson was the postmaster and the office was called Lewistown. This was in 1844. Two years later, when Bloomfield was established as the county seat, the office at Lewistown was discontinued and an office was established in Bloomfield. George Washington Kidder was the first postmaster of Bloomfield.

                The first Post Office was in a small frame structure, barely large enough for the postmaster to stand and sort the mail, and for 2 or 3 persons to stand in line to inquire if the letters from “back east” had arrived.

                Down through the days following the Civil War, and during the post mastership of Jonathan Boyer and Colonel S A Moore, the post office continued to be housed in comparatively small quarters.

                Twenty-three years of government service ended for Sam Junkins, Sunday, when Bloomfield’s new post office was opened. The Bloomfield Negro had served since 1915 as janitor of the building leased by the government just south of the southwest corner of the square. Junkins became janitor one year after the post office building was leased by the government. Now 73 years old, Junkins far exceeded the age limit for applicants for the janitor’s post in the new post office building. -1938

                Rural delivery service established during B F Carroll’s postmastership. Nine rural routes, added over the years. The first 4 routes were established prior to 1901. In 1901 a new route to be known as rout 5 was established with Sherman S Losey as carrier. The other carriers at that time were George Rothenstein on route 1, William T Gandy on route 2, Miller A Shelton on route 3 and S N McCormick on route 4. In 1903, 2 additional routes, Numbers 6 and 7 were authorized, Tony Lowenberg was appointed carrier for route 6 and Cyrus Turner for route 7. In 1922 route 8 was added and shortly after routes 9 and 10. Malcom Beeler was the first carrier for route 8, Paul C Rouch was the first carrier for route 9, and Charley W Frow the first and only carrier for route 10. Route 10 was consolidated with route 1.

                The rural routes were first established by horse delivery. The routes averaged more than 40 miles in length, and served more than 1100 families.

                So called “Star Routes” were “farmed out” by contractors who submitted bids to perform the service. The successful bidder then employed local men to carry the mail.

                City delivery for Bloomfield began in 1922. The first 3 carriers were Nelson Stuart, Lincoln R Saunders and Charles W Fellinger.

Postmasters-

1.       George Kidder                                                  11.          R T Grimes

3.    Jonathan A Boyer                                            12.          Kenneth Baldridge

4.    Col S A Moore                                                    13.          John J Ethell

5.    Harry C Evans                                                     14.          Kenneth Baldridge

6.    A H Fortune                                                        15.          Bill McClanahan

7.    S F McConnell                                                    16.          Tom Hardy

8.    B F Carroll                                                            17.          Acting postmasters-

9.    Joseph R Rominger                                                         J R Hinkle, Bob Bond, Francis Bussey, Carl King

10.  Frank C Traverse

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Post Offices & Post Masters, 1860 Almanac -- Hawkeye Heritage, 1987