Confederate envelope

RSMorris

First Sergeant
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Have something interesting. Don't know if it is worth anything but not for sale anyway. It is an envelope addressed to a Mr. Charles Holst in Chester South Carolina. It has a stamp through some research is a Jefferson Davis #12 die B. What is interesting is the dates. Looks to have been sent on April 7th 1865 and delivered on April 9 1865. The very day Lee surrendered to Grant in Virginia.

RSM
116362570_427041528253169_1840910199991065278_o.jpg


113242782_427041654919823_8886795878404053373_o.jpg


116753497_427041691586486_4194996014120444338_o.jpg


113595068_427041608253161_508386158783652448_o.jpg
 
Nice one. Whats that say in the lower left hand corner?
 
Still trying to figure that out... so far I have.... "Mailed through.... Politemefs of the ...." I am not sure of the spelling of the politemefs and don't know what is after of the... I am still working on it and researching.
 
I believe it says mailed thru the Politeness could you post a closer photo?

I was typing the same
 
I 've often wondered how they got the stamps to stick to an envelope. The few I've seen did not have an adhesive or gum on them. And yes thanks for sharing.
 
Last edited:
It has this written on the back. Don't know if it means anything or someone just jotted down a reminder or something....
back.jpg
 
As a retired letter carrier, I find it amazing that only the person's name and town were required to get letters delivered!
I once read that, back in the day, you could even make the address into a puzzle to see if the postmaster could figure it out, but the only example I can remember is

Hill
John
Massachusetts

Which was apparently delivered to John Underhill, Andover, Massachusetts.

I think I read it in a very old issue of Smithsonian magazine.
 
Is that really an M after Mr? It looks more like a W to me, as if an abbreviation of a familiar name, like Wallace. Wm (William) is not likely - it does look like a little c.
 
Back
Top