Database

Letters Remaining at Local Post Offices

A searchable index of people named in nineteenth-century newspaper lists of unclaimed mail.

That post office could not be found.

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Find By Post Office

Browse all names on the remaining letter lists from three historic local post offices.

Harpers Ferry

Explore individuals whose names appeared in published lists of letters remaining at the Harpers Ferry Post Office.

1821–1836 Years 30 Lists 4,692 Names
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Shepherdstown

View individuals connected to the Shepherdstown Post Office through published letter remaining notices.

1831–1836 Years 20 Lists 1,728 Names
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Charles Town

Search names listed at the Charles Town Post Office and compare appearances across years and newspapers.

1830–1836 Years 23 Lists 2,683 Names
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How to Use These Records

A letter remaining notice does not prove permanent residence, but it can place a person near a particular post office at a particular moment in time. For laborers, migrants, women, tenants, and others who appear only rarely in formal records, these newspaper lists may be one of the few surviving traces of their presence in the area.

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Timeline Help

A chronological listing of historical events which may have affected the lives of residents in eastern Jefferson County and surrounding areas.
1Where is this information from?
The vast majority of these accounts are taken from newspaper articles of local papers of the time period.
2How can I apply this information to my own research?

We use this timeline to help us understand the events that may have affected or shaped a person's life. Here are some ideas as to how this timeline may help your further your own research:

  • View events that may have affected a particular ancestor or their family members.
  • Uncover events which an ancestor may have participated in, leading to more sources of information.
  • Discover more about the history and culture of the area in which an ancestor lived.
  • Evaluate possible concerns and popular pastimes of an ancestor.
3I want to view a timeline of events in a specific area.
Click on "Location" in the "Filter by" bar. This will drop down a list of locations which currently have happenings in the timeline. Clicking on a location will show only events related to that specific area. Note that clicking on a county or state will show all happenings related to any location within that county (and any county within a state).
4I want to see timeline items between two years.
Click on "Years" in the "Filter by" bar. This will drop down a form which accepts a starting year and an ending year. Filling out both fields will display timeline items which took place in and between the two years. Filling out only one field will display all timeline items beginning at or ending on the years inputted.
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