Object Details
- Description
- In 1835 the letter probably would have traveled overland or by steamboat to Mobile, Alabama, where it joined the Great Mail route north using combinations of horse, coach, steamboat and train. Although hastily written in the upper right corner, the postage due was only 25 cents, which indicates this was a single sheet of paper. The rate for a single letter (one sheet of paper) traveling more than 400 miles was 25 cents. The absence of the word "Paid" indicates that the letter was sent unpaid and 25 cents was collected from the addressee.
- In these directions to his wife Harriet about her preparations for her visit, David Shelton Edwards decreases the number of items recommended that she should bring with her. He tells her that if her knee is still not better soon she should not travel to see him in Pensacola, Florida because maintaining her health is more important. He concludes with further advice on how she should spend their money.
- This letter is part of the correspondence of David Shelton Edwards between the years 1835 and 1848. The 48 letters from this period held by the National Postal Museum are primarily addressed to Edward's wife Harriet; in 1830, Edwards married Harriet Eliza Henry and they had two children, William and Harriet. They kept up a frequent correspondence when his naval service kept them separated. Between 1835 and 1848, Edwards served as a Surgeon at the hospital in the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida; Fleet Surgeon to the West Indies Squadron; and Surgeon aboard many vessels engaged in the Mexican-American War. His naval career spanned from 1818 to 1861 and his last sea cruise ended in October of 1859 after which he retired to his family home in Connecticut except for a brief time spent at New Bedford, Massachusetts recruiting for the Union Navy during the Civil War. He died in Trumbull, Connecticut on March 18, 1874.
- Reference:
- National Museum of American History, Naval History Archives. David Shelton Edwards Papers. Accession Number: 1978.0652
- New York Public Library, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. "David S. Edwards papers, 1818-1865."
- Data Source
- National Postal Museum
- Writer
- David Shelton Edwards, American, died 1874
- Date
- July 22-26, 1835
- Medium
- paper; ink / handwritten
- Dimensions
- 40.6 x 32.7 cm (16 x 12 7/8 in.)
- Type
- Covers & Associated Letters
