My grandfather was well known for many years as a dependable and well-respected mail carrier in addition to his farming responsibilities. The timing of this appointment comes shortly after the early death of his father at the age of 52 and a little over a year before his marriage. So at a time when he would have been needed to help carry on the family farm, perhaps it is an indication that farming was not his first choice of a career. A life of farming may have been pursued more out of a sense of family duty than intention. Even with the burden of carrying on with the farm, my grandfather served as mail carrier for over 30 years, retiring in 1958. The added income would surely have been welcomed to support his growing family.
The appointment letter from H. R. Nichols, Acting Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, dated August 4, 1927, was among the paperwork long held at the farm. It provides an interesting glimpse into this time of my grandfather's life.
The appointment to Route No. 4 was effective August 1, 1927, carried a six month probationary term. The annual salary was $1,950 (that would be equivalent to about $28,000 in today's dollar).
It was the carrier's duty to provide himself with an appropriate vehicle "to enable you to handle all mail that may be intrusted to you and protect it from adverse weather conditions."
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