Colonial Post Rider

Edward Adams (1739-1825), born in Milton, Massachusetts, was a Colonial post rider who carried

the Continental mail between Boston and Hartford, Massachusetts – a distance of 102 miles. Though he did serve briefly during the American Revolution in 1776, his primary occupation was as a mail carrier. Edward was a post rider for 16 years before the Revolutionary War and continued as a post rider throughout the Revolutionary War.

Edward's route went from Boston to Hartford and back.

Edward married Dorothy Spear (1743-1802) on June 30, 1763. They had nine children – all of whom lived to adulthood. After Dorothy died in 1802, Edward married Sarah Morey (1762-1851) on February 15, 1810.

Generally speaking, a post rider was a contractor who promised to deliver the mail within a certain geographical area for a set period of time. The mail was not delivered to individuals as we have today; the mail was delivered to a central location in town – a general store, an inn, a tavern. The townspeople would have to come to the central location to get their mail. If someone was picking up mail for themselves and there was mail for neighbors, they would also take their neighbors’ mail and deliver the mail to them. And, it was not the sender, but the receiver who had to pay the postage. 

Mail delivery, as part of Colonial America, started officially in 1775. The Colonists established the postal system, i.e., post riders, as a way to rebel against the what they saw as the unfair rules as established by the Royal Mail Service. Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster. In fact, he was also the postmaster during the Royal Mail Service. Franklin required the post riders to ride day and night using relays, carrying a lantern at night to light their way.

The post riders did not have an easy job. Much of the area was wilderness. Travel required fresh horses, overnight stays, hardships due to weather, threats from attacks by Indians, and robbery by highwaymen. And, should the post riders manage to escape these hazards of the job, the sender of the mail could not be certain that the letter would arrive safely. [1] A letter could take as long as two weeks to make the 100 plus miles between two cities.

Before being eliminated by the advent of the Pony Express and railroads, the post riders provided the longest and most complete service.

Edward Adams is the 3^rd cousin 8 times removed of my sons.

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1 – Gavin, Alison M. “In the King’s Service: Hugh Finlay and the Postal System in Colonial America.” National Archives, Summer 2009, www.archives.gov/publications/prologue//2009/ summer/finaly.html. Vol. 41, No. 2.