Sold – Postmaster Benjamin Franklin Acknowledges Receiving New York’s Postage Payment

In 1728, at age 22, young Franklin set up shop in Philadelphia as a printer. The next year he became sole owner and publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette. He was quickly successful in his adpoted city and was appointed clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1736. Then, in 1737, he received his first important post – Postmaster of Philadelphia, the largest city in the colonies. This position would give his career a boost and he would soon be known throughout America and England for his innovations and talents. Franklin first managed to stop the money loss on unclaimed mail in Philadelphia by printing in his paper the names of persons who had mail awaiting them. He also developed a simple, accurate way of keeping post-office accounts, improving efficiency and profitability.

At that time postage was paid by the recipient and collected at the point of delivery. However, the cost of sending it was billed by and owed to the sending post office. Therefore New York would be collecting monies for letters that originated at Philadelphia but were received for delivery at New York. On a quarterly basis, it would then send the fees collected to Philadelphia, where the amount of postage billed would hopefully match the monies collected in New York and forwarded. Thus, New York Postmaster Richard Nichols would send Philadelphia Postmaster Benjamin Franklin the monies due Philadelphia for the mail it had sent to recipients in New York.

Brothers John and William Vanderspiegel were merchants and business agents, John in their native New York and William in Philadelphia. The Vanderspiegels were a logical firm to use as agents for persons and businesses with affairs in both New York and Philadelphia, having a presence at both ends. It appears that the postal authorities in the two cities used this firm to transfer the funds flowing between them. We offer one of the quarterly returns for 1749, a very scarce memento of Franklin’s service as Postmaster.

Autograph Document Signed, Philadelphia. “Rec’d Philad. Sept. 23, 1749 of W. Vanderspiegel One Hundred Pounds Philad. Currency on Acct. of Mr. Rich’d Nichols of N. York.” The large size of the payment is explained by the fact that Philadelphia and New York were the largest cities in America at the time and had a substantial correspondence. 

This receipt was taken from William Vanderspiegel’s ledger book, as writing on the verso confirms. Thus, it would appear that Nichols provided the funds to John Vanderspiegel who forwarded them to his brother William, who delivered them to Franklin and received this receipt. A search of auction records reveals just two other documents signed by Franklin relating to his career as Philadelphia Postmaster.

Franklin was so successful in this post that he was named Joint Postmaster General of the Colonies in 1753. Under Franklin, routes were surveyed, milestones were placed on the main roads, and better, more direct routes were set up between the colonies. Franklin also established faster postal service between Philadelphia and New York by having the weekly mail wagon travel at night as well as during the day. Through his efforts, the length of time for mail service between major cities in the colonies was cut in half. Franklin left a legacy of postal roads stretching from Maine to Florida, regular mail service between the colonies and England, and a system for regulating and auditing post offices. Then, in 1775, Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as its first Postmaster General, a position he served in until late in 1776 when he was called upon to serve his country in other ways.