Note: A version of this article appeared in the May 23 issue of The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria, Ohio.
By Dennis Sadowski
Postal history is just about everyone’s history.
The study of mail, from correspondence to invoices, sheds light on life, whether it’s decades ago or today.
For devotees of Ohio postal history, the Ohio Postal History Society can help.
Born 50 years ago in March 1976, the society has contributed vast amounts of information about postal rates, routes and postmarks as well as what society president and GP member Matthew Liebson calls “social history.”
“There are more people who are interested in local history and their family history and where they came from than ever,” Liebson said. “The challenge is getting them to understand that local history and finding where they are connected.”
The concept of social history has evolved over the last two decades as people seek to understand their roots and get a glimpse into their family background. They want to know what life was like for long-ago generations, which is what letters and messages on the back of post cards illustrate, said Liebson, who has developed several Ohio-themed exhibits including one featuring early 20thcentury street car mail service in Cleveland.
“For me, it’s always been sort of that, hey, what went on here and what happened and how did it work,” he said. “How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you came from?”
The society was formed in 1976 during meetings weeks apart at the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club’s annual show, the March Party, and the Columbus Philatelic Club’s annual show, known as COLOPEX, or the Columbus Philatelic Exposition. Postal history collectors around the state were undertaking research and were seeking ways to share what they learned as
well as to identify other sources of information to build their understanding of mail service.
Back then, even the Ohio Historical Society joined the effort. Carl Albrecht of the OHS agreed to acquire and maintain books and articles of interest to postal history collectors. The trove of material included lists of Ohio post offices and who served as postmasters in
the thousands of post offices that existed.
Such information may seem trivial but it provides insight into what life was like in local communities, many of which no longer exist but are still of interest to people researching their ancestors. And the more someone digs, there’s a better connection to social history, as Liebson has described.
Later in 1976, the society began publishing the Ohio Postal History Journal. The first spotlighted Lorain County postal history. To date, 178 issues have been published.
Ohio natives Denise and Jay Stotts, now of Houston, joined the society more than 40 years ago. For Jay, who grew up in Richland County, it was a worthwhile discovery. “I’m a history buff. My mother was a teacher. She taught fourth grade and in Ohio that was when Ohio history was taught,” said Stotts, who has widely exhibited Ohio postal history among other
themes.
Family vacations often included time spent at historical sites across the state, he recalled. Years later as an adult and serious collector, when he heard about a society devoted to Ohio postal history, he was all in.
For Denise — one of her grandfathers was born in Lorain, Ohio — postal history is a compelling part of her philatelic journey. While she leaves collecting Ohio postal
history to Jay, she still was curious enough to serve as society secretary for 28 years.
She finds that the growth in genealogical research can help boost interest in postal history in any setting.
Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.