Menlo Post Office

Here is a short dive into the post offices and county development in the area where Newt Turpin lived. 

Menlo 

A contemporary county history, Andreas’ History of the State of Nebraska (1882), describes Menlo this way: “Menlo post office was established in the fall of 1879… It is situated on the bank of the Niobrara River, between two groves.”

It says the first Menlo settlement was in April 1878 by R. W. Turpin, D. Childs, and Henry Hoffman. It also records that Susan Turpin, born 25 February 1879 (I have her birth date as 24 February) was the first child born there.

Rock County Centennial Book gives a little more geographic precision. It places Menlo on the Niobrara near the mouth of Ash Creek and says that the Menlo post office was the first area post office, established 23 September 1879. That area later became Rock County (see below regarding post offices).

Perkey’s Names of Nebraska Locations lists the Menlo post office as established 11 July 1880, and discontinued 4 October 1883, and says it was probably named for Menlo, Iowa. The two dates are due to county formations done by breaking up a previous county. Menlo PO changed descriptive locations three times without ever moving and there is no discrepancy. The place that became Menlo was originally in an unorganized county area of Nebraska.

Holt County, Nebraska, was originally created on 13 January 1860 as West County from unorganized territory. It was officially renamed Holt County on 9 January 1862.

Brown County was created and organized on 19 February 1883 from unorganized territory west of Holt County.  So, Menlo was originally in Holt County; then in Brown County there was both Menlo and Mariaville Post Offices.  My thought is Mariaville PO was closer to the Turpin family and Thomas Peacock as postmaster is added evidence.

Rock County, Nebraska, was officially formed on 6 November 1888. On 8 May 1992 Mariaville PO is in Rock County and Menlo is not – Thomas Peacock continued as postmaster.

While there is no mention of Newt Turpin (Robert Newton Turpin) in the postmaster records, there may be information in congressional records where there was a request to establish a post office. This would not be the first time the family was involved in the post office as Newt’s daughter Amanda was postmaster at Heartwell in Kearney County, Nebraska.

Rock County is Volume 57 ca. 1881-1892 in U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971. The records show the date of establishment and discontinuance of post offices, changes of names of post offices, and names and appointment dates for their postmasters.

The database also includes dates of Presidential appointments of postmasters and their confirmation dates by the Senate. Starting in 1870, the records contain names of post offices where discontinued post office’s mail was sent. 1832 - 1950, these records were kept by assistants to the Postmaster General. 1950 - 1971, the Bureau of Post Office Operations compiled the records. Up to 1930, the records are arranged by location and then alphabetically by name of post office. After 1930, there are two types of records. They are arranged alphabetically by name of post office and alphabetically by the appointment’s name. The records include:

·       Name

·       Appointment date

·       Vacancy cause

·       Vacancy date

·       Post office location

·       State

·       County

·       Volume

 

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Original data: Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971; Microfilm publication M841, 145 rolls; NAID: 596306 and 17027522; Records of the Post Office Department, 1773 - 1971, Record Group 28; The National Archives in Washington, D.C.