IAGenWeb Project - Clayton co.
updated May 16, 2016


Clayton co.
Postoffices & Postmasters


This information may be incomplete for any of the years given

From 1836 to 1864 postmasters were appointed by the President of the United States. The position of Postmaster was very much a political appointment, and often there was fierce competition for the job. Selections for postmasters were made by Congressmen under a complicated "advisor" system, requiring a would-be postmaster to solicit the support of his Congressional Representative or Senator, then Presidential nomination to the Senate, and finally Senate confirmation.*



1846

Post Offices established in the State of Iowa, since 1st December, 1846, taken from the books of the Post Office Department:
Clayton county: Guttenburg & Elkader

 
1849

Postoffice & Postmasters
May 30 -- Garnavillo, Clayton county, David G. Rogers, P.M.
June/July -- Elkader, Clayton county, Horace D. Brownson
Aug/Sept -- Elkport, Clayton county, John B. Blanchard
Aug/Sept. -- Monona, Clayton county, Phineas P. Olmstead

 
1851

December 1851 -- the following new Post Offices have been established: Panther Creek, Clayton county, E.C. Forbes, P.M.

 
1860

Post-offices & the Postmasters serving them:

Cass ... John D. Martin
Clayton ... Alex Falconer
Communia ... Jas. Venus
Cox Creek ... G.S. Peck
Elkader ... Buel Knapp
Farmersburgh ... S. Huntington
Garnavillo ... C.W. Hagensiek
Gem ... Benj. D. Worthing
Giard ... Leverett Seymour
Grand Meadow ... L. Edson
Guttenburgh ... John P. Kriebs
Highland ... Daniel Lowe
High Grove ... M. Callaghan
Honey Creek ... A. Marshall
Little Port ... D. Quigley
Locust Hill ... G.A. Gooding
McGregor ... A.P. Richardson
Milville ... Henry Cassel
Monona ... Horace Emery
National ... N. Slaughter
New Stand ... J. Lockridge
Panther Creek ... M.M. Vanicle
Peck's Ferry ... J.H. Bowman
Read ... Jno. L. Hagensick
Spencer ... C.C. Smettsger
Strawberry Point ... E.P. Rawson
Volga City ... Alva Bevins
Yankee Settlement ... J.T. Belknap
 
1861

Weekly Times, Dubuque, April 4, 1861 - C.F. Glass, appointed postmaster at Guttenberg

 
1868

From a post office directory of 1868 listing postmasters in Clayton County in 1868:

Ceres - J. M. Hagensick
Clayton - Jas. G. Jerome
Communia - Joseph Venus
Council Hill - P. F. Dickinson
Cox's Creek - George S. Peck
Elkader - Fielding Snedigar
Elkport - Charles Schecker
Farmersburgh - William Reed
Garnavillo - Geo. W. Beach
Gem - David Jacobia
Giard - Louis Misz
Guttenberg - Clemens Schwaller
Hardin - Julius C. Beedy
Henderson Prairie - James Henderson
Highland - E. L. Hammond
Littleport - Frederick Peick
Luana - Jas. M. Chapman
McGregor - Willard A. Benton
Millville - Wm. Woodworth
Monona - Charles A. Dean
National - Merrill A. Knight
North McGregor - Andrew P. Lipe
Read - J. C. Hagensick
Saint Sebald - G. Schuchmann
Strawberry Point - Benj. P. Rawson
Volga City - Henry White
Wagner - Patrick Sullivan
Yankee Settlement - John B. Crandall

~Information submitted to the Clayton County Register by Lorell Wolf, son of George C. Wolf, and assistant librarian at the University of Wisconsin in 1949. Published in the Clayton County Register, Thur., 29 Dec. 1949
~contriibuted by Reid R. Johnson

 
1864-1940 Luana

Luana's Postmasters 1864-1940. Date given is date of appointment.
James Monroe Chapman, Nov. 1864
William Mott, February, 1868
Wallace W. Pettit, August, 1878
Andrew M. Bronson, September 1881
Tom W. Burgess, March 1886
Alpheus Ernst, August 1889
John Hurley, Jr., July 1893
James M. Chapman, January, 1898
Susan M. Chapman, November 1905-Sept 1940

~source: Postville Herald, October 2, 1940

 
1872

Some Clayton county postmasters were paid as little as $10 a year 78 years ago when the county had some 29 post offices.

The one at McGregor received $2,100 in salaries. Elkader, the county seat, rated a $730 post office and Strawberry Point, $410. 

This information was turned up by Lorell Wolf, son of George C. Wolf, who left Elkader over 30 years ago. Wolf is now assistant librarian at the University of Wisconsin. His hobby is collecting stamps and in his searches he turned up an old post office directory dated 1872 which revealed that only nine postmasters in Clayton county earned more than a hundred dollars a year in those days. 

Besides the top three these included North McGregor, $370; Guttenberg, $280; Garnavillo, $200; Monona, $150; Luana, $130; and Clayton, $120. 

The lowest paid postmaster worked at Siegel for $10 a year.

Other salaries included Communia, $23; Elkport, $87; Farmersburg (spelled Farmersburgh) $47; Giard $71; Littleport $21; Mederville $12; Millville $61; National $81; Saint Sebald $64; Cox's Creek $48; and Volga City $89. 

There are other names familiar to old timers: Ceres $52; Council Hill $43; Gem $35; Hardin $74; Highland $38; Read $40; Wagner $17; and Yankee Settlement $60. 

Money order post offices were located in Elkader, Garnavillo, Guttenberg, McGregor and Strawberry Point, with a British International money order office at McGregor.

~Clayton County Register, Thur., 29 Dec. 1949; salaries are from an 1872 Post Office Directory
~contributed by Reid R. Johnson

 
1878 - 1882

Postoffice changes during the week ending August 31, 1878:
Postmasters Appointed-
Luana, Clayton county, W.W. Pettit

Post office changes for the week ending May 3, 1879:
Postmasters appointed -
Wagner, Clayton county, Henry Walter

Post Office Changes for the week ending March 13, 1880:
Established -
Updegraff, Clayton county, Daniel Riuinger, postmaster

Postoffice changes for the week ending February 4, 1882:
Discontinued-
Pine Mills, Clayton county

 
1904 Clayton county Postoffices
Beulah
Clayton
East Elkport
Edgewood
Elkader
Elkport
Farmersburg
Froelich
Garber
Garnavillo
Graham
Gunder
Guttenburg
Little Port
Luana
McGregor
Mederville
Millville
Monona
National
North Buena Vista
North McGregor
Osborne
Osterdock
Saint Olaf
Saint Sebald
Strawberry Point
Turkey River
Updegraff
Volga
Watson
Wood
 
1916 Clayton county Postoffices
Clayton
Edgewood
Elkader
Elkport
Froelich
Garber
Garnavillo
Guttenburg
Luana
McGregor
Mederville
Monona
North Buena Vista
North McGregor
Osborne
Osterdock
Saint Olaf
Saint Sebald
Strawberry Point
Turkey River
Volga

Postoffices discontinued by 1916:
Gunder - served by Postville, Allamakee county
National - served by McGregor
Watson - served by McGregor
Wood - served by Edgewood

~sources:
-background information was taken from "US Postal Service History"
-Burlington Hawk Eye, misc. issues
-Weekly Times, Dubuque, April 4, 1861
-
owa State Almanac & Statistical Register, 1860
-Iowa Official Register
1904, compiled by W.B. Martin, Secretary of State  and
-Iowa Official Register 1915-16, compiled under the supervision of William S. Allen, Secretary of State, by Henry C. Baumgartner
~data compiled by S. Ferrall
for Clayton co. IAGenWeb

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