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This is a pristine stampless folded letter from the pre-1845 rate era, documenting a banking transaction during the mid-19th century. Below is the full Postal Analysis.
1. Transcription & Identification
The Cover (Outer Wrap)
Postmark: A red circular handstamp from Hartford, CT, dated Mar 11.
Postal Rate: Hand-written "10" in red ink. This represents the rate for a single-sheet letter traveling between 80 and 400 miles under the Act of 1825.
Markings: A boxed red "PAID" stamp, indicating the sender prepayed the postage (not always the case in this era).
Addressee: > Messrs Owen & Hurlbut
So. Lee [South Lee]Mass.
Docketing: On the reverse, near the red wax seal, it is docketed: "H. A. Perkins, Letter, March 11–1844."
The Letter (Internal Content)
Dateline: Hartford Bank, Mar. 11. 1844.
Sender: H. A. Perkins, Cashier. (Henry Augustus Perkins was a well-known figure in Connecticut banking).
Transcription:
Messrs Owen & Hurlbut
Gents— We hold your note for $W. Woodruff 712.77 due 15-18 inst. for which we should be pleased to receive a draft at as early a day as possible. We have here already in Housatonic Bank notes $403.74 & 205.17 in all, say 608.91 and if convenient would like to have you make a dft [draft] large enough to include this money which I would send you with the paid note.
Respectfully Yours,
H. A. Perkins, Cash.
2. Historical Context & Research
The Addressee (Owen & Hurlbut): This firm was a major player in the paper manufacturing industry in South Lee, Massachusetts. The Housatonic River powered many mills in this region, and Owen & Hurlbut were specifically famous for producing high-quality writing and ledger paper—perhaps even the very paper this letter is written on.
Banking History: The mention of "Housatonic Bank notes" is a classic look at the Free Banking Era, where private banks issued their own paper currency. Perkins (at the Hartford Bank) is essentially coordinating the reconciliation of these notes with a new draft.
Geographic Note: The 10-cent rate is correct for the distance between Hartford and South Lee (approx. 50–60 miles), which fell into the 30–80 mile bracket of the 1825–1845 rate structure.
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