Hamton CA Gold Rush Town?

gotta go earlier... this pretty much wouldn't have been mailed later than 1858? and no mention of the post in 1856 (for 1857). If the Postmaster Wm. R. Hampton was ferrying people on the Fresno at that time, then I think we have found the culprit. The "p" doesn't bother me; and maybe his name really was Hamton, and was "corrected" by later scribes, more familiar with the Eastern version...

mkfarm, Easier to go to Jim Forte's post office lists on his webpage. Also Walter Frickstad's book "A Century of California Post Offices" which contains reprints of many official and unofficial lists of California POs from newspapers, almanacs, postal sources, US Registers, etc., 1848-1859, including postmaster names in many cases - since we are dealing with a cover from the mid 1850s.

if anyone can come up with a postmarked Cover, or any writings of the PM from there at that time, case closed either way

does anyone have access to: "Salley's History of Post Offices"?
I understand that there is information about William Hampton in it

I am still not seeing the MS cancel as being legible to the point of being comfortable in saying it is definitely California. It could be Colorado or Connecticut. As for the name of the town I think that Hamton or Hanten or Hantim or Hamtom or any of the many other possibilities are pretty much equally possible. I am also uncomfortable with making a decision that the postmaster definitely abbreviated March as Mrch as that is not much of an abbreviation. It is certainly possible, but the odd spacing and dot marking in between makes it less absolute to my eye. All of that, plus the vexing problem of not finding any towns that are named anything close to what we are seeing so far would make me hesitate to certify he use of this stamp on this cover.

You could ask on Richard Frajola's board. Richard has written several pieces on private mails in California. He does have a known manuscript Hamilton Cal cover on that site. Second postmaster though.

http://www.philamercury.com/board.php

Colorado and Connecticut do not satisfy the 3000 miles the 10 cent stamp paid for. Invariably, since Colorado was part of the Kansas Territory, its mail was marked "K.T" , one reason being so as not to confuse California mail. Since I have the pleasure of viewing the cover In-Hand, I can state that the "dot" is part of the 'M', the pen's nib just skipped a bit. The action is easily duplicatable

I can get a PSE cert on this any time...

Thank You for the link, litleriverphil... I'll give him a buzz

a couple of Other Things: whoever wrote this did it quickly, not deliberately; and two: not many Post Masters at all ms-ed the Town on the stamp

The "did it quickly" agrees with the rushed postmaster theory.
True, manuscript town postmarks are scarce, but they where often the first postmark of a town, as such most of them command a premium when they come to market.

I meant manuscripted Town name over the stamp...

From Mr. Frajola:

It looks like Hornitos, CA to me and that office is known to have used that kind of blue ink in the era.
There was no post office town named Hamton, CA in the 1855 to 1858 period. The cover was carried via San Francisco and Panama to New York by steamer rather than by overland mail to Iowa.
Forgive me please for being short with you on the phone. I am asked a lot of questions on the phone and a picture / scan is really what I need before I can respond intelligently. I am rather tied up at present with a PDR 2017 exhibit contest and don't have time to check other known examples of Hornitos postmarks in my records - but I do remember seeing a few variations in handwriting that I recall.
Sincerely,

Richard Frajola

Does anyone have a Hornitos CA pm from this era?

http://www.rumseyauctions.com/searc.../9/1/desc/10
There are 3 or 4 Hornitos CA manuscripts covers in the Rumsey auction archives - not sure if this link will work
None look like a match to your cover.

I'm a Handwriting (nerd) and I don't see it at all... Unless anyone knows when Postmaster Wm. P. ferried people across the Fresno, I think we may never know about this

From Richard F:

"If the marking on a cover is not from a town that had a post office, it is not a postmark - it may be a docket applied by recipient (or by sender) or a private marking applied by a private mail carrier (and these often have postage stamps as well as required by postal law) but they are NOT postmarks.
Your cover had to have been carried with a way bill to San Francisco by a contract carrier and then as described in previous."

Thoughts? I was under the assumption that Carried Mail was well-indicated as such? With an Extra Fee?