The Postmaster General appointed postmasters from 1775, when Congress named Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General, until 1836, when Congress ruled that postmasters must be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate at post offices where annual compensation of a postmaster exceeded one thousand dollars. In smaller post offices, the Postmaster General continued to make appointments. It is hoped that a number of readers will discover an ancestor once considered lost, or may find both male and female forebears emerging as postmasters as well as members of family groups. These records reveal the parish, town, postmaster and dates of appointment. A fullname index is included.