19th Century

Monday Oct the 10 1870 Dear Sir I received your circular and send you fifty cents for a sample Elephant stationery and money package. I live in Morgan Co the nearest express office is in McConnelsville Morgan Co. I never had any experience in canvassing if I sell any my choice will be Morgan and Muskingum counties. Yours truly Charles H. Mouskey Meigs Creek Morgan Co Ohio I saw your advertisement in the Little Corporal

Description

This handwritten letter dated October 10, 1870 was written by Charles H. Mouskey of Meigs Creek in Morgan County, Ohio. In the letter, Mouskey responds to a circular advertisement offering “Elephant Stationery,” enclosing fifty cents for a sample package and expressing interest in selling the product within his local region. Such letters represent the early growth of mail-order commerce in the United States during the late nineteenth century. Manufacturers and distributors frequently advertised in newspapers and magazines, offering sample kits to individuals willing to act as sales agents or canvassers. Rural residents could thereby participate in small-scale commercial ventures without leaving their communities. The reference to The Little Corporal, a popular post–Civil War children’s magazine, further illustrates the role of printed media in spreading commercial opportunities across the country.