USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Guilford > A yankee post office : its history and its post masters > Part 9
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Three years later Mr. Sullivan was put forward as the local democracy's candidate for Postmaster. There were other candidates but he won the prize that year and was accordingly appointed by President Woodrow Wilson so that he commenced his term of office as the third democratic Postmaster since the Civil War, on January 5, 1916. When the reelection of Wilson in the Fall of 1916 took place, Mr. Sullivan later received the appointment for another term. His administration, therefore, occupied eight years of service, and he is remembered now as an excellent Postmaster.
The outstanding event of Mr. Sullivan's administra- tion, and, indeed, the most important development of all time local Post Office history, took place during his incumbency. For a great many years, so long a time that nobody knew how long, the Guilford Post Office had been in what was called the third class classifica- tion. This meant in plain terms that any Post Office that had a business of less than $8,000 a year could not be in the second class, but had to be content in the third division. Guilford had therefore been a third class office for a very long term of years. But with the growth of the normal population, and also the very important growth of the summer colony at Sachem's Head, Indian Cove, Mulberry, and other seashore places, naturally increased the amount of postal business. The coveted amount was "within sight" on several previous occasions, and Postmasters envisioned the "elevation" of the Post Office to the second class division with the resultant increase in salaries all along the line, from the bottom to the top. But their rosy hopes were frustrated on several occasions.
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EDWARD B. SULLIVAN
The year 1922, a year memorable in local Post Office annals, started off well from a financial standpoint, and on July 1 the office showed that the goal of years had been reached. Guilford had definitely and conclusively entered the Second Class Department. Mr. Sullivan's colleagues therefore were the first to share in the pros- perity attending that change in the order of classifica- tion. The Postmaster's salary jumped from a mere $1,500 a year to the tidy sum of $2,200, and clerks materially benefitted in a like proportion by the change. The income has never "dipped" below that standard since 1922, but instead has materially increased, though in a small degree.
When Mr. Sullivan retired from his eight years as the town's Postmaster he entered shortly after the service of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, where he is employed at the time (1934) of the writing of this sketch.
He was elected a trustee of the Guilford Savings Bank in 1910 and has acted in that capacity since that date.
Mr. Sullivan is married and has two children.
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CHAPTER XXV
Robert DeForest Bristol July 1, 1924, to November 23, 1931
President: Calvin Coolidge. Postmaster Generals: Harry S. New, Indiana; Walter S. Brown, Ohio.
The career of Robert DeForest Bristol shows that thirty-three years of his life were spent in the postal service of Guilford, a longer period than any other per- son who has ever held the office. As a result of this he has, since the late Fall of 1931, been the recipient of a government pension which in his case, at least, is prop- erly and righteously bestowed for long service faithfully performed.
Added to this record of efficient service is the fact that Mr. Bristol entered upon his duties as actual Postmaster with the most extensive knowledge, in the author's opinion, and practical experience of general Post Office work of any one who has ever held the job. Every branch of the service, inside and out of the office, he had been familiar with by actual service, so that probably no better equipped Postmaster ever served Guilford. His two terms were entirely in accord with his previous work, and during his whole record covering much more than a generation, his standing with the Post Office Department and the public with whom he dealt was of the highest and most satisfactory order. Under his direction some of the far-reaching improvements of the postal service were put into effect in this town. These will be outlined later in this sketch.
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ROBERT DEFOREST BRISTOL
Robert DeForest Bristol was born in Nut Plains Sep- tember 4, 1879. He was the son of Eugene DeForest Bristol, a farmer of the section, and in that neighbor- hood he spent the early years of his life. Entering the Guilford Institute he was graduated in the usual course in 1897 at the age of eighteen years. The next year was spent on his father's farm in Nut Plains and during that period he decided to enter the postal service.
As a result the young man became connected with the Post Office on July 1, 1898, at the age of nineteen years. He was probably younger than anybody who had yet been admitted to the department's work. His subse- quent career was a series of successes brought about only through the most intense and devoted work for the service.
The first job to which he was assigned was one of pure experiment, but his work was of such a definite char- acter that the "experiment" was continued and proba- bly he was one of those who brought into permanent success the then new Rural Free Delivery System. On July 1 he was appointed the first carrier for that system in Guilford, and he was indeed one of the very first in the whole United States. The story of the Rural Free Delivery is as follows: For a long term of years such men as Congressman Nehemiah D. Sperry, congress- man from the Second Connecticut District, had been struggling to get the so-called rural delivery through Congress. Congressman Sperry was a most devoted and assiduous champion of this idea, and he worked in season and out to obtain the introduction of the service. His opponents challenged his judgment in the matter and alleged that the man who was not able
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to go to the village Post Office for his mail, as his ances- tors had been doing for one or more centuries, had better remain without any mail at all. However, Mr. Sperry and his friends finally got the Rural Delivery Act through Congress and experimental stations were selected. The very first were in Maryland, but Con- gressman Sperry secured for Connecticut and this terri- tory of Guilford the distinction of being one of the first to give the new and almost revolutionary system a trial. Therefore, on the first of July, 1898, Mr. Bristol with a horse and a wagon started on his first rural route. That route, devised by Postmaster Mary Griswold and a departmental official from Washington named Smith, was as follows: Starting from the Post Office on Boston Street the route led east to the East River Bridge, then north along the river on Clapboard Hill to the Eli Dud- ley place; then east over Hallett's Bridge, to the resi- dence of Henry Parmelee; then retrace over Clapboard Hill to East Creek, to the residence of George L. Gris- wold; then north on East Creek road to the Andrew Foote place, then north to Samuel Blatchley's place ; and from there over the hill and south to the Alvin Eldredge place. From there he retraced north through Nut Plains to Nelson Norton's home, and again retraced to the Nut Plains School. From there he drove to the Willard Watrous' farm, then to Joel Blatchley's home, retraced to the Durham-Guilford road, then south to the Wilcox and Woodruff farms, from there to the old Brush Mill Road; then north to the Harry Brewer place; then retrace south to the Post Office. This occupied the greater portion of the day and over this long, circuitous route Mr. Bristol traveled through all kinds of weather,
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good and bad. His service in this department of the work covered the remarkable period of twenty-four years. There is probably no record in the entire Union of the States that will any more than match it. As time went forward the route was lengthened, and added to it was a section of Moose Hill which was entered by a trip through the old Peddler's Road starting at the west side. Still later on, this Moose Hill route was further extended by a trip to Leete's Island, via the old road leading from near the Brewer place south. During his régime an exten- sion was made during the summer period to Mulberry Point and Indian Cove, formerly known for half a century as the Pipe Bay. During all this period Mr. Bristol maintained a high level of efficiency and it can truly be said that no man ever put into a job more loyalty, sincerity or devotion. During the early years of this work he received only $300 a year salary, which included horse hire, etc., but towards the end his salary was raised to $1,975 a year, which compensated in a small way for the pitifully small remuneration of the early days.
On September 1, 1922, he was transferred from rural carrier to the position of auxiliary clerk in the Guilford office. This was a newly created position evolved as a result of the raising of the grade of the office from third to second class. In October of that year he was ad- vanced to regular clerk. This position he held until he was appointed Assistant Postmaster April 13, 1923, a position he held from April 1, 1923, to July 1, 1924. On the latter date he was appointed Acting Postmaster, holding the position until December 10, when he received the appointment as Postmaster from President Calvin Coolidge.
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If ever a man had earned this honor he certainly was the one, and the town held this opinion generally as well as his friends.
The long years of arduous service in the office under- mined Mr. Bristol's health and finally he was obliged to relinquish his work. Therefore, on November 23, 1931, he retired on account of disability and left the postal service.
During his incumbency Mr. Bristol was instrumental in having the ordinary so-called village delivery changed to the city delivery status, and William Norton and John Bergen were the first carriers under that revised system.
Mr. Bristol, in retirement, slowly regained his lost health and in recent years has been comfortable and able to participate in the affairs of life in almost the usual manner. He has been an enthusiastic party worker throughout his adult life and is to-day, when this sketch was written, one of the "faithful" of the republican party who count it an honor to devote their time to the party they have upheld since boyhood.
The writer of these sketches has been told by several citizens who have followed the career of Mr. Bristol during the thirty-three years he was a member of the postal service, that no harder working man ever lived in Guilford during that period. Besides holding the offices which called for a man-sized work each day he usually had one or more "sidelines" that he developed to success in the same manner that he did his Post Office job. There were few days in any year of that long period when he had what is now termed "time off." Codes did not affect him or his work. He needed none.
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ROBERT DEFOREST BRISTOL
It is an indubitable fact, according to the best reports of this man's life work, that no one ever deserved success any more than he did. The major portion of his life was given to the business of making the mail service of Guilford as good as it could be under existing rules and regulations. He has the grateful regard of those citi- zens who recognize the fine record he made.
Mr. Bristol lives on Graves Avenue and has the respect of the entire community whom he served so faithfully, loyally and expertly for thirty-three years.
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CHAPTER XXVI
George Augustus Sullivan November 23, 1931 to Date
President: Herbert Hoover. Postmaster General: Walter S. Brown, Ohio.
George Augustus Sullivan, the Postmaster of Guil- ford at the present time (1935), is the twenty-first person who has occupied this office in Guilford. He is also the third Postmaster who was graduated from the foundry of I. S. Spencer's Sons to become the head of the postal system of Guilford. Mr. Sullivan assumed the office as the successor to Robert DeForest Bristol on his enforced retirement on account of illness in 1931, and he later received appointment for the regular term. His term expires in April, 1936.
Mr. Sullivan was born in Guilford on February 2, 1876, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Sullivan. His father died some years ago and was also one of those early Irish residents who came to Guilford and left their imprint on the town of their adoption.
The future Postmaster attended the Guilford Institute where he studied for some years but left, as many boys did in those days, during the middle of his course. This was for many years the usual custom of boys and girls who thought it far more advisable to start the work of life than to remain in school. It was rather an unusual thing for a boy to complete the four years' course. After he had left the school he entered the
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employ of the Spencer Foundry and started work in the brass department as an assistant to the late Charles Bartlem, who was in charge of that section of the fac- tory for a long time. After working there for a year he removed to New Haven and was employed by the Mallory Lock Company of that city. During the time he was in New Haven the so-called "Hard Times" of Grover Cleveland's second administration caused the closing of many manufacturing plants, and accordingly Mr. Sullivan changed his activities to Branford, where he was in the service of the Yale Lock Company of that town for a period of four years.
He was made a voter in Branford, was always identi- fied with the republican party, and cast his first vote in the election of 1897. Later he occupied a position for some years with the Branford Power and Light Com- pany, now a unit of the Connecticut Light and Power Company. Some time later he was transferred to the Waterbury headquarters of that company which was called the New England Engineering Company, and in that city he lived six months. Later on he worked in New Britain for the same company, but in 1901 he returned to his native town in which he has remained and been a valued citizen.
At this time he again entered the service of I. S. Spencer's Sons in the moulding department. In this work he remained constantly until he finally left in 1931 to take up the postal work to which he had been appointed by President Hoover to fill a vacancy. This vacancy as was previously explained occurred on account of the ill health of Postmaster Bristol, and his inability from a physical standpoint to continue his work. He
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was the Acting Postmaster from November 23, 1931, to April, 1932, when he was again appointed, but this time as the town's regular Postmaster, his four years' term being served at the present time.
During Mr. Sullivan's residence in Guilford the last time, beginning in 1901, he was a consistent and loyal member of the republican party. He was honored in 1917 at the age of forty-one years by being elected a member of the General Assembly from Guilford. While in that body he was a member of the Military Affairs Committee.
For a long period during his younger years, Mr. Sullivan was one of the best baseball players in Guilford, and was a member of the Guilford Club that made base- ball history. His activities in that game are still well remembered and will not be forgotten by the present generation at least.
Postmaster Sullivan was married in 1912 to Miss Gertrude Canavan of Amherst, Mass. They have one son and a daughter.
The staff of the Guilford Post Office on January 1, 1935, was as follows: Postmaster, George A. Sullivan ; Assistant Postmaster, Willis M. Nettleton; Clerk, Miss Dorothy S. Phinny ; Auxiliary Clerk, Miss Daisy Howell ; Substitute Clerk and Carrier, William F. Linsky; City Carrier, William L. Norton, Route No. 1; City Carrier, John M. Bergen, Route No. 2; Rural Carriers : Horace Putney, Route No. 1; Clarence U. Loomis, Route No. 2; Mail Messenger, Howard L. Rood.
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