During the life of Jonas Long in the early 1800s, mail was not delivered to individual houses; rather, letters and such were sent a local establishment designated as a post office. Recipients were published in the local paper to notify them that mail awaited them.
I found a few such notices for Jonas Long. There may be more, but poor copy of these newspapers, combined with the automated indexing, has not linked them.
The earliest notice appeared in 1818 in The Washington Whig, a newspaper for Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey. (The town appears as "Bridgetown," not "Bridgeton," in the article. The W was often used in this time period for this town.) This is curious because Jonas Long lived in Middlesex County, New Jersey and Richmond County, New York. These locations are over 100 miles northeast of Bridgeton. It is possible that this letter was meant for a different Jonas Long in that region.
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| The Washington Whig newspaper Bridgetown/Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey Letter remains at the post office for Jonas Long |
A notice of a letter for Jonas Long appeared in 1823 in the Fredonian in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. This is more consistent with where Jonas was living.
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| The Fredonian newspaper New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey Letter remains in the post office for Jonas Long |
A notice appeared in 1838 in The Evening Post of New York City. This is curious for two reasons. First, this was after his death in 1835 or 1837. Second, a middle initial P was used. This is the only time I found a middle initial for Jonas Long. The location is appropriate for my Jonas Long. Maybe the sender did not realize that Jonas had died. Or maybe Jonas had not died yet- I have found no contemporaneous records documenting a death in 1835 or 1837.
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| The Evening Post newspaper of New York City April 14, 1838 Letter remains in the post office for Jonas P Long |
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