The Post Offices of Rhode Island
1883 Auburn, RI - Registered Cover - Rarity Factor 6
(Scroll Down for Background Information and history)

The  Auburn Post Office, (Cranston Township - Providence County) was established on April 29, 1878 under Postmaster William F. Potter. The Post Office was disestablished on August 31, 1893. On September 1, 1928 The Cranston Branch of Providence was established on this site and is currently in operation. Although the cover does not have a registry stamp in evidence; the number "9785" and the 13 cents in postage indicate that this was indeed a registered letter. The cover is addressed to William F. Potter at the Chicago, Illinois Post Office. William Potter was the first postmaster at Auburn in 1878.

William F. Potter was born in 1849 to Caleb and Francis Potter in Cranston, Rhode Island. The 1910 Cranston Census lists him as a merchant and the proprietor of a Paint Store. He was married to Antoinette Potter and they had two sons and a daughter listed as living with the family in 1910; Clarence, Ralph and Francis. William was the enumerator for the 1880 Cranston Census and his signature is on each of the 32 pages for Ward 2. I could not find any information as to why he was in Chicago in 1883.

The stamps on the cover are a mix of the 1879 and 1881-1882 definitive issues as follows:
One Cent Ben Franklin -- Gray-Blue -- 1881/1882 issue -- Scott #206
Two Cent Andrew Jackson -- Orange-Vermillion -- 1879 issue -- Scott #183
Five Cent Zachary Taylor -- Light-blue -- 1879 issue -- Scott #185
Five Cent James Garfield -- Yellow-Brown -- 1882 issue -- Scott #205


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