Details For Cover ID# 28727

"San Francisco Cal. Apr 10" double circle postmark, 3c rose (#65) with target cancel on orange cover to Bridge Hampton, Suffolk County, on the South Fork of the East End of Long Island, N.Y. Manuscript directive "Per Mail Steamer".

The recipient, Miss Mary L. Cook, was born in Bridgehampton in 1842, and lived her entire life in the hamlet until her death in 1908. The photo shows Beebe windmill in Bridgehampton, built in 1820 in Sag Harbor, at the direction of Lester Beebe. After his death it was bought by James Sanford who moved it to Bridgehampton. The windmill remained in use until 1915, and must have been a familar sight to Miss Cook.

The year of this cover must be 1866 based on diagnostic features of the postmark, and also due to the fact that the only years that mail steamers left San Francisco on April 10 was in 1866-67, according to newspaper archives. Information courtesy of Rick Mingee.

In addition, this cover must have originated outside the United States and entered the mails at San Francisco, because of the "U.S. America" designation.