James Scott Howard became York’s fourth postmaster in 1828, about a decade after arriving in the bustling capital of Upper Canada from Fredericton, N.B. Six years after Howard came to the helm of York’s postal service – a role that also pegged him, albeit unofficially, as Upper Canada’s deputy postmaster general – the capital incorporated as the City of Toronto. Upper Canada’s first city – and its largest settlement after surpassing Kingston in 1832 – Toronto boasted a population of more than 9,200, including many immigrants who had recently left behind family and friends in their home country. “But the new city was remote and isolated, and if these residents wanted to communicate further than shouting distance, there was only one way to do it,” said Zoé Delguste-Cincotta, curator of the Town of York Historical Society, which manages Toronto’s First Post Office (TFPO). Continue reading →