The nooks and crannies at the THSSH archives often hold hidden gems, and this empty envelope addressed to Messrs. Honnell and Bunn is a good example. Honnell and Bunn were grocers in Bedminster village (then called Lesser Crossroads) as early as 1850. On the 1850 census, Benjamin R. Honnell (1818-1894) and Martin Bunn (c.1812-1887) were enumerated next to one another and both were listed as merchants. An 1850 map of Bedminster shows the store located at the corner of Lamington Road and Hillside Avenue, across from the Bedminster Inn (now Delicious Heights).
The envelope’s postmark reads New York, but has no legible date. The year 1880 is written in pencil on the envelope and that date is credible because the stamp is a blue Franklin 1 cent (Scott #182), first issued in 1879.
Both Honnell and Bunn lived in Bedminster until their deaths and are buried in the Bedminster Reformed Church Cemetery.
Perhaps THSSH volunteers will someday find the letter’s contents.
