Alexander Hamilton Fonds, 1775-1983

These records show how Canada’s early postal service began and ran day-to-day. Alexander Hamilton was the postmaster at the Queenston post office, the first distribution centre for international and domestic mail in Upper Canada. Hamilton often wrote back and forth with the Deputy Postmaster General in Quebec discussing the hiring of workers, setting postal rates, building new roads to speed up delivery, differences between the British and American postal systems, and dealing with problems like fraud, theft, and large quantities of American newspapers coming through the mail.

Since the Queenston post office was the main hub for Upper Canada, these records demonstrate the growth of the postal system and the associated costs. At first, mail was delivered there twice a week. By 1831, deliveries were up to five times a week, and by the end of that year, it was six. The postmarks on the letters in the collection also help trace the growth of different towns and changes in place names.

These records don’t just show how the mail system expanded—they also provide a glimpse into how people communicated and travelled in early Canada. Back then, post office records were often kept by the postmasters themselves and stayed in their families. Because many of these records were lost or destroyed over the years, this collection is a rare find that reveals what the early days of Canada’s mail service were truly like.

Alexander Hamilton was also a businessman, militia officer, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, and Judge.  His numerous roles saw him closely involved with many significant events in the history of Upper Canada.  He was involved with the fur trade, served during the War of 1812, and kept peace and order during the Rebellion of 1837.

Some of the material in this collection has been digitized and is available in the Digital Repository.

Sketch of Niagara River between Queenston and Lewiston.  Red arrows affixed to the map mark certain locations, including the crossing between Queenston and Lewiston.