DescriptionThis postally used and canceled, ca. 1856 envelope (only an empty envelope...stamp collectors throw away the contents of the envelopes) is addressed to "John Fitch, Esqr; Silk Manufacturer; Millburn, N.J." Note first that the title “esquire” (according to the legalgenealogist blog) "...is a very old word. In English law, it was a title of dignity (meaning “rank”).12 An esquire ranked above a gentleman but below a knight. There and in early America, however, it was also a title of office. The people (men, really; women didn’t hold office in the early days) who served in public capacities were also called “esquire.” Barristers at law were included… and so were sheriffs, sergeants at arms and — among others — justices of the peace." The postmark on the envelope does not reveal the date, but that stamp dates to approximately 1851-1856. Since Millburn became its own town when it separated from Springfield in 1857, perhaps the envelope dates to about the birth of Millburn. There is not much information available about Mr. Fitch, but the 1860 US census for Millburn records John Fitch, silk manufacturer living with his wife Eliza (born Eliza Bidwell, from CT) and two daughters, Virginia and "Minny." John was born in NY ca. 1825. Note that the postmark on the envelope is Paterson, N.J. and according to the National Park Service's website about Paterson ("America's Silk City"): "In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, (Paterson's silk mills) produced silk fabrics in such quantities that Paterson was known as "Silk City." By the 1870 census Mr. Fitch and his family were living in CT where his occupation was recorded as "Farmer" and his reported income was the same as when he was a silk manufacturer in Millburn. Fitch's later-in-life occupation as a farmer was, however, darkened by a succession of deaths in his family. His mother (who lived with them) died in 1884, then his daughter, Virginia, died in 1885, followed by the death of his remaining child, Minnie, in 1890, and, finally, the death of his wife Eliza in 1894. Fitch died quite a few years after his wife, in 1916, at the age of 91. The envelope has overall yellowing and light overall soiling. The back of the envelope has residue of adhesive along the edges of the flaps and a ca. 1" long strip of paper and adhesive residue where the right edge of the top flap was glued down. About 1/3 of the top flap is torn off and the right half of the remaining part of the flap has about six small marks from what seems to be a bit of brown ink. . The envelope was purchased on eBay.