After further research, I find that the house numbering system came prior to Van Lew being Postmistress appointed March 19, 1869. At the time of the 1869 City Directory, Alexander Sharp was the Post Master and C.J. French the Assistant P.M. Van Lew may have taken advantage of the numbering in place when she initiated home delivery of mail but she wasn't the one who created them. I do see in 1869 that a W. Gill being City Surveyor and G.W. Gill as City Engineer and Superintendent of Streets. I wonder if he may have done the numbering? -----Original Message----- From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael B Chesson Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 4:13 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] House Numbering - Richmond Change was made by Postmistress Elizabeth Van Lew, appointed I believe by President Grant, who took office in 1869, so I'm guessing that it would be sometime after March. Michael B. Chesson Founding Professor and Dean The American College of History and Legal Studies 1 Stiles Road, Ste. 104 Salem, NH 03079 Phone: (603) 458-5145 x10 Email: [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) Web: _http://www.achls.org/_ (http://www.achls.org/) "Charge, Virginians, Charge!" --Gen. Turner Ashby, CSA June 6, 1862 * * * This E-mail, along with any attachments, is considered confidential and may well be legally privileged. If you have received it in error, you are on notice of its status. Please notify us immediately by reply e-mail and then delete this message from your system. Please do not copy it or use it for any purposes, or disclose its contents to any other person. Thank you for your cooperation. * * * To ensure compliance with Treasury Department regulations, we inform you that, unless otherwise indicated in writing, any U.S. Federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (1) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable state and local provisions or (2) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any tax-related matters addressed herein. Disclaimer Version RS.US.1.01.03 pdc1 ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html