Thanks to Leslie Dow Sanders, whose article “Stampless Letter Concerning the Sewall-Cony Family of Maine, 1828” appears in the November issue of the Maine Genealogist, I am learning about stampless letters.

Often collected by philatelists for their postal markings, “these personal and business communications usually consist of a sheet or two of paper folded to create a kind of envelope addressed on the outside and marked with postage,” Sanders writes.

This letter was sent from Daniel Sewall of Pittston to Jonathan Cobb, Esq., in Sharon, Mass.

It includes information on the Cony family, father Samuel of Boston and mother Rebeckah Guild of Dedham, who settled in Sharon (then Stoughton) about 1740. Their children were Rebecca, Samuel, Priscilla, Daniel, Jacob and Susanna. Daniel became a judge.

Sanders also adds information she knows about the family.

It’s a fascinating letter.

Also included in this issue of the Maine Genealogist:

. “Identifying Priscilla (Davis) Rumery,” by Doris J. Woodward. In concluding that Priscilla, wife of John Rumery, was the daughter of Ezra and Sarah (Edgecomb) Davis, Woodward notes the naming pattern in the Rumery family, including a son Ezra.

. “The Parentage of Susannah Perry, wife of Samuel Scott of Machias, Maine: With Observations on the Purported Ancestry of the Perrys of Limerick and Cornish, Maine,” by Gerald F. Gower. Scott was one of the early settlers of Machias in 1763. He and his wife had 11 children and 80 grandchildren.

. “Probate and Miscellaneous Notices from the Eastern Herald, 1794,” by James L. Hansen. These include some marriage notices and a petition of the inhabitants of Warren regarding regulation of fishing on the St. George River.

. “The Winn Family of Wells, Maine (continued),” by Joseph C. Anderson II. This includes the families of Josiah Winn, who married Lydia Littlefield; and Daniel Winn, who married Olive Berry.

. “Kittery, Maine, Second Parish Baptisms 1721-1831,” from a typescript prepared by Dr. John Eldridge Frost (concluded).

. Index and subject index to volume 26.

The Maine Genealogist is available in larger libraries, but you might want to consider a last-minute Christmas gift – to yourself or someone else.

Get the publication, as well as a quarterly newsletter, by joining the Maine Genealogical Society.

Membership in the United States is $20 plus $5 if you want your publications mailed first-class. Send checks to MGS, Box 221, Farmington, ME 04938. Membership in Canada is $29, and outside the U.S. and Canada is $34.

From Suzanne Gray Black comes a reminder that time is running out to order the new, updated “The Descendants of Joshua Gray” book put out by the Gray Reunion. It is still only $59, and only 250 copies will be printed. The book is now at the printer’s.

Send checks to Gray Reunion, Susan Varnum, 1009 Cape Rosier Road, Brooksville, ME 04617. Next year’s Gray Reunion will be held Aug. 14 at Blue Hill Grammar School.

I’ll be reviewing this book next month, but I wanted to let you know that “At Home Around the World, Capt. R.G.F. Candage: Autobiography, A Sailing Master’s Journal 1826-1867” is available for $25 plus $2 postage from the Blue Hill Historical Society, Box 710, Blue Hill, ME 04614. It also can be purchased at Blue Hill Books.

3305. BRANN-DENICO-FARNHAM. Seeking parents, ancestry of Ethelenda (Brann) Denico, born Feb. 1, 1817, died Aug. 22, 1913, and is buried in North Vassalboro, as is her husband, Benson Denico, born around 1820, died June 9, 1885. They had a son, Charles Benson Denico, born Feb. 25, 1852, Vassalboro. He was married July 4, 1875, to Myra E. Farnham or Myra Dorcas Farnum. I believe these were the same person. Myra was born Feb. 20, 1855, in Pittsfield or Palmyra. She died Aug. 31, 1946, and is buried in North Vassalboro. Danny W. Howard 903, DECF 64 Base Road, Machiasport, ME 04655.

3306. KNOX-DENICO. Seeking parents, ancestry of Lucretia Knox, born about 1800, died Aug. 15, 1863, as wife of Moses Denico. Marriage intentions filed March 21, 1820, where? They were parents of Benson Denico. Danny W. Howard 903, DECF 64 Base Road, Machiasport, ME 04655.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send queries by e-mail, familyti@bangordailynews.net.