2December 13, 1839, Congress authorized a weekly route from Shelton,
Red River County, to the county seat of Fannin County with post-offices
at Merrell's and at Fort English. At this time the postmaster-general
also established post-offices at Ward's, Ballard's, Haman's, and H. L. Wil-
liams's on the route from Clarksville to Shelton, and let the coutract to
have the mail carried over this route once a week. The route from Port
Caddo to Coffee's Station, established January 26, 1839, was discontinued
on December 13, 1839. (Gammel, Laws
of
Texas,
II, 421.)
