Canada’s First Mail Carrier
Twenty years ago, Canada Post released a stamp honoring Canada’s first official postal carrier. Well….that’s not entirely accurate. After all, Canada only became a country in 1867 and of course, mail, as we know it today, came with the first postage stamp in 1840 with the Penny Black. Nonetheless, Pedro da Silva is considered our first carrier. Let’s dive into this a little bit.
First though, we need to ask the obvious question. Where exactly is New France? Borders changed often in the so-called “New World” but as one can see from the map below, New France is generally thought to have existed between 1534–1763 in the areas of Quebec and eastern Canada and all the way South to Louisiana. European colonialism in North America brought many nations to the continent with France being one of the earliest to “settle” in what we today call Canada. And it is here where Pedro da Sila made a name for himself.
Not a lot is known about Pedro da Silva. He’s believed to have been born in 1647 in Lisbon, Portugal, and left the country sometime before 1673. Records show that he married Jeanne Greston In 1677 and had a whopping 14 children. Some records also show his name as Pierre da Sylva likely reflecting his status as a citizen of New France.
In 1681, the massive family moved to Beauport, Quebec where da Silva became a common carrier. Throughout the year, da Silva moved around gaining a reputation as a trusted carrier of goods. On December 23, 1705, da Silva received a letter from the Indentant of New France, Jacques Raudot granting him status to carry official letters as a “duty of the first carrier” thereby sealing Pedro da Silva’s place in the history books. da Silva passed away in 1717.
Canada Post released the definitive honouring Pedro da Silva on June 6, 2003. It has a value of 48 cents and was printed by Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. A First Day Cover was also printed.
Sources:
- https://postagestampguide.com/stamps/17453/pedro-da-silva-dit-le-portugais-1705-first-courier-in-new-france-2003-canada-postage-stamp
- https://www.tfcg.ca/pedro-dasilva
- https://multiculturalmuseums.org/english-blog-version-teachers/pedro-da-silva-canadas-first-courier
- https://portuguesecanadianwalkoffame.com/portfolio-item/pedro-da-silva-builder/
