Alpheus Enoch Swallow was born in Little Hadham to Michael Swallow (s0034) and Sarah Woodhouse. The second youngest of nine children and the first of two brothers he was christened on 12th April 1875.

The 1891 census shows his occupation as an erand boy working at Hadham Place and living at Bury Green. By 1901 he was working in a bank as a bank messenger, he was living at 53 Southwold Road, Hackney, boarding with John and Alice Parish.

In January 1903 he married Mary Thurgood and five years later they had their first child - Stewart Reginald. About a year later a daughter, Evelyn, was also born.

Alpheus married for a second time. His new wife, Minnie Wann, helped run the Much Hadham Post Office from the late 1920's through to 1934 when he retired. Alpheus kept a parrot perched in the Post Office and he had a small-holding – goats, rabbits and poultry in Little Oudle. They had no children.

See the Old Post House for a short history of the Much Hadham Post Office and Alpheus & Minnie Swallow for a picture of the couple getting into a car of the day.