1. A method of mining address data to locate a preferred address for each of a plurality of parcels, comprising: maintaining a package-level detail database of active shipment records, each active shipment record comprising an active tracking number, an active ship-to address, and an active delivery pattern code; maintaining an archive of delivery records, each delivery record comprising a past tracking number, a past ship-to address, a past delivery pattern code, and a stop identifier; receiving a current parcel bearing address indicia; assigning a mining key to said current parcel, said mining key comprising a parcel tracking number and a current delivery pattern code related to said address indicia; comparing said mining key to said package-level detail database and said archive by: (a) retrieving from said archive those select delivery records having a past delivery pattern code that matches said current delivery pattern code, each of said select delivery records having a select past ship-to address; (b) retrieving from said package-level detail database those select active shipment records having an active ship-to address that matches any said select past ship-to address in said select delivery records; building a set of mined data comprising said select delivery records and said select active shipment records; prioritizing said set of mined data in order of the records most closely associated with said mining key, such that a preferred address related to said mining key occurs first; and assigning said preferred address to said current parcel for delivery.