
One child did make the trip in a railway mail car: 5-year-old May Pierstorff was sent from Grangeville to Lewiston, Idaho, to visit her grandmother on February 19, 1914.
May was just under the weight limit at 48.5 pounds, and her parents realized that sending her by mail would be cheaper than buying her a train ticket.
They attached the postage — 53 cents in parcel post stamps — to May’s coat, and she rode in the train’s mail compartment all the way to Lewiston.
She was personally delivered to her grandmother’s home by Leonard Mochel, the mail clerk on duty.
When my 12 year old daughter flew from Ireland to Aunt Kathleen's wedding in California, we escorted her onto the plane where she was accepted by the stewardess who cared for her. When the plane landed, the stewardess took her personally to hand her over to Grandma and Grandpa.
I was amazed then, and now I am even more amazed.
Email is nothing.
That's one way to do it.
ReplyDeleteRain or shine....
DeleteI am stunned. STUNNED I say!! and a little horrified. Babies and toddlers posted by rail mail 😵 I don't even care how "normal" it seemed at the time, it's wrong to me.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of selling children for sexual purposes never occurred to the general 1913 people.
DeleteThat didn't occur to me either, It's just wrong to send small children so far by themselves.
DeleteNews articles from that time wrote that small children were not unattended. there was an employee who would take responsibly for them. A baby? that would be crazy/
DeleteGoodness gracious, Susan! This would be unheard of in today's time. It's a miracle that these children arrived safely to their destinations.
ReplyDeleteIn our current state of moral affairs, this seems impossible. Then...it was not considered.
DeleteI have always wondered about how human mail was postmarked. I have heard of children being mailed but I didn't know there was a weight limit.
ReplyDelete48,.5 lbs Why I don't know.
DeleteI'd heard of this before, and I believe the post office personnel felt very protective of the little ones. It's still dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThere was a personal connection that people felt with their mail service. In my hometown area the postman was a guy everyone knew and trusted.
DeleteI have sent a friend by mail separately a live chicken and an egg. I'll let you know which comes first.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Well now. My grandma used to send crate of chickens from the farm to her city cousins by mail.
DeleteOh my! I never heard of sending a child by mail! This is totally fascinating! (And on another note, thanks for stopping by the other day!)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. I enjoy your site.
DeleteWow! How amazing! We received live fish, chicks and bees, The post mistress called us as soon as they came in. She made us open the fish and she couldn't believe it was real. She called my husband to get down to the PO to get the bees, PDQ! She was not a fan! But children?!
ReplyDeleteYes. It must have made sense back then .
DeleteI remember reading about that. What a hoot.
ReplyDeleteReally hard to imagine.
DeleteI'm thinking air mail would be a bad idea...
ReplyDeleteIn the case of sending toddlers and babies, air mail would definitely be a bad idea.
DeleteFascinating info!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I wasn’t mailable as a kid. There’s no telling where my mother would have mailed me off to. 🤣
May
Fascinating post. Thank you for sharing this. And Victor's comment made me laugh.
ReplyDelete