blog Followers

Monday, July 27, 2026

USPS? It did more than just stamp and then mail...

A mailman with a baby (most likely a stage photograph).

 

 children by mail

mailing 

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.

Clipping from the NYT on the letter sent to the Postmaster General. 

.      Last baby mailed 

 Yes, this happened

No photo description available. 

Prior to 1920, it was possible to send
children through the US Postal service.
However, there were certain conditions
that needed to be met. Firstly, the
children had to weigh less than 50
pounds, and stamps were attached to
their clothing as a form of payment.
Surprisingly, it was often more cost-effective
for individuals to send their children via
mail rather than opting for train
transportation. Interestingly, during
the journey, the children would travel on
a train, specifically in the mail car, where
they were supervised and provided with
nourishment by mail clerks. One remarkable
example of this unconventional practice
involved a distance of over 700 miles,
from Florida to Virginia, covered with a mere 15 cents worth of stamps.

USPS community 

 

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. 

24 comments:

  1. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the idea of selling children for sexual purposes never occurred to the general 1913 people.

      Delete
    2. That didn't occur to me either, It's just wrong to send small children so far by themselves.

      Delete
    3. News 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/

      Delete
  2. Goodness gracious, Susan! This would be unheard of in today's time. It's a miracle that these children arrived safely to their destinations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In our current state of moral affairs, this seems impossible. Then...it was not considered.

      Delete
  3. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd heard of this before, and I believe the post office personnel felt very protective of the little ones. It's still dangerous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was a personal connection that people felt with their mail service. In my hometown area the postman was a guy everyone knew and trusted.

      Delete
  5. I have sent a friend by mail separately a live chicken and an egg. I'll let you know which comes first.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well now. My grandma used to send crate of chickens from the farm to her city cousins by mail.

      Delete
  6. Oh 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!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! 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?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I remember reading about that. What a hoot.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm thinking air mail would be a bad idea...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the case of sending toddlers and babies, air mail would definitely be a bad idea.

      Delete
  10. Fascinating info!
    I am so glad I wasn’t mailable as a kid. There’s no telling where my mother would have mailed me off to. 🤣
    May

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fascinating post. Thank you for sharing this. And Victor's comment made me laugh.

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead...it won' t hurt...I'd love to hear what you think!