The U.S. Postal Service’s Parcel Post began on January 1, 1913, expanding mail-order access for rural communities.
Shortly after the service began, some parents sent small children through the mail because postage was cheaper than other transportation.
The first known case was in 1913 when eight-month-old James Beagle was mailed to his grandmother for 15 cents.
In 1914, four-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was mailed 73 miles to her grandparents with a railway mail clerk as chaperone.
Newspapers reported an official ban on sending children through the mail in June 1913, noting that only bees and bugs were permitted.
These unusual incidents highlight the high level of trust rural communities placed in postal carriers.
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