What a wild idea??ÿ Never heard of such a thing until now.
?ÿ
When the US postal service began parcel deliveries in 1913 it wasn't long before some ingenious parents cottoned on to the idea of mailing their children. A 10-month old baby boy, the child of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge from Batavia, Ohio, was posted for the cost of 15c in stamps, though his parents did insure him for $50. In the most famous case 5-year-old May Pierstorff was mailed via train from her home in Idaho, the stamps stuck to her coat.
The practice is not as callous as it first appears, postmen were trusted local officials whom rural people usually knew personally. May Pierstorff was herself sent with a cousin who was a postal clerk. Nevertheless the US postal service tried to shut the practice down and had to issue a directive that no humans were to be carried in the mail.
Photo Info
?ÿ
Location taken:?ÿUSA
?ÿ
Related Events
- 1914-02-19?ÿFour-year old Charlotte May Pierstorff mailed by train from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents?? house 73 miles away in most famous 'child in the post' instance
- 1920-06-13?ÿUS Post Office says children cannot be sent by parcel post (after various instances)
The early 20th. century must have been the "wild west" of postal service.?ÿ An entire building was mailed brick by brick in 1916:
Although I think mailing little brats all over the nation is a lot more creative..
On one channel we have been watching episodes of "Tales of Wells Fargo" first aired between 1957 and 1962.?ÿ Apparently Wells Fargo had a motto of shipping anything.?ÿ There have been episodes where people have been shipped.?ÿ At least once it was a prisoner.?ÿ In other cases it has been children, but much older than the ones shown in the Post Office story.?ÿ A dog was shipped in one story.
Now I understand why they instituted the "Return to Sender" policy.
"You straighten up right now and behave or I'm mailing you to Sister Sarah's Home for Wayward Girls."
Someone probably knows where this song came from. I can't remember--
"I'm gonna wrap myself in paper,
I'm gonna dab myself with glue,
Stick some stamps on top of my head,
I'm gonna mail myself to you."
This later became known as yabba dabba dabba dooo !
🙂
I'm gonna daub myself with glue
Stick some stamps on the top of my head
I'm gonna mail myself to you
I'm gonna tie me in a little red string
I'm gonna tie blue ribbons too
Climb up into my mailbox
I'm gonna mail myself to you
When you find me in your mailbox
Cut the string and let me out
Wash the glue off of my fingers
Stick some bubble gum in my mouth
Take me out of my wrapping paper
Wash the stamps off of my head
Pour me full of some ice cream soda
Tuck me into a nice warm bed
Someone probably knows where this song came from.
Words and music by Woody Guthrie, performed by many.
