How Children Were Sent Through Parcel Post in the United States

In the early years of the American parcel delivery service, some families found a loophole so unusual it sounds fictional: when a child fell within the permitted weight limit, postage could cost less than a fare. This led to genuine cases in which children travelled with the assistance of local postal workers.

How did this story begin?

The story began with the launch of Parcel Post in 1913, a service that greatly expanded the range of parcels that could be sent through the United States postal system. Because its rules were still new and focused chiefly on weight limits, some rural families realised that small children met those conditions.

There was never an official policy intended to carry people. Instead, this was an improvised reading of a newly introduced service, tolerated in certain places by workers who knew the families involved. In small communities, where the postman was already part of everyday life, that familiarity made situations now considered unthinkable possible.

Were children placed among the parcels?

No. This is one of the most exaggerated images commonly associated with the story. Children were not simply put into sacks or boxes and stacked alongside goods. In the documented cases, they travelled under the supervision of postal employees or people connected to the service.

The most remarkable part was precisely the bureaucratic loophole. As the system was still being refined, families tested how far the regulations could be stretched. What now appears to be an absurd oversight emerged at a time when the postal service was rapidly broadening its role to serve rural areas.

Who was May Pierstorff?

One of the best-known cases involved May Pierstorff, a four-year-old girl who needed to travel to her grandparents’ home. In 1914, she covered around 117 kilometres in Idaho using the postal service because the charge was lower than the cost of a standard ticket.

A few details explain both why this incident became so well known and why May should not be pictured as an ordinary parcel:

• May was only four years old and fell within the weight limit accepted by the service at the time.
• Her journey covered roughly 117 kilometres through the state of Idaho.
• She was accompanied by a relative who worked for the postal service.
• Postage cost less than a ticket for the same journey.

Watch the video shared by the YouTube channel Historical Evidence, which tells the story of people being sent through the post.

Why did rural families turn to this kind of solution?

At the beginning of the 20th century, travelling could be expensive and difficult for families living far from major towns and cities. The post, meanwhile, already reached rural communities regularly and had built a network of trust between residents and postal workers. That made the new service seem like a practical option.

The price difference made the idea even more appealing. For some families, it was not a joke but a way to use a poorly defined rule to address a real transport problem. Once these cases began attracting attention, however, it became clear that the service needed more clearly stated limits.

What does this story reveal about newly created services?

These incidents demonstrate how a seemingly straightforward rule can create unexpected outcomes when it meets everyday life. Parcel Post was designed for parcels, but its early regulations left room for interpretations that some families took far beyond what its creators had probably envisaged.

Today, the idea of sending a child “by post” seems impossible, but these cases emerged from a genuine loophole and local relationships built on trust. It is worth remembering this story whenever a new technology or service appears, as users often find applications that its creators never anticipated.