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People really did mail children—and one Texan helped put a stop to it. In this episode, we uncover why families used Parcel Post as transportation, how rural mail routes changed everyday life, and what this bizarre story teaches us about transportation, communication, and innovation.
Sources Used
Smithsonian National Postal Museum. “Very Special Deliveries.” Documents known cases of children traveling through Parcel Post, including May Pierstorff and the early Ohio and Pennsylvania cases. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/very-special-deliveries
Smithsonian National Postal Museum. “1910s.” Timeline documenting May Pierstorff’s February 1914 trip and Postmaster General Albert Burleson’s March 1914 announcement concerning human beings in the mail. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/250-years-of-stamps-and-stories-of-the-us-postal-service/1910s
Smithsonian National Postal Museum. “Precious Packages—America’s Parcel Post Service.” Information about May’s weight, postage, trip, and her family’s reluctance to pay the train fare. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/reaching-rural-america-past-exhibits/precious-packages-americas-parcel-post-service
United States Postal Service. A Kids’ History of the United States Postal Service. Explains the 1913 introduction of Parcel Post, earlier package restrictions, first six months of parcel volume, and growth in mail-order business. https://about.usps.com/publications/pub100k.pdf
United States Postal Service. “Rural Free Delivery.” Explains how rural delivery connected farms and rural households, influenced road improvement, and expanded business markets. https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/rural-free-delivery.htm
United States Postal Service. “Texas: Dates That First Rural Routes Were Established at Post Offices, through 1904.” Documents early Rural Free Delivery service in Texas, including Fate and La Grange in 1899. https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/pdf/first-rfd-texas.pdf
Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas. “Burleson, Albert Sidney.” Biography of the San Marcos-born Texan who served as U.S. Postmaster General from 1913–1921. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/burleson-albert-sidney
U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives. “Burleson, Albert Sidney.” Congressional biography documenting Burleson’s Texas background, education, congressional career, and service as Postmaster General. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/10207
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