Summary
Charlotte May Pierstorff (May 12, 1908 – April 25, 1987), American girl who was shipped alive through the United States postal system by parcel post on February 19, 1914.[1][2][3] After the incident, parcel post regulations were changed to prohibit the shipment of humans.[4]
Charlotte May Pierstorff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 12, 1908 |
| Died | April 25, 1987 (aged 78) |
| Known for | Being shipped through the U.S. Mail |
In 1997, Michael O. Tunnell wrote a children's book, Mailing May, revolving around May's childhood.[5]
Mailing edit
On February 19, 1914, then five-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was mailed from Grangeville, Idaho to Lewiston, Idaho to visit her grandmother C. G. Vennigerholz, as this was cheaper than buying a train ticket. Charlotte, who weighed 48.5 pounds (22.0 kg) at the time, rode in the mail car with a 32¢ stamp on her coat (equivalent to $10 in 2023).[6]
Leonard Mochel, May's mother's cousin and railway postal clerk, accompanied her during the trip and delivered her to her grandmother's house.[7]
This event indirectly caused the United States Post Office to bar all humans and live animals from mail delivery (with few exceptions, bees and day-old poultry amongst them).[8][9]
References edit
- ^ miss-cellania. "5 Stories of People Delivered as Cargo". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ Books, City Library (July 8, 2013). "Please, Mr. Postman, Look and see, if there's a letter in your bag for me…". Manchester City Library. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Mailing May and Mailing Me!". Not Just Cute. February 24, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Parcel Post: Delivery of Dreams". Smithsonian Libraries. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ Betsy Groban (March 15, 1998). "Books". New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho), 26 March 1914. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86091145/1914-03-26/ed-1/seq-8/>
- ^ Lewis, Danny (2016-06-14). "A brief history of children sent through the mail". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
In the early days of the parcel post, some parents took advantage of the mail in unexpected ways
- ^ Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho), 27 Feb. 1914. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063039/1914-02-27/ed-1/seq-1/>
- ^ Publication 52 - Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail. <https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_008.htm>
External links edit
- Postal Museum page
- Michael O. Tunnell's Mailing May