A STAGED PHOTO OF A U.S. POSTMAN CARRYING A BABY BOY ALONG WITH HIS LETTERS CIRCA 1900S. CREDIT: VINTAGE IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

In the early 1900s, some families in the USA sent their children through the post! But don’t worry — they didn’t put their kids in mailbags. The pictures of postmen carrying children were just a funny joke. Instead, trusted postal workers, who were often friends or relatives, took care of the children while they travelled.

One famous story is about a six-year-old girl called May Pierstorff. In 1914, she was sent 73 miles to her grandparents. Her parents paid 53 cents for stamps to put on her coat! As a result, the U.S. Postal Service made it a rule to stop sending people through the mail.

Some people tried to mail children anyway. In 1915, a three-year-old girl was sent 40 miles to her sick mother. Later, in 1920, the authorities stopped two more attempts to send children.

This strange time in history shows us how creative — and sometimes desperate — people could be. Fortunately, children today don’t need a stamp to visit Grandma!

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/mailing-children-post-office#