Charlotte May Pierstorff

Charlotte May Pierstorff (May 12, 1908 – April 25, 1987) 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
BornMay 12, 1908
DiedApril 25, 1987(1987-04-25) (aged 78)
Known forBeing 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

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 $9 in 2022).[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 the exception of bees, day-old poultry and a few other exceptions.[8][9]

References
  1. miss-cellania. "5 Stories of People Delivered as Cargo". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  2. 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.
  3. "Mailing May and Mailing Me!". Not Just Cute. February 24, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  4. "Parcel Post: Delivery of Dreams". Smithsonian Libraries. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. Betsy Groban (March 15, 1998). "Books". New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  6. 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/>
  7. 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
  8. 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/>
  9. Publication 52 - Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail. <https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_008.htm>
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