Who Knew?

I came across this on FaceBook, and it was so unbelievable that I felt I had to share it with you:

In 1913 it was legal to mail children. With stamps attached to their clothing, children rode trains to their destinations, accompanied by letter carriers. One newspaper reported it cost fifty-three cents for parents to mail their daughter to her grandparents for a family visit. As news stories and photos popped up around the country, it didn't take long to get a law on the books making it illegal to send children through the mail.....Smithsonian 

I did a search on this to see if this was true or not, and I did find the story. There were two children who were sent this way, shortly after the parcel post system was set up. One can only imagine the public outcry when this became known! I would hope that these children were told of their adventure so that their descendants would know about it. Imagine all the things that could be said: Refused, Return to Sender, Fragile, Handle with Care! 

There could be incredible stories in your family that are equally unbelievable, and it behooves us all to find them and preserve them for the generations to come.

Jan Domenico
Jan's Editing Service for Writers