The Founder of Mothers Day

Mothers Day

This past Sunday sitting in Church with your mother or just visiting with her did you think about how Mothers Day started? Mothers Day was declared an official holiday by A Joint Resolution of Congress in 1914. This was through the efforts of Anna Jarvis of West Virginia to establish a national day to honor Mothers. But Anna Jarvis efforts were recognized earlier by the St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, in May 10, 1908 when they held a service dedicated to Honoring Mothers. Congress adopted a resolution but it failed and was sent back to committee. By 1909 Mothers Day was celebrated in 46 states, Mexico and Canada and was finally recognized as a Holiday by the Joint Resolution passed by Congress in 1914 and signed by President Wilson. This is the start of the present day Mothers Day, but did it start here or is there more to the storey.

In researching Mothers Day I came across another lady, Julia Ward Howe who tried to establish a day, Mothers Day for Peace. Her idea was to celebrate a Mothers Day for Peace, to be held every year on June 2nd. The first day was held in1873 and continued to celebrate in many cities for the next ten years and some continued to celebrate for the next 30 years. Julia Ward Howe is not remembered for Mothers Day but rather for the song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

There is a connection between Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis. Ann Jarvis, Anna's Mother, was very active with different groups promoting peace after the Civil War. She was influenced by Julia Ward Howe efforts and may have passed on the ideas of Mothers Day to her daughter. The biggest difference in the ides behind the two days was that Julia Ward Howe believed that Mothers Day was to be a day for Mothers being active and working for Peace. Anna Jarvis wanted Mothers Day to be a day to honor mothers and for their important role in the family. She even was Opposed to the commercialization of the day. She thought sending Cards was a sign that you were too lazy to write a letter. During her early efforts she handed out Carnations to mothers in Church.

In the United States and in many Countries around the world Anna Jarvis is seen as the one who established Mothers Day, while Julia Ward Howe is honored for other things but not for Mothers Day.