When did Father's Day, Mother's Day and Children's Day begin?
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Recently, I was browsing Fultonhistory.com for news articles about one of my ancestors when this headline grabbed my attention. Having just celebrated Father's Day, it was particularly intriguing.
Transcription from The Geneva Daily Times, Thursday, June 16, 1927:
Prior to reading this, I had never given any thought to the history of Father's Day or Mother's Day, but after doing a little digging, I learned that the earliest record of both was actually in 1908.
The first widely recognized Mother’s Day service in America was held on May 10, 1908, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, organized by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis.
Father’s Day was first observed in America on July 5, 1908, at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in Fairmont, West Virginia, at a church service honoring fathers, especially those killed in the Monongah mining disaster. The more commonly cited “first Father’s Day celebration” was June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, promoted by Sonora Smart Dodd.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in 1914, and apparently the nation has been unofficially celebrating Father's Day since 1923, but it didn't become an official U.S. national holiday until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed it into law. Father’s Day is observed on the third Sunday in June.
Children’s Day in America is usually traced to 1856 or 1857 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, when Rev. Dr. Charles Leonard of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer held a special service for children. Some sources give 1856, while others say it began on the second Sunday of June 1857. It was first called Rose Day, later Flower Sunday, and finally Children’s Day. Although Children's Day never achieved "federal holiday" status, it is observed in some states, cities, churches and organizations.
Notice, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Children's Day all began in Christian churches, the core of early American communities and of America itself. In an earlier blog, I shared the story of Thanksgiving, so if that interests you, click here to check it out.
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