You probably know that Memorial Day Weekend is considered the unofficial kickoff for Summer, and that many Americans celebrate the holiday by enjoying their first BBQ since Labor Day…

I wish I had a $45M eBook collection.. wait.. I do with NYLI membership… (& it includes this title!)

But did you know that Memorial Day has its origins in the American Civil War? In 1868, John A. Logan issued General Order No. 11 designating May 30th “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion….”

Report of Library of Congress (1946) states that the original General Order No. 11 was on exhibit… just one item from LLMC.. and available with LLAGNY membership…

While you may know that the Boy Scouts of America place flags on the graves of veterans to honor their service, did you know that Memorial Day was once called Decoration Day? And that various 19th Century organizations gathered flowers to ‘decorate’ the graves of those who died fighting the Civil War?

Johnston, Frances Benjamin, photographer. Daisies gathered for Decoration Day
Washington D.C, 1899.  LC Image.

You probably know that many neighborhoods (such as West Brighton on Staten Island!) celebrate with a Memorial Day parade. But did you know that Waterloo, NY is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day?

Presidential Proclamation No. 3722 (5.26.1966) as found on ProQuest Congressional…PQ Congressional includes Presidential, House & Senate docunments, as well as ready made legislative overviews. And did you know that PQ Congressional is included with NYLI membership?

And while you now know a lot more about Memorial Day, did you know that many historians consider Mary Ann Williams of Georgia the true founder of the holiday? Her March 10, 1866 letter to the Columbus Sun Times inviting the women of the South to join her “in setting aside one day annually, as a Memorial Day holiday” predates both General Logan’s proclamation and Waterloo’s commemoration.

The New York Law Institute hopes that you’ve learned a little bit more about Memorial Day, and that your celebrations of BBQ’s, parades, and decorating also include a bit of remembrance as well…

Epinal American Cemetery & Memorial, France.