Mother's Day



Anna Jarvis originated Mother’s Day when, on May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia.

In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers. Although Jarvis, who started Mother’s Day as a liturgical service, was successful in founding the celebration, but she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday.

Special flowers for Mother’s Day are Carnations

White for a mother who has passed away and a pink or red one for a living mother. Roses have become popular also.

More than 83 million mothers are living today in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. There are approximately 2 billion mothers living worldwide. Modern moms have an average family size of two children, while mothers in the 1950s had an average of 3-5 children, and in the 1700s, women gave birth to an average of 7-10 children!

Sending of Mother’s Day cards had been very popular for decades.

Spending time with your Mom, and sending gifts are the way to let them know you appreciate everything they have done.

Photo: Typical card for Mother’s Day in the 1950s.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

Special Mother’s Day Ideas

Write and Tell Your Mom’s Story

Mother’s Day Tribute

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