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Shaking Your Family Tree

May 27, 1999
Your silent tents of green/ We deck with fragrant flowers/ Yours has the suffering been/ The memory shall be ours. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day and Poppy Day (after World War I), is a legal holiday observed annually in the United States. It began at the end of the American Civil War, a brutal war in which brother fought brother and the best of friends became the worst of enemies. Genealogy makes history come alive because, through research, we come to know these ancestors and learn about their participation in battles and wars long ago. To their descendants, these soldiers' graves are much more than silent tents of green. The custom of placing flowers on graves is an old one that exists in many countries. People not only honor those who gave their lives in battle on this special day, but they also remember deceased family members and friends. Several communities lay claim to having had the first Memorial Day, but Waterloo, N.Y., was recognized in 1966 by the federal government as being its birthplace, a century after its first celebration. In 1865, Henry C. Welles, a Waterloo druggist, mentioned at a social gathering that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves. He again mentioned this subject in the spring of 1866 to General John B. Murray, then clerk of Seneca County. Murray embraced the idea and a committee organized to plan a day to honor the dead. The Waterloo townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly. Wreaths, crosses and bouquets were made for each veteran's grave. Flags flew at half mast and the village was decorated with evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers. On May 5, 1866, civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries. They were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services. The location of the first Memorial Day observance is in dispute. Some claim the custom of honoring our war dead began in Boalsburg, Pa. Others say the custom was originated by some Southern women who placed flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers after the Civil War. Still others claim the first Memorial Day service took place on May 30, 1866 at the burial ground for Union soldiers on Belle Isle near Richmond, Va. Regardless, the first official recognition of Memorial Day, as such, was issued by General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was General Order No. 11 establishing ``Decoration Day'' as it was then known. The date of the order was May 5, 1868 -- two years after Waterloo, N.Y.'s first observance. In 1882, the name Decoration Day was changed to Memorial Day, and in 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday of May every year. (c) 1999, Los Angeles Times Syndicate Myra Vanderpool Gormley and Julie Case are co-editors of Missing Links, a free weekly genealogy e-zine. To subscribe, send your request to: Missing Links Newsletter Return to Myra Vanderpool Gormley Main Page Return to Columns Main Page
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