To All: Found the following regarding Memorial and Decoration Day that I thought you would find of interest. Best Regards, Danny Nichols Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. Confederate Decoration Day A Time for Remembrance and Celebration Confederate Decoration Day will soon be here! By act of the Tennessee Legislature, each year the Governor, by proclamation, designates June 3rd "Confederate Decoration Day." It is a day on which we remember the gallant sacrifices of our ancestors, the brave men and women of the South, who fought so valiantly for Southern Independence. It is a day on which we celebrate their absolute dedication to the cause of liberty. Confederate Decoration Day is observed throughout the South. Its roots can be traced to the activities of a number of southern ladies who, more than a hundred years ago, began decorating the graves of Confederate and United States soldiers in Mississippi, and elsewhere. In due course, the state legislatures in the southern states passed laws to officially recognize Confederate Decoration Day. Years later, following their example, the United States officially established Memorial Day, giving the southern states credit for setting the precedent. > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 22:08:20 EDT > From: SJaneane@aol.com > Subject: [TNCANNON] Decoration Day > To: tncannon@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <cd1.f564dcc.33864d94@aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > > I have not heard the term "Decoration Day" in a long time. Was Decoration > Day the beginning of Memorial Day? > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 21:46:49 -0500 > From: Joe Sissom <joesissom@tx.rr.com> > Subject: Re: [TNCANNON] Decoration Day > To: tncannon@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <4654FC99.3000608@tx.rr.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > >> I have not heard the term "Decoration Day" in a long time. Was Decoration >> Day the beginning of Memorial Day? > Yes, began at the end of the War of Northern Aggression as I recall, and > the older name continues to be used in places where the graves of > veterans are 'Decorated' (as they should be). I have a cousin buried in > Gilley Hill killed in Korea while about all I had to do was dodge some > mines. I think BOTH names are appropriate and using them in conjunction > makes a lot of sense. > > Joe