“There’s no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”
Jill Churchill
Mother’s Day is important. Celebrated in the U.S. on the second Sunday in May, it’s a day when we honor those brave women who have born us and blessed us with love beyond measure. Most don’t know how we came to mark this special holiday. It’s forgotten history that we need to remember…
Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis was born in Culpepper, Virginia in 1832, the daughter of a Methodist minister. In 1850, at the age of 18, she married Granville Jarvis, a merchant. During the course of their marriage, Jarvis bore eleven children. Only four survived. The others succumbed to a laundry list of diseases, among them typhoid fever, diphtheria, and measles. Sadly, the infant mortality rate in the 19th century was nearly 30%. Throughout Appalachia, childhood illness and death was common.
Ann Maria Jarvis was a dynamic and determined woman who decided to channel her grief productively and meet the needs of her community. She had an idea and launched Mother’s Day Work Clubs in several neighboring towns to improve health and sanitary conditions. These became part of a growing public health movement in the U.S. The clubs provided assistance and education to families in Appalachia, with the goal of reducing disease and infant mortality.
These Mother’s Day Clubs provided vital services to their communities. Before there were state requirements, they developed programs to inspect bottled milk and food. They raised money to buy medicine and to aid families with health problems. Members offered home visits to educate mothers about health and sanitation.
During the Civil War, western Virginia became a hotbed for conflict, with both northern and southern sympathizers living in the region. Jarvis’ Mother’s Day Work Clubs altered their mission to meet new demands brought about by the war. Jarvis pledged neutrality, providing aid and comfort to both Union and Confederate soldiers. They fed and clothed soldiers stationed in the area from both the North and the South. When measles and typhoid fever epidemics broke out, Jarvis and her club members nursed suffering soldiers from both sides.
After the Civil War ended, Jarvis’ efforts to keep her community together continued. In 1868, with public officials in Taylor County seeking her help, she and her club members planned a Mother’s Friendship Day for soldiers and their families from both sides. They held the event on the grounds of the Taylor County Courthouse. Despite opposition, the event was a success. Jarvis shared a message of unity with the crowd. Bands played the Star-Spangled Banner and Dixie. The event ended with all singing Auld Lang Syne. Many in attendance were moved to tears.
Throughout her life, Jarvis continued her social activist work. She taught Sunday School and was very involved with her church. She gained popularity as a public speaker for audiences at schools, churches, and organizations, lecturing on subjects ranging from public health to literature to religion.
Throughout her life, Jarvis worked to honor and help mothers. After the death of her husband in 1902, she moved to Philadelphia to be near her two sons and two daughters. Her daughter Anna became her caretaker as her health declined. Ann Maria Jarvis died peacefully at home on May 8, 1905, surrounded by her four surviving children.
After Jarvis’ death, her daughter Anna recalled hearing her mother’s prayer during a Sunday School lesson in 1876, asking for someone to start a day to honor mothers.
On the first anniversary of her mother’s death, Anna announced plans for a memorial service the following year. On May 8, 1907, a private service was held in honor of Jarvis.
The following year, in 1908, Anna organized the first official observance of Mother’s Day. It was held on Sunday, May 10, 1908, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. A donation of 500 white carnations, Jarvis’ favorite flower, was made for those in attendance. Another service was held that afternoon at the Wanamaker Store Auditorium in Philadelphia. 15,000 people attended.
In the years following the first celebrations, Anna’s Mother’s Day holiday gained recognition in several states and a few foreign countries. Intent on making Mother’s Day an official holiday in the U.S., Anna mounted a campaign to do just that. And she succeeded. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution making the second Sunday in May a national Mother’s Day. We love our moms – Happy Mother’s Day!