Anna Jarvis was the founder of what we now refer to as Mother’s Day.
Born in 1864, Anna wanted to honor her own mother, who died on May 9, 1905. Anna and her brother began to worry about their mother’s health and in 1904 Anna decided to move to Philadelphia to assist in her mother’s care as she battled with heart problems.
Anna’s mother, Ann Reeve Jarvis, had spoken many times to her daughter, Anna, of her desire to create a sense of unity among mothers in the Civil War. Ann was very troubled at the idea of families broken on both sides of the war and wanted to create a community of mothers that had lost sons during the war. It was a life long ambition, but she didn’t have the means to get the movement going. Upon her mother’s death, Anna took up the charge to create a national honor of mothers.
So what we now honor as, “Mother’s Day” began as a crusade for Anna to both honor her own mother, Ann, and Ann’s wanting to celebrate mothers.
Anna began holding a memorial service for her mother on the anniversary of her death, not just to honor her own mother, but to celebrate all mothers.
A movement began and in 1910, the state of West Virginia declared it a state holiday, quickly followed by New York. Anna was thrilled to see her mother’s wishes for a day of unity and celebration of family taking off. Anna campaigned hard to make it a National Holiday and then an international holiday.
In 1914, on May 9, done as a remembrance on the anniversary of the death of Ann Reeves Jarvis, President Woodrow Wilson made the official proclamation, proclaiming a national day of observance each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. The proclamation was made on Saturday, May 9, so the first Mother’s Day was on May 10, 1914.
So ….. one might think that Anna would have been thrilled. Well, she was ….. at first …..
You see, it had begun as an “unofficial” day of remembrance as Anna held a memorial service for her mom, Ann, on the anniversary of her death in 1907 and in 1908, that memorial was expanded to include a day to honor all mothers, and the movement quickly spread over the country.
But what had begun as a movement to honor her mother, and her mother’s wanting to unite all mothers, had gone outside of what she wished for. It had become, in Anna’s own words, “very commercial”. Anna had become weary of street vendors offering specials to mothers and to others buying gifts for their mothers. It bothered her that a day of remembrance had become a day of merchants and restaurants offering specials and sales in order to profit off of this movement. Anna saw that her day of honor and remembrance was now being used for political statements and fundraising.
When it was made a National Holiday in 1914, Anna had had enough. Over many years, right up until her death, Anna tried to abolish Mother’s Day. What Anna envisioned as a personal day of celebration between mothers and families had turned into a profit driven opportunity for florists, card companies and other businesses.
Anna relentlessly campaigned against the holiday, which now had gotten an international following. Anna even lobbied in DC to have it removed from the National Calendar. Anna spent her own money on an advertising campaign, trying to reach people and urge them to not buy gifts and instead find their own unique way to celebrate their mothers. Anna even filed lawsuits against organizations that used the slogan, “Mother’s Day” and went through her entire life’s savings on legal fees.
There exists a story that she was in a Philadelphia restaurant owned by her friend John Wanamaker when a server, who had brought her a salad made a reference to Mother’s Day and she dumped it on floor and then walked out.
Anna died in West Chester, PA in 1948 alone and penniless and according to those that knew her, very sad over the last years of her life at what had become of “Mother’s Day”.
So, be careful what you wish for.
My Take on Life and Events 