12 thoughts on “Memorial Day Postcards VII ~ ~ 1900 – 1945 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ” There in the fragrant pines and the cedars dusk and dim””
I miss the poppies. I remember getting those paper poppies every year. They don’t even celebrate Memorial Day here – it has become a day to put flowers on graves. Our first grade classes performed our Patriotic Program this week – from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln and the symbols like the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, the Grand Old Flag, etc. Kids were in full costumes and it was very touching. I wrote this program years ago and it has a video of pictures that to with each part of the program. A second grade teacher told us some of her kids had tears in their eyes. I hope they all remember these things.
Well, decorating the graves is important, maybe more than the parades. I’ve heard many times about Minnie Mehlenbacher in Avon, who was famous as the Poppy Lady for about a hundred years I guess. Do you have pictures of the patriotic program?
Well both my grandfathers were in the service, one in WWII and one in Korea. I’m going to keep working on this, and adding to it. It need better categories and a lot of the cards, we still haven’t pinned down the date they were published, etc. So a lot of stuff still to do! 🙂
Yes, of course I love the poppies. They’re really wonderful. I have a very, very small collection of antique china with poppies:some hand-painted, some decaled. I may just take those to the grave with me. Maybe I could throw my ashes in a chocolate pot. Well, I guess I’d have to designate someone to do that, wouldn’t I?
One of the cards surprised me with the slogan, “Fraternity, Loyalty, and Charity.” I don’t remember coming across that before. Is there a history there? a particular organization? I did find this newspaper clipping detailing disputes among three Grand Army of the Republic chapters over Memorial Day observances, and it referenced the slogan, so perhaps that was the motto of the GAR?
Now that I think of it, I have some photos of GAR stars on Texas graves. They resemble the star on the postcard — so maybe that’s it. I’ll have to look at the photos and see if the motto’s there.
Yep, that’s their motto. The GAR was also one of the first organizations to get behind the Pledge of Allegiance, about thirty years after the war, to have it recited in school, and to have a flag placed in every schoolroom. I like the fact that they believed all the new immigrant children would become good citizens, if given the chance
Here’s one of the grave markers. No motto, but it’s nice nonetheless. This one’s in the middle of Kansas, in a cemetery where a friend of my gr-gr-grandmother is buried — I think. I’m still working on that.
Thank you, I didn’t have a photo of that. I’ve seen markers like that, there’s one on one of my g-g-g-grandfather’s grave in Penna., and other relatives. I know the Sons/Daughters of Union Veterans, successor organizations which maintain some of the G.A.R. history/monuments, is trying to record the location of every Civil War vet’s grave, but I don’t know if they replace those markers. When you hike around here, there’s a lot of old graveyards that are now completely in the woods, no road access, and some of the people buried there were in the Revolution, Civil War, etc.
In Chestertown, MD., where I went to college, the G.A.R. hall is now a museum, and that post was built by African-American vets. There were also integrated posts in northern towns.
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I miss the poppies. I remember getting those paper poppies every year. They don’t even celebrate Memorial Day here – it has become a day to put flowers on graves. Our first grade classes performed our Patriotic Program this week – from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln and the symbols like the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, the Grand Old Flag, etc. Kids were in full costumes and it was very touching. I wrote this program years ago and it has a video of pictures that to with each part of the program. A second grade teacher told us some of her kids had tears in their eyes. I hope they all remember these things.
Well, decorating the graves is important, maybe more than the parades. I’ve heard many times about Minnie Mehlenbacher in Avon, who was famous as the Poppy Lady for about a hundred years I guess. Do you have pictures of the patriotic program?
Thank you for everything.
Well both my grandfathers were in the service, one in WWII and one in Korea. I’m going to keep working on this, and adding to it. It need better categories and a lot of the cards, we still haven’t pinned down the date they were published, etc. So a lot of stuff still to do! 🙂
You’re doing a great job!
Thanks so much
Yes, of course I love the poppies. They’re really wonderful. I have a very, very small collection of antique china with poppies:some hand-painted, some decaled. I may just take those to the grave with me. Maybe I could throw my ashes in a chocolate pot. Well, I guess I’d have to designate someone to do that, wouldn’t I?
One of the cards surprised me with the slogan, “Fraternity, Loyalty, and Charity.” I don’t remember coming across that before. Is there a history there? a particular organization? I did find this newspaper clipping detailing disputes among three Grand Army of the Republic chapters over Memorial Day observances, and it referenced the slogan, so perhaps that was the motto of the GAR?
Now that I think of it, I have some photos of GAR stars on Texas graves. They resemble the star on the postcard — so maybe that’s it. I’ll have to look at the photos and see if the motto’s there.
Yep, that’s their motto. The GAR was also one of the first organizations to get behind the Pledge of Allegiance, about thirty years after the war, to have it recited in school, and to have a flag placed in every schoolroom. I like the fact that they believed all the new immigrant children would become good citizens, if given the chance
Here’s one of the grave markers. No motto, but it’s nice nonetheless. This one’s in the middle of Kansas, in a cemetery where a friend of my gr-gr-grandmother is buried — I think. I’m still working on that.
Thank you, I didn’t have a photo of that. I’ve seen markers like that, there’s one on one of my g-g-g-grandfather’s grave in Penna., and other relatives. I know the Sons/Daughters of Union Veterans, successor organizations which maintain some of the G.A.R. history/monuments, is trying to record the location of every Civil War vet’s grave, but I don’t know if they replace those markers. When you hike around here, there’s a lot of old graveyards that are now completely in the woods, no road access, and some of the people buried there were in the Revolution, Civil War, etc.
In Chestertown, MD., where I went to college, the G.A.R. hall is now a museum, and that post was built by African-American vets. There were also integrated posts in northern towns.
👌👌👌great..👌👌👌
Thank you! I’m a beginning photographer, I see that you’re very accomplished.