By Staff
What began with a graveside promise in 1905 has become one of the most recognized holidays of the year. The holiday was established as a way to celebrate and pay tribute to all mothers.
According to a detailed history of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis swore at her mother's graveside to dedicate her life to establishing a Mother's Day to honor mothers, living and dead.
In her attempts to get others to join in the recognition, Jarvis is said to have passed out 500 carnations at St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, W. Va., in 1907. The same church, in 1908, granted her request for a Sunday service set aside to honor mothers. During that same year, others began to join the campaign to establish a Mother's Day and the first bill was presented to the U.S. Senate's consideration to make it a national holiday.
As the years passed, the path to a national day of recognition for mothers followed a step-by-step process.