Originally called Decoration Day back in the late 1860's with women decorating the graves of the Civil War soldiers, Memorial Day honors those who died in military service. The traditional holiday was May 30th started in 1868 by General John A. Logan, Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic which was the Union Army veterans organization. He wanted a day of remembrance designated for the purpose of decorating the graves of the comrades who died fighting for their country. By WWI, the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. This same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
I have many ancestors who served this country proudly but only two that I know of who died during the war. I'll write about Samuel and Daniel on May 30th for my post about Decoration Day. Those men lost their lives in the American Civil War.
R.I.P. and thank you
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