N.Y. STATE COUNCIL OF
GENEALOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS

P.O. Box 2593
Syracuse, New York 13220-2593

What Ever Happened to Memorial Day?

On May 30, 1868, Memorial Day was proclaimed by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, as a means of honoring servicemen of both the North and South who lost their lives in the Civil War.   Sensing the deep feeling of division which the war had generated in the nation, General Logan sought to bring about some reconciliation through this act of honoring all those who had given their lives in that great war on this one day of the year.

 Controversy has surrounded Memorial Day ever since.  While northern states continued to celebrate May 30, southern states refused to acknowledge that day, but chose to honor their dead on other days until after World War I, when it became a day to honor those who died fighting in any war.  (Some southern states still continue to honor their Confederate dead on other days.)

 Over two dozen towns and cities claimed to have been the birthplace of Memorial Day.  This dispute was finally settled in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson officially declared Waterloo, New York as the true birthplace of Memorial Day.

 In 1971 Congress made the day into a three-day weekend.  Many felt this detracted from the spirit and meaning of the day, causing people to become nonchalant in its observance.  The controversy continues.  Currently bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate which would restore the observance of Memorial Day to May 30.

  - George R. Krahl