Illustration: traditional Christmas merry-making in the banqueting hall at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, from "The Mansions of England in the Olden Time, Series I" by Joseph Nash (London, 1839). Courtesy of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, Special Collections.

Ye Olde Christmas Party

By Melissa Berry on December 13, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a 1908 Christmas party in Boston that echoed the merriment of Old England... (Read More)

Photo: a Christmas pudding being flamed after brandy has been poured over it. Credit: Matt Riggott; Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Superstitions, Part 1

By Jessica Edwards on December 5, 2022

Jessica Edwards describes some of the many superstitions our ancestors had about Christmas, focusing in this article on holiday food... (Read More)

Photo: Plimoth Plantation living museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Credit: Nancy; Wikimedia Commons.

Mayflower Connections to Help Celebrate Thanksgiving, Part 3

By Melissa Berry on November 22, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry wraps up her three-part series of Thanksgiving articles involving Mayflower descendants... (Read More)

Illustration: “Thanksgiving at Plymouth,” by Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1925. Credit: National Museum of Women in the Arts; Wikimedia Commons.

Mayflower Connections to Help Celebrate Thanksgiving, Part 2

By Melissa Berry on November 21, 2022

In this article – to help celebrate Thanksgiving – Melissa Davenport Berry writes about the Mayflower Pilgrims’ very first Thanksgiving... (Read More)

Photo: the first Thanksgiving reenactment at Plimoth Plantation, from "A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation," by Dwight B. Heath. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Mayflower Connections to Help Celebrate Thanksgiving, Part 1

By Melissa Berry on November 18, 2022

To help celebrate Thanksgiving, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a Mayflower descendant and Civil War veteran giving a Thanksgiving message in 1918... (Read More)

Photo: U.S. World War I veteran Joseph Ambrose (1896–1988) attends the dedication parade for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982, wearing his original Brodie helmet and doughboy uniform and holding the flag that covered the casket of his son, Clement, who was killed in the Korean War. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration; Wikimedia Commons.

Celebrating Veterans Day: The 1st ‘Armistice Day’

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on November 11, 2022

Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to discover how our ancestors celebrated the first Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) on 11 November 1919... (Read More)

Illustration: Decoration Day in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, 1867. Credit: VCU Libraries; Wikimedia Commons.

The Origins of Memorial Day

By Melissa Berry on May 26, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about General John Logan, a driving force in making Decoration Day (Memorial Day) an annual observance... (Read More)

Photo: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. Credit: Raul654; Wikimedia Commons.

Memorial Day 1970: Pledging Allegiance in Alliance

By Jane Cook on May 25, 2022

In this article, Jane Hampton Cook explores a newspaper editorial that added urgency to Memorial Day commemorations in 1970... (Read More)

Illustration: "Orphans decorating their fathers' graves in Glenwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, on Decoration Day," 1876. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

The Roots of Memorial Day

By Jane Cook on May 23, 2022

In this article, Jane Hampton Cook describes the origins of Memorial Day as a way to honor deceased veterans of the Civil War... (Read More)

Category: Holidays