Memorial Day May 26th

 

When I was growing up Memorial Day was a memorial day, but not for what it really was intended.  It meant the end of school. The local swimming pool, aptly named Memorial Pool (dedicated to WW2 soldiers) opened for summer swimming. It meant a parade with flags, horses, bands, floats, gun salutes, and then a picnic with family. Everything a young boy wanted to see.

Memorial Day has its roots in Decoration Day, started shortly after the end of the Civil War. There were many national gravesites dedicated. It was a day for the nation to remember their dead and decorate their graves with flowers. It wasn’t until May of 1950 that they officially declared the last Monday of May as Memorial Day.

It was not until I started researching my family heritage that it became more important.

While I was researching the Cross family line, I came across some interesting facts. The first is that the War of 1812 cause us much grief in that most of the records from Maryland where we Crosses lived before moving to Illinois were burned during the war. I can trace my family back to Jacob Cross, born in 1814, but really no further. Even the man who has tried to write an all-inclusive history of the Cross name in America was stumped. I guess my family heritage is just playing “hard to get”. We did find that Jacob and his two sons, William H. Cross and Joshua D. Cross all fought in the Civil War on the Union side. Jacob and William returned home. Joshua, who was in an Illinois Cavalry regiment associated with General Sherman’s campaign in Georgia, was wounded in the battle of King’s Tanyard and taken prisoner. King's Tanyard He died at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Macon, GA on September of 1864.  

It is the many soldiers from the Civil War onward that we remember on Memorial Day. All around the nation there will be parades, flower placements, wreath laying, and times of solemn prayer. Gettysburg, Arlington, The Arizona Memorial, and many more will honor those brave men and women who gave their lives for their country. As you go about you day, take some time to be grateful for their sacrifice. Always remember, Freedom isn’t Free. Rest in peace dear patriots!

 Source: https://www.cem.va.gov/history/Memorial-Day-history.asp