Some July 4th History and Goodbye to Another StLGS Volunteer

Because the 4th of July fell on Sunday this year, we have an extra day to enjoy all of the fun things we associate with the holiday. If you had ancestors who fought in the American Revolution, this July 4th weekend was a perfect time to think of them and remember their courage and the hardships they endured while creating our country. But, it’s also a great opportunity to reflect on the traditions and history behind this most beloved day.

Did you know . . .

In 1870, July 4th became a federal holiday, but celebrations have gone on since 1776. Second president, John Adams, believed that July 2nd was the correct date to celebrate, not the 4th, since that was the date that the Continental Congress voted to be independent of England. The 4th was actually the date they adopted the Declaration of Independence. Adams wrote to his wife on July 3rd that July 2nd would be the date of “the great anniversary Festival.” He predicted that we would celebrate with “Pomp and Parade . . . Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” 

But he miscalculated, and Adams would never take part in July 4th festivities as a protest that the country was actually celebrating on the wrong day! Ironically, he and Thomas Jefferson, who was the primary author of the Declaration, both died on the 4th of July 1826. And James Monroe also died on the 4th just a few years later in 1831.

Many of the very first July 4th festivities in 1776 were highlighted by mock funerals for England’s King George III, whose overbearing stranglehold on the colonies was responsible for their revolution. In the Bowling Green section of Manhattan (New York City), a group of celebrants tore down a statue of the king “and later melted it into bullets.” There were concerts, bonfires, parades, and lots of cannon and gunfire. Public readings of the Declaration enabled ordinary citizens to understand what had just led to the formation of their new country.

Some July 4th fun facts:

• Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th a state holiday.
• By the end of the 18th century, two major political parties had emerged, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, and they began holding separate celebrations in some large cities.
• Philadelphia had the first organized celebration of July 4th in 1777 and it included fireworks and a thirteen-gun salute, honoring the original thirteen colonies. 
• And in the category of things you really need to know:
• 
  Americans eat about 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day. That’s enough to “stretch from [Washington] D.C. to L.A. [Los Angeles] more than five times.” (National Hot Dog and Sausage Council statistic)
  
• Salmon is traditional fare for July 4th in parts of New England, usually paired with green peas, and, historically, with turtle soup. 
• George Washington’s troops got extra rations of rum on July 4th in 1778 and again in 1781. And to this day, July 4th is the “number one holiday for beer sales in the U.S., according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.”

Hope you had a safe and happy July 4th weekend, whatever you did to celebrate!

Sources

“Fourth of July-Independence Day,” History.com editors, History.com, (A&E Television Networks: 29 June 2021) https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/july-4th

“What’s the History of July 4th? Plus 23 Surprising 4th of July Facts,” Parade.com, 29 June 2021, https://parade.com/1047578/lindsaylowe/4th-of-july-facts-history/

“10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Fourth of July,” Jay Serafino, Mental Floss, 4  July 2018 (updated 30 June 2021), https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502369/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-fourth-july

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In Memoriam

StLGS has lost another long-time volunteer, Claire Arnold, who passed away on 12 June 2021. Claire began volunteering at our office in 1996. She, as many others have done, began as a proofreader of printed indexes. As technology changed, Claire  became proficient at using a scanner and computer making her a valuable member of the society’s congregations project. After her eyesight began to fail, she relied on her daughter, Jean-Marie (Arnold) Meyer, also an active volunteer, to drive her to and from the office until the recent COVID pandemic made being with others too risky.

Claire began doing genealogical research when she was in high school and had an assignment in her English class to interview relatives on her family history. According to Jean-Marie, Claire interviewed “her grandmother, her great-uncle, and assorted elderly relatives. Having earned an ‘A’ on the assignment, she promptly relegated it to the trash!” As an adult, she renewed her interest in genealogy and got Jean-Marie to join her as a volunteer.

Those of us who had the pleasure of working with Claire know how dedicated and meticulous she was. StLGS president, Karen Goode, said of her, “Claire was a devoted volunteer at our office and spent many hours with Jean-Marie doing genealogy. Claire had a delightful personality, a ready smile, and was always willing to try whatever volunteer job we gave her. We will miss not having her at the office.”

Our deepest sympathy goes to Jean-Marie and her husband, Bob; her brothers, James and David, and their spouses; and all of Claire’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.