Mother's Day founded by Philadelphian Anna Jarvis in 1908

Monday, May 11, 2020
Mother's Day founded by Philadelphian Anna Jarvis in 1908
Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, but it could also be called the City of Motherly Love.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, but it could also be called the City of Motherly Love. That is because Mother's Day was founded by Philadelphian Anna Jarvis in 1908.

On Sunday, Tris McCann and Deidre Distefano came to the West Laurel Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania to find and honor the literal mother of the holiday.

"I think her original thoughts were really nice," said McCann.

"It actually made me want to write a letter to my mom," added Distefano.

Jarvis was originally from West Virginia. According to the website ExplorePAHistory, she moved to the City of Brotherly Love in 1892 after her mother passed away.

She then began her "Mother's Day Movement." First observed in 1908, the day honored motherhood and family at a time of rising feminist activism.

By 1914, after years of working to get the day recognized nationally, President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day an official national holiday.

But it's no secret the success of the holiday was something Jarvis grew weary of.

"She really didn't want it to be a commercial holiday and actually died hoping the holiday would go away," said Distefano.

Jarvis spent her later years fighting to end the holiday she created. Some efforts even led to various legal battles.

She died in 1948 at the age of 84.