{"id":13437,"date":"2021-05-12T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/sc\/?p=13437"},"modified":"2021-05-11T13:03:23","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T18:03:23","slug":"may-memorials-mothers-and-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/sc\/2021\/05\/12\/may-memorials-mothers-and-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"May, Memorials, Mothers and Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The month of May brings to mind flowers, mothers, and memorials to military members \u2013 some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Combining all three, today\u2019s blog reflects on a few of Davenport\u2019s Gold Star Mothers who took advantage of a unique opportunity for Memorial Day in May of 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Davenport Women\u2019s Auxiliary to American Legion Post No. 26, originally called the Soldiers\u2019 Mothers\u2019 Club, began a city-wide sale of memorial red crepe paper poppies in 1921 after the American Legion adopted it as the official symbol of sacrifice in September 1920. [1] Proceeds of Poppy Day went toward aid for disabled veterans, their families, and the families of those who lost their lives in the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of poppies being a symbol befitting the heroes of the war began years earlier with the publication of Canadian John McCrea\u2019s poem \u201cIn Flanders Fields\u201d in December 1915. [2] The idea was heavily promoted by Madame E. Guerin, the \u201cPoppy Lady of France\u201d who invited American women to wear the poppy of Flanders Field on May 30th<\/sup> of 1921.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0Democrat & Leader<\/em> (Davenport, Iowa) March 31, 1921, page 4.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fifty women and young girls stationed themselves on downtown corners with baskets of blooms. The goal was every man, woman and child in the city procuring a poppy at ten cents apiece. The newspaper reported over 12,500 poppies were sold that first year. [3] Auxiliary members like Mrs. Katherine Kauffman soon adopted the same corner each year, faithfully selling the flowers on \u201cPoppy Day\u201d in memory of loved ones. Her son, Private Daniel Kauffman, had died in July 1918 of wounds received in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry \u2013 one of the first offensive actions of the American Expeditionary Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scrapbook; Accession 2004-07 American Legion Auxiliary Unit 26<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Just a few months prior to Private Kauffman\u2019s death, American women began wearing a black arm band adorned with a gilt gold star [4] representing family members who had given up life for country. When the family learned of his death and burial in faraway Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France, Mrs. Kauffman likely adopted that mourning custom as well as changed the blue star to gold on the Service Flag that undoubtedly hung in one window of their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Soon the women who had lost their loved ones became known as Gold Star Mothers and Widows. \u00a0By 1928, they had successfully formed a national organization known as American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. [5] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 1930, a resolution passed the House and Senate to appropriate over five million dollars to finance a pilgrimage for Gold Star mothers and widows to visit the European battle fields and cemeteries where their loved ones had valiantly fallen. [6] Five Davenport women qualified and chose to make the trip. [7] The first to go was 69-year-old Katherine Kauffman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Zella Cox was chair of the Auxiliary\u2019s Poppy Day that year. On May 12th<\/sup>, Auxiliary members gathered at the Rock Island railroad station where Cox presented a wreath of poppies to Gold Star Mother Mrs. Kauffman to place on her son\u2019s grave. After twelve years, and fittingly, on Memorial Day, she would finally see her Daniel\u2019s place of rest.  The brave mother boarded the train for New York; two days later she set sail for Europe.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scrapbook; Accession 2004-07 American Legion Auxiliary Unit 26
Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Monday, May 12, 1930, page 14.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gold Star mothers Catherine Popp Rehder, Elenora Clouse, and Anna Wiebbecke along with widow Vivian Irwin sailed the following week on May 21st<\/sup>.  One deserving mother, Mrs. Marie Gilbert, opted to make her trip later in the year. [8]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scrapbook; Accession 2004-07 American Legion Auxiliary Unit 26
Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), Monday, May 19, 1930, page 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That Saturday, May 24, 1930, as Zella Cox and the one hundred Poppy Day volunteers in Davenport loyally took to their corners they undoubtedly thought of their friends on pilgrimage. Gold Star mother Mrs. Emma Ball was stationed at Second and Brady streets for the twelfth year in a row. The team from Third and Brady Street netted $472.21. Total receipts reported for the day equaled $2,124.09. [9]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Auxiliary\u2019s Poppy Day scrapbook for 1930 contains this thoughtful handwritten tribute written by Zella Dee Cox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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