{"id":15151,"date":"2016-06-17T11:41:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T15:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=15151"},"modified":"2023-08-01T15:28:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T19:28:07","slug":"fathers-day-celebrations-from-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/fathers-day-celebrations-from-the-past.html","title":{"rendered":"Father\u2019s Day Celebrations from the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn about how our ancestors celebrated Father\u2019s Day. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What are you doing for dad this Father\u2019s Day? Will you buy him a gift? Take him out to his favorite restaurant? Or perhaps you\u2019ll let the world know how much you love and appreciate him. Historical newspapers provide great ideas for your Father\u2019s Day celebration, and give a glimpse how our ancestors celebrated this special day in the past.<\/p>\n

His Favorite Meal<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is your dad\u2019s favorite meal? Do you have a Father\u2019s Day food tradition? Does Father\u2019s Day at your home mean dinner at a restaurant, a family BBQ, or breakfast in bed?<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t uncommon in the past to find a restaurant\u2018s menu printed in the newspaper right before a special occasion like Father\u2019s Day. The following Father\u2019s Day menus were just as appetizing in our grandfather\u2019s time as they are today. This 1938 Ohio newspaper advertisement for the Father\u2019s Day Sunday Dinner includes Swiss Steak with mushroom, potatoes, vegetables, salad, roll, desert and a beverage for only 50 cents.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Repository (Canton, Ohio), 19 June 1938, page 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If dad isn\u2019t a steak and potatoes guy he might like the meal choices offered in this 1939 menu at the Hotel West Lake. This menu advertises a lobster dinner for only $1.25! According to a currency calculator that price would equal $22.11 today, still a great deal for lobster!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 17 June 1939, page 15<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If dad would rather eat in, two Father\u2019s Day menus are offered up in this 1940 newspaper article. For this home-cooked menu you could choose to serve dad either Broiled Porterhouse Steak or Filet Mignon. Either choice sounds great for a dinner honoring dad.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 14 June 1940, section III, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Perfect Gift<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the perfect gift for dad? The traditional tie wouldn\u2019t work for my dad since he rarely wears one. So in my family we need to be a little more creative. The following 1939 newspaper article gives some great advice that is as appropriate today as it was 77 years ago:<\/p>\n

To make Father\u2019s Day gifts just perfect, make a little confidential study of dad’s likes and dislikes. If dad has his favorite shops for buying particular articles, get acquainted with them, learn what salesmen wait on him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article goes on to point out that:<\/p>\n

The gift that is bound to please dad most is the sort of thing he never has felt he could afford, because there always were so many things his family needed first. Well, on Father\u2019s Day, dad comes first and the gift of gifts is the things he\u2019s long liked to own, but never got around to buying because someone else needed a coat, a bicycle, fraternity dues or books for a new term of school.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think even some of us moms can relate to that sentiment!<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Evening Post (Charleston, South Carolina), 13 June 1939, page 15<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tell Everyone Whom You Adore<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are all kinds of ways to tell dad how much you care. You can buy him a greeting card, write a letter, or take a selfie with him to post on Facebook.<\/p>\n

According to Hallmark, who has been selling Father\u2019s Day cards since 1920, Father\u2019s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending holiday. 50% of Father\u2019s Day cards are purchased for dads and almost 20% are purchased for husbands.*<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rare to get a sneak peek at greeting cards from previous generations without having access to the actual card. This 1949 newspaper article provides a look at some novelty cards that your dad or grandfather may have received.<\/p>\n

One card\u2019s poem proclaims:
\nWhen I started wishing things for you
\nI simply couldn\u2019t stop,
\nSo this card\u2019s so full of wishes
\nThat it\u2019s just about to POP!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another:<\/p>\n

Now fathers are neglected guys,
\nWhich everybody knows;
\nBy day they slave \u2013 and then by night
\nThey hear the family woes.
\n\u2026Yes, fathers take an awful lot
\nAnd get so little praise,
\nAnd that\u2019s why there should be for you
\nA year of father\u2019s days!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another:<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a splendid mixture of all that\u2019s swell.
\nYou\u2019re mild, you\u2019re smooth and sweet as well.
\nAnd I hope your days are fully packed
\nWith lots of joy \u2013 and that\u2019s a fact.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Poems<\/a>
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 10 June 1949, page 28<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Greeting cards are personal declarations; however, some people like to be more public with their admiration for their dad. Newspapers are one way kids have honored their dads with public proclamations of affection, like this 1981 example where the sentiments \u201cI Love You!\u201d Daddy and Grandfather pepper the page.<\/p>\n

\"Father's<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 21 June 1981, page 44<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of these personal ads are endearing, others humorous, such as these examples.<\/p>\n

\"Father's<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 21 June 1981, page 44<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What are you doing this Father\u2019s Day? We\u2019d love to hear about your traditions in the comments below.<\/p>\n

To all the dads out there and their families: Happy Father\u2019s Day!<\/p>\n

————————-<\/p>\n

* Father\u2019s Day. Hallmark Corporate. http:\/\/corporate.hallmark.com\/Holiday\/Fathers-Day<\/a><\/p>\n

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