Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-30
Custom Begins in Nebraska

And, strange as it may seem, It was the sea burial of a Nebraska
boy that gave rise to the custom. And, stranger yet, this Nebraska
any record, and also the only one. The young soldier in whose
memory this custom originated was Sergeant George Geddes of Com
pany c, First Nebraska United States Volunteers, who died at sea
from meningitis on June 20, 1898, while the regiment was enroute
to the Philippines. He was buried the following day from the
United States transport Sherman. The services were conducted by
Chaplain Mailley and Major John M. stotsenberg. The entire trans
port feet stopped during the burial service in respect to the solemn
OCCASION. A quartet Of Company l. lThurston Rihes) of Omaha
sang the funeral dirge, Lead, Kindly Light" Sergeant Geddes
was a member of the company from Beatrice and the ceremonies Of
the burial produced such a profound impression upon the command
that it was determined that thereafter no American soldier should
be buried at sea, but that his body should be returned to his native
land for interment.
The following Decoration day of 1899 the mother of Sergeant
Geddes attended the decoration ceremonies at the Beatrice cemetery
and was broken-hearted over the TACT that the grave of her boy could
never be strewn with flowers. She was almost inconsoable, when
another mother of a Nebraska boy promised her that her sons grave
should be strewn with flowers the following Decoration day. The
idea took and early in May of 1900 the Woman's Relief Corps of
Beatrice, Rawlins Corps No. 92, took the matter up and enlisted
Lincoln Woman's Relief Corps of San Francisco in the cause. Flow
es we're Re from Beatrice to San Francisco to be strewn upon the
waters of the Pacific in memory of Sergeant Geddes. The express
companies We'd with each other for the privilege of carrying the box
of flowers free from Nebraska to San Francisco. The flowers ere
received in San Francisco by representatives of Lincoln corps and
on Decoration day this corps OF devoted women took the flowers to
the Cliff House and, with impressive ceremonies and in the presence
of many hundreds of San Francisco people, cast the flowers on the
ocean.
The following year a similar box of flowers was sent from Ne
praska to San Francisco for the same purpose. A portion of the
flowers vas strewn on the ocean from the Cliff House, the other pr-
ton having been taken to sea by a member of Lincoln CORPS, who
was then enroute to Honolulu and passing near the spot where the
body OF Sergeant Geddes had been buried at sea two years before.
the flowers were cast upon the sea in his memory, the vessel stop
IN 10 N purpose and, 1t being on Decoration day. appropriate
devotional services were held in honor of the event and day.
This was the beginning of the custom of strewing flowers on the
waters in memory of the American soldier and sailor dead buried
at sea, and now the custom has become universal and a part of the
observance of Decoration day, and will so continue. having been
recognized by the national departments of the Woman's Relief Corps
and the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. The woman
who first conceived the plan was Mrs. Carrie NJ. Peters, now a resi-
dent OF Omaha, but then of Beatrice.