The History of Valentines

Saint Valentine’s Day started in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor wanted soldiers but the men in his kingdom wouldn’t enlist. The emperor gave the matter some thought and came to the conclusion that they didn’t want to leave their families so the emperor decreed that no one could get married. Many people thought that was a bad law, one of them was a priest named Valentine. Valentine ignored the law and went on marrying people in secret. Eventually Valentine was discovered and was sentenced to death. Until the day appointed for his execution he was kept in a jail cell. While there he made friends with the jailor’s daughter. On the day of his execution Valentine left a note for the jailor’s daughter signed “From Your Valentine”. The very first valentine! Now it is a tradition to send valentines on February 14th, the day of priest Valentines execution.
The first commercial valentines made in the USA were by Miss Esther Howland who made a few samples and gave them to her brother who was a salesman. She was hoping he might sell up to $200 worth but he came back with more than $5000 in advance sales. The business was soon selling $100,000 a year. The valentines made by her company are still identifiable by the quality of workmanship and are sought after by collectors.
Pioneer Pastimes sells a really cute wooden heart teether/rattle that would be a perfect gift for your babies first Valentine.