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The Mayflower
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This holiday may have had its roots in 1619 when a group of 38
Englishmen arrived in a place that would become Virginia in the United
States of America, and set aside a day of thanks for their safe
passage. However the more traditional view is that it started in 1622
by the Pilgrims and William Bradford. Who were the Pilgrims and why did
they leave England for a land that was foreign to them?
In 16th Century England there was growing discontent with the Church of
England, which was the official church of that country.
William
Bradford, born on March 19, 1590 near Doncaster in Austerfield,
Yorkshire, became a member of a group called the Separatist Church,
since this group wanted to be separate from the Church of England.
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William Bradford
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Another group, called the Puritans, wanted to remain with the Church of
England but to change or “purify” it. When King James I began to
persecute the Separatists in 1609, William Bradford was among many
members of his congregation who fled to the Netherlands. Shortly
thereafter the Netherlands, fearing war with Spain, allied with England
and began to place pressure on the Separatists to show their support
for King James I.
To retain their independence, the Separatists decided to establish a
new colony, and set sail aboard the
Mayflower in 1620 for America. They
arrived at
Provincetown Harbor, in what is now Massachusetts, and spent
a dreadful, cold winter. By spring half of the colonists died from the
cold, malnutrition, and disease. In the spring of 1621 William Bradford
was selected to lead the new Plymouth colony. Under his leadership the
“Pilgrims” as they were now called, began to build homes and raise
crops. They set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the American
Indians who lived along the east coast. The Pilgrims recognized that it
was not only their economic system that allowed them to survive and
prosper, but also their devotion to God. William Bradford is credited
as the first to proclaim what we now view as Thanksgiving. The
Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and to thank Him
for His blessings.
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George Washington
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Ever since that time Thanksgiving has been a time for Americans to give
thanks to God. In 1789,
George Washington, our first President, issued
a proclamation calling for a day of public thanksgiving and prayer for
our material blessings and our freedom. (This was soon after our new
nation and government was formed.) It was not until some 75 years later
however that Thanksgiving became a yearly celebration.
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Abraham Lincoln
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It was in the
middle of the Civil War between the North and the South, when
Abraham
Lincoln, our 16th President, proclaimed that the last Thursday of
Novembers should be set aside as a day of thanksgiving. He saw that
even in the midst of a great war we still had many blessings, for which
we must thank God.
In addition to its spiritual connotation, Thanksgiving has become
a day
of feasting. Many of the foods that appear on our tables on
Thanksgiving Day were the food served by the Pilgrims.
The most well
known of course is
the traditional turkey. They also served fish, corn
meal, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried
fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, and carrots. Over the
years other foods were added such as potatoes, cornbread, cranberry
sauce, and of course pumpkin pie.
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The traditional turkey
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The New England Traditional Thanksgiving Menu
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From left to right, top to bottom:
- Roast Turkey with Gravy
- New England Stuffing
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Turnip
- Creamed Onions
- Cramberry Sauce
- Buttered Rolls
- Fresh Celery Sticks
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bread
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A Cofrancesco Family Thanksgiving Day
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Frank Morico
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My father’s cousin Frank Morico, who is 89 years old, remembers his Italian family celebrating Thanksgiving when he was a child. His mother would always prepare a large meal, and it would be a time for all the family to gather at his parent’s home in Hamden, Connecticut, USA. The meal would combine Italian dishes such as lasagna, with turkey and all the “fixins”. He believes many Italian families also celebrated Thanksgiving in this way.
I can remember Thanksgiving dinners with my parents. Usually we would invite friends and relatives. My mother, whose English ancestor Roger Alling arrived in the New Haven Colony in 1638, would always prepare a turkey, and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey dressing, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, creamed onions, and cranberry sauce. We would end the meal with pumpkin pie. In those days turkeys were typically much larger than the turkeys of today, and would not always fit in a kitchen oven. My father’s brother Frank had an Italian bakery, and at Thanksgiving his siblings would put their turkeys in the bread oven where they would roast all night.
My wife prepares Thanksgiving dinners that are similar to those of my mother. My wife’s paternal ancestor, George Pardee, immigrated to the New Haven Colony from England in 1644. Here are a few photographs taken over the years.
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Thanksgiving dinner cir 1949
Mom at left, sister Dorothy at right, me in center
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My father enjoying a turkey drumstick, about 1953
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Thanksgiving dinner cir 1953
Sister Dorothy on left, Dad pours coffee while Mom watches
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Thanksgiving dinner 1987
Son Jon, Carol, son Paul, daughter Linda with our cat
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