## Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, An American History

by Diana Karter Appelbaum

Facts on File Publications 1984

CHAPTERS 6 AND 7: THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS AND THE FIRST THANKSGIVING IN
VARIOUS STATES

# The Groaning Board

Pages 69-71

Turkey held the place of honor at Thanksgiving, but our New England
forebears had appetites heartier by far than those of their modern-day
descendants, and turkey was accompanied by a huge chicken pie made of
the meat of three or four birds. Beside these were placed roasted ducks
and geese, two or more, depending on the size of the company, and a
joint of mutton, pork or beef---sometimes with all three. Winter
vegetables---squash, turnips, potatoes and cabbages---were boiled in
quantity, and small mountains of mashed vegetables, piled onto huge
chargers, stood beside the turkey and geese at the great feast.

Smaller dishes filled with the sauces that delight the New England
palate were tucked into the remaining space. Cranberry sauce was there,
of course, but also apple butter, spiced crab apples, pickled pears and
peaches, wild-grape catsup, currant jelly and gooseberry jam. As each
fruit came into season it was painstaking chopped, spiced, boiled and
stored in the farmhouse pantry. On an ordinary Sabbath, one or two of
these delicacies might grace the table, but on Thanksgiving, the best of
everything the farm could offer was spread on the table in generous
quantity.

# Preparing the Dinner

Pages 71-74

\[T\]he truly distinguishing feature of the Thanksgiving feast . . . was
the variety of pies to be baked and served; for pies are the crowning
glory of New England cuisine.

Each pie was pricked with a design, perhaps a pattern of graceful ferns,
the intertwined initials of a cousin and her beau who would have a
Thanksgiving wedding, or even a replica of the *Mayflower*. All were
drawn with the tines of a fork before the pies went into the oven.

Pies were baked in careful order. First was mince, because it needed
time to ripen, then fruit pies in their infinite variety, since these
kept well. Preparation of pumpkin, custard and chicken pie was left
until Wednesday for fear of spoilage.

Pies, turkey, mutton, poultry, vegetables and sauces . . . were all set
on the table at midday on Thanksgiving and the diners sat down to help
themselves, with utter disregard for "the French doctrine of courses."

Plum pudding resembles an exceedingly rich cake, mixed of flour, suet,
sugar and spices and studded with raisins and currants, which were
quaintly referred to as plumbs or plums. What defines it as a pudding
and not a cake is that the mixture is not baked, nor is leavening added.
It is tied in a pudding bag and steamed to a rich moistness of texture
that no cake can ever achieve.

# The Gather of the Family

Page 76

Thanksgiving was the annual ingathering, the time when everyone strove
to be home for the holiday.

In 1858, it was reliably estimated that upwards of 10,000 people left
New York City alone to spend the holiday in New England.

# Remembering Others

Page 77

No custom is more central to Thanksgiving than feeding the poor. In New
England, as in other colonies, the poor were provided for year-round . .
. . On Thanksgiving the poor were not merely provided for, they were
provided with a meal as hearty as that enjoyed by the wealthiest
citizen. To that end, whole turkeys, pies, meat and fruits were
dispatched to the homes of needy families . . . .

***A Family Interlude**i*

Pages 77-78

\[T\]he night before the holiday was reserved as a family time . . . .
The events great and small, of an entire year had to be shared with
loved ones who lived so far away.

Soon the talk gave way to storytelling, fresh tales of the exploits of
youths just starting out in the world and stories of adventures now 40
years old, told by graybearded men who had told them every Thanksgiving
since;

# Sitting Down Together

Pages 82-83

Dinner was . . . the high point of Thanksgiving Day. Families that ate
in the kitchen every day of the year on this special day gathered in the
parlor where two or more tables were somewhat unevenly joined to form a
large table spread with a white cloth.

When the food was on the table and each diner was seated, all bowed
their heads while father said grace. Grace on Thanksgiving was an
opportunity to give thanks for the blessings of the day, a harvest
gathered and a family united, but it was also an occasion to take stock
of the blessings of the year just passed. Each sad occurrence was
recounted, each blessing mentioned with gratitude.

# The End of the Day

Pages 84-

\[A\]n afternoon lull to be followed by the gala excitement of the
Thanksgiving ball.

All of the young people in town, and most of the older folk, too,
gathered on Thursday evening for a gala dance that was a social
highlight of the New England year.

The Puritan founders of New England did not approve of dancing, but with
each new generation, Governor Winthrop, Reverend Cotton Mather and their
contemporaries faded farther into history.

# Pennsylvania is Reluctant

Page 91

In 1817, the same year that Governor Clinton made Thanksgiving an
official holiday in New York, Governor Simon Snyder of Pennsylvania
declared that the third Thursday in November should be a day of general
thanksgiving in his state. Governor William Findlay continued the
practice the following year, setting Thursday, November 19, as
Thanksgiving Day, but the holiday did not take root in Pennsylvania.
Some "Pennsylvania Dutch" seem to have resented the idea as a usurpation
of their own Harvest Home festival. Other Pennsylvanians simply ignored
the holiday, and no further proclamations were issued for two decades.

# Michigan Follows New England

Pages 91-92

Further west, victory in the War of 1812 opened Michigan Territory to
American settlement, and it filled rapidly with pioneers, mostly of New
England stock. In 1824, the Legislative Council of the territory
formally requested that Governor Lewis Cass proclaim a day of
thanksgiving. Governor Cass, a son of New Hampshire, appointed Thursday,
November 25, 1824, as Thanksgiving Day. The holiday was observed in the
new territory that year and every year thereafter. This pattern . . .
would repeat itself throughout the West.

# Ohio Settlers Agitate for Thanksgiving

Pages 92-4

One Ohio governor did issue a proclamation in 1821, but the holiday was
proclaimed only erratically by Buckeye governors for several years . . .
.

The year 1839 brought a new governor of Ohio who was somewhat more
appreciative of the importance of Thanksgiving. But . . . he clumsily
chose a Saturday . . . . In 1840, Shannon came only a little closer to
the mark, appointing a Tuesday in late December. After that, Ohio
governors got the hang of things and issued an uninterrupted series of
Thanksgiving proclamations for Thursdays in late November or early
December.

# Illinois Settlers Observe the Holiday

Page 99

\[T\]he first official statewide Thanksgiving Day in Illinois fell on
Thursday, December 29, 1842. The Synod of the Presbyterian Church
formally urged Governor Thomas Carlin to issue such a proclamation, and
he complied, recommending that the people of Illinois "meet in their
respective houses of worship" on the appointed day.

# Iowa Gives Thanks

Page 101

In 1844, Governor John Chambers proclaimed the first Thanksgiving Day in
Iowa Territory. Like other western governors, Chambers issued his
Thanksgiving proclamation "at the request of many of my Fellow
Citizens."

# Hawaii Melds the Old and the New

Pages 104-106

Thanksgiving Day was celebrated as early as Thursday, December 6, 1838,
by the congregation at Honolulu. . . . In 1841, the 25 adults and 32
children of the Honolulu mission station decided to eat Thanksgiving
dinner together in a room specially decorated for the occasion.

In 1849, the quiet Thanksgiving celebration of transplanted Yankees gave
way to a national Thanksgiving proclaimed by King Kamehameha. . . .

On his first Thanksgiving, King Kamehameha, the queen, the premier and
other officials attended a Thanksgiving recital put on jointly by the
Protestant schools in Hawaii. . . .

The first Thanksgiving was such a success that King Kamehameha
proclaimed more, although not every year. In 1856, he cleverly
proclaimed Thursday, December 25, as Thanksgiving Day, thus enabling New
Englanders to celebrate their traditional holiday on the same day when
English and French traders and seamen celebrated theirs.

Thanksgiving Day as proclaimed by American presidents was for many years
observed by Americans in Hawaii, and by the missionaries and their
congregations. When Hawaii was an independent republic, from 1894 to
1898, President Sanford Dole proclaimed Thanksgiving Day for his
constituents; after Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898,
Hawaiians naturally celebrated Thanksgiving Day with other Americans.

# Yankees Celebrate in California

Page 107

San Francisco witnessed its first Thanksgiving . . . in 1847.