River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-11-19
ORIGIN or THANKSGIVING.

Charles A. Goodrich, in his history
ofithe United States, has the following
account Of the origin of a general
Thanksgiving day, mainly condensed
from Robin New England Faith
ers:'
In the year 1929 the Massachusetts,
Company was confirmed by King Char
les in their title to the soil; and at the
same time, received the powers of civil
government. They were Incorporated
by the name OF Governor and Company
of Massachusetts Bay in New Eng
land. Soon after, form of govern
ment for the new colony was settled
Mr.. Endicott, already in the colony,
was appointed Governor.
In August of the same year. it was
determined by the company in England.
that the government, and the patent o
the plantation should be transferred
from London to Massachusetts Bay.
AT the same time new election of Off
GERS for the colony took place. John
Winthrop was chosen governor, and
Thomas Dudley deputy governor. Soon
after their election they sailed with a
large company, some of whom settled
in Chariestown, others in Boston and
in towns adjacent.
On the arrival of Gov Winthrop in
June, who continued from that time to
III Jo.fl tho boad aud fotIa, 81 .l,o
colony, he found the plantation in a
distres ed and suffering state In the
preceding autumn the colony con
tanned about three hundred inhabitants
Eighty of these had died, and a great
part of the survivors were in weak and
sickly state. Their supply of corn was
not sufficient for more than afortnight,
and their other provisions were nearly
exhausted.
In addition to these evils, they were
informed that a combination ofyarious
i. tribes of Indians was forming for the
utter extirpation of the colony, Their
strength was weakness, bat their con-
fidence was in God, and they were not
forsaken. MANY of the planters who
arrived this summer, after long yoY-
ages, were in sickly state, and disease
continued to rage through the season
BY the close Of the year, the number
OF deaths exceeded two hundred
/ Among these were several of the prin-
cipal persons in the colony. Mr. Hig-
/ ginson, the venerable minister OF Salem.
spent about a year with that parent
church and was removed to the church
in glory. His excellent colleague. Mr..
SHELTON did not long survive him
/ Mr. johnson. one of the assistants,
and his lady, who was a great patrOneSS
Of the settlement, died soon after their
arrival. OF the latter an early histori-
an observes: ''She left an earthly para
disc. in the family of an earldom, to
encounter the sorrows of 4 wilderness,
for the entertainments of q pure wor-
ship in the house of God, and then inn
mediate'v left that wilderness for the
Heavenly Paradise.
The succeeding winter commenced
in December with great severity. Few
Of the houses which had been erected
were comfortable, and the most of
them were miserable coverings. I'm
used to such seventies of climate, the
poor people suffered severely
from the cold. Many were
frozen to death. The Inconvenience
of their Accommodations increased the
\ diseases which continued to prevail
among them.
But their constancy had not vet been
brought to the last trial During the
continuance Of the severe season, their
stock of provisions began to fail. Those
,trbC 11yapfpI warn cI1,,t,liaI those
who possessed, as long as any continu-
ed. A poor man came to the governor
to complain and was informed that the
last loaf of his house was in the oven
Many subsisted upon shell-fsh. ground
nuts, and acorns which, at that season
could not have been procured but with
the utmost difficulty.
In consideration of their perilous
condition, the sixth day Of February
was appointed for dav of
public fasting and prayer, to ask de
livcrance from God. On the fifth of
February, the day before the appointed
fast, the ship Lion. which had been sent
to England for supplies, arrived. lad
ened with provisions She had had
/ stormy passage, and rode amidst heavy
drifts of ice. after entering the harbor.
These provisions were distributed
among the people, according to their
necessities and their appointed fast was
exchanged for day of General
! Thanksgiving.
/ Thus in the deliverance of The people
! from dire distress originated the New
/ England Thanksgiving. which soon
come to be an annual observance, held
at different seasons of the year, till il
/ finally settled down to be observed in
the autumn after the gathering in of
4 the harvests; and custom has. at last,
designated the last Thursday in Novem-
Der as the general Thanksgiving day.
| The custom of observing an annual
day of Thanksgiving spread gradually
but slowly into other states outside of
those of New England until. finally, a
national day of Thanksgiving came to
be habitually proclaimed, by the chief
executive of the nation. followed by
the proclamations of nearly all
the governors of the states. A few
only, of the Southern states still hold
1aipof from cooperation in this general
observance, by the neglect of their exc
cutives to issue formal proclamations
recommending to the people Il recog-
milton of the day and custom.
Some are inclined to deny that this
Thanksgiving observance is distinctive
" of New England origin. but the /.
historic fact remains. The Boston Her /
aid denies the accuracy of the current /
belief that the custom is a Yankee no
ton, established by the Pilgrim fathers /
at Plymouth 1t claims TO have dis
covered that the earliest service Of this !.
kind was held by Church of England /
men, the Popham colony, who landed /
upon Monheg9n, near The KeEne- /
bee, in 1907. The Pilgrims lid
celebrate feast in 1921. the year al
ter the landing at Plymouth, but it was
in the nature of carousal with no
element of religious observance about
it, Another Thanksgiving was celebrat- /
ed in 1923 in the month of July, but +
after this nothing more is heard of such /
an observance at Plymouth for. nearly
fifty wears It found revival in 1868
again in 1859, on the accession Of WILL /
IAN and MARY, and again in 1890. I
Next year the Plymouth colony was
merged into Massachusetts. In +
Massachusetts Thanksgiving was held +
at Boston in 1880, and in the next half +
century about a score more were held, +
mostly in special reference to some +
special events From 1861 till the Revo- I
luton there was thanksgiving nearly
every year The traditional notion /
that tho Npw Enplond pconlp from