Arizona republican., 1901-12-15
THANKSGIVING IN ALBANY.
A Pioreer Pirate of the New England
 Festival.

Albany is especially identified with Thanksgiving. as 1t was here that the idea of carrying the celebration out side of the New England states, and so spreading it through the country, was first conceived. After John Jay came to reside here as governor of the state in 1796. one of the first acts was to call his friends and advisers around him and consult with them as to estab- fishing the celebration of the feast of Thanksgiving in the state of New York in accordance with the custom in the New England states. At that period there was but little. brotherly love between the New Workers and the Yankees. and the project was so strongly opposed by those who con demned -"eastern notions and inven- tions" that Governor Jay dropped the matter and never repeated his efforts.
 In 1S17. however. the Tanks and the Knickcrbockers had become thorough ly identified and Governor De Witt Clinton, taking advantage of the fact. issued a proclamation in the autumn of that year designating November 13 to be observed as a day of public thanks giving and prayer. The citizens of AL bany, the people of New York state and Governor Clinton himself had particu- lar reasons to be thankful to Provi- dence in that year. and this fact may. have led tc the governor proclaimlng the festival and to it's hearty accept ance by the people.
 The Thanksgiving observed on No vember 13. 1877, in accordance with the proclamation of Governor Clinton, was not. however. the first Thanksgiving celebrated in the city of Albany. In the celebration of that day was an echo for Albanians of Thanksgiving celebrated by their Dutch ancestors al- most two centuries before Thanksgiv ings of purely Dutch origin. The first recorded day of Thanksgiving observed in Albany was in 1645, fifteen years after kiliaen Van Rensselaer, had pur- chased the lands around Albany from the Indians and established the colony of Beverwyck. For some years after it's settlement. the province of New Netherlands had suffered from out breaks and incursions of the Indians which kept the settlers in constant dread and peril. ID 16i5, mainly through the efforts of Arendt Van Corlear. the patroon's representative at Albany, a treaty of peace was for Tnally concluded with the Indians. Gov ernor Stuyvesant thereupon issued the following proclamation, which was the first Thanksgiving proclamation pub
 
 New York:
 Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God. in his unbounded clemency and mercy, in addition to many previous blessings. to suffer US to reach q long wished for peace with the Indians: s
 Therefore. is it deemed necessary to proclaim the fact 10 all the inhabitants of New Netherlands, to the end that in all places within the aforesaid country where Dutch and English churches are stablished. God Almighty may be es- pecially thanked, praised and blessed. on next Wednesday forenoon, being the sixth of September. the text to be appropriate and the sermon to be ap- plicable thereto"
 A copy of this proclamation was sent to Dominic Megapolensis in Rens- selser-wyck. accompanied with this order: Your reverence will please an- nounoe this matter to the people of the congregation next Sunday. SO that they may have notice On which we rely" Albany Argus.