The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-12-07
THE ORIGIN OF
THANKSGIVING DAY.
National Observance Began in the
Revolution.
TURKEY AND PIE ESSENTIAL
Curious Customs Prevail In Different
u Sections OF United States Shoot
ing Matches in SOuth-Not OBJ
served PiOusiy.

The observance of a national
day Of thanksgiving had its origin
in the gloomy days Of the Revolu-
tionary war, when, because of
some signal victory, the Coutinen-
tai Congress recommended days of
rejoicing. Eight such festivals
are recorded. They came in April,
May, July and December, and
with one exception Congress sus-
pended business on the days ap-
pointed.
Long before the American Revo-
luton, however, the custom had
prevailed in the New England
States and Canada OF having
Thanksgiving Days, but these
came at no fixed time. The first
Thanksgiving held in North
America was conducted by an Eng
lish preacher named Wolfall, in
1873, on the shores Of NewGound-
land. The record the observance
is preserved in the log of the Ayde,
which carried the first English
colony under Frobisher to those
shores. Communion was had
and all thanked God for his pro-
lection during the voyage.
The first recorded observance Of
thanksgiving service in what is
now the United States was held by
the Popham colony at Sagadahoc,
on the coast Of Maine.
The service lasted only a few
hours, and the remainder of the
day was given over to business,
but in 1921, Governor Bradford,
the first executive of the Massachu-
sets Colony, proclaimed a whole
day ofthanksgiving, December IS,
in gratitude for the abundant har-
vest of that year.
This day, too, marked the ap
pearance of the turkey as the prin-
cipal factor in the observance of a
feast which has since become a
national event. Governor Brad
ford sent four men for game, and
they returned with sufficient wild
turkeys to victual the colony
week.
From this on until the Revolu-
ton the New England colonies
alone observed Thanksgiving day,
usu ally choosing the latter part of
August, as the harvest had then
been gathered.
Probably the most interesting
and most insignificant Thanksgiv-
ing was the one observed accord
ing to proclamation issued by
President Washington in thankful
commemoration for the adoption
of the Constitution. One of the
Representatives from Virginia,
however, recommended that lit
might be well to wait for some ex-
perienee of the efficiency Of the
Constitution before returning
thanks for it." The original manu-
script of this proclamation is now
preserved by the family of. w.
Wellman, of New Hampshire.
Several Presidents followed the
example set by Washington, but
for the most part the matter was
left entirely with the governors
Of the states to determine whether
there was to be a Thanksgiving
and when it should be observed.
The credit of the national OBJ
servance is largely due to Mrs.
Sarah J. Hale, who went from
Boston to Philadelphia to edit
Godey's Lady's Book. She was
astonished to find that the great
New England festival was almost
unknown in the Quaker City, and
2 many other places. According
80 she wrote letters to the Cover
nors of all the states and territories
suggesting that the last Thursday
in November be set aside as a State
holiday, This the did every year,
until in 1859 all but two states
had acceded to her request.
During the civil war the observ-
ance was dis continued in many of
the Southern States, where the
Puritan custom had only weak
follow ing. because of the distrre+