Monday, November 23, 2009

a little history lesson


Who will you have around your table this Thanksgiving? How would you like to cook for 53 people this year? Actually, maybe some of you are cooking for that many people. I won't be. At least I don't think I will be.

Anyway, consider the very first Thanksgiving in our country. From www.pilgrimhall.org I copied this guest list of that first memorable meal.

4 MARRIED WOMEN : Eleanor Billington, Mary Brewster, Elizabeth Hopkins, Susanna White Winslow.
5 ADOLESCENT GIRLS : Mary Chilton (14), Constance Hopkins (13 or 14), Priscilla Mullins (19), Elizabeth Tilley (14 or15) and Dorothy, the Carver's unnamed maidservant, perhaps 18 or 19.
9 ADOLESCENT BOYS : Francis & John Billington, John Cooke, John Crackston, Samuel Fuller (2d), Giles Hopkins, William Latham, Joseph Rogers, Henry Samson.
13 YOUNG CHILDREN : Bartholomew, Mary & Remember Allerton, Love & Wrestling Brewster, Humility Cooper, Samuel Eaton, Damaris & Oceanus Hopkins, Desire Minter, Richard More, Resolved & Peregrine White.
22 MEN : John Alden, Isaac Allerton, John Billington, William Bradford, William Brewster, Peter Brown, Francis Cooke, Edward Doty, Francis Eaton, [first name unknown] Ely, Samuel Fuller, Richard Gardiner, John Goodman, Stephen Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Lester, George Soule, Myles Standish, William Trevor, Richard Warren, Edward Winslow, Gilbert Winslow
.

Quite a guest list, huh?

These people had a lot to be thankful for. They were the remaining survivors of the Mayflower after a harsh winter in a strange country. The natives had been friendly and even helped them to find food.

In the words of William Bradford, author of Of Plymouth Plantation:

"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."

I hope you enjoyed your history class today. :) For homework, find interesting facts about that first Thanksgiving so long ago.

Until next time...

3 comments:

Celee said...

I'll try to complete my assignment:) I did read Mayflower last summer and thought it was so interesting. Maybe I can find a good quote from that.

Anita said...

Hi! We have been studying the Pilgrims these last couple of weeks and today finished reading Eating Their Plates (I think that's the title, but I'm to tired to get up to check). I am thinking about cooking up some of the recipes in their for dinner tomorrow or Wed. Too chicken to try it out for our actual Thanksgiving dinner!!

Thanks for commenting on my blog....with 9 children I am sure you have to make every moment count, so I really do appreciate it! Yes! You do live in a beautiful spot. We really enjoyed our time in Gatlinburg last month. Alewine pottery was on my list, but we didn't make it. So many places to see! I think next time I want to stay farther out, maybe in Townsend. If we ever make it up again we will have to meet up with you and with Kimberly at raising olives. She is in Knoxville. It really is a small world, isn't it?

Carin said...

Great lesson for today. It's neat learning about the people that were sitting around the table that first Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful day.