The First ‘Harvest Thanksgiving’
1620 The Mayflower
Separatist ‘Saints’ & Strangers
Our 9th great-grandfather George SOULE Sr., was a printer apprentice under Edward Winslow, as such, he was involved with the printing of Calderwood’s book ‘Perth Assembly’ by Brewster and his associates in Leyden. King James I was very irate after this publication, causing all involved to go into hiding or flee. They fled to the New World.
George SOULE arrived at Plymouth Rock among the Separatist ‘Saints‘, aboard The Mayflower. He was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, It was the first legal social contract composed and signed in the New World, The “Mayflower Compact” was signed on 11 November 1620 aboard the Mayflower, shortly after she came to anchor in Provincetown Harbor.
As we have our Thanksgiving Feast we are reminded of him and the hardships he had endured. The Religious persecutions from which he fled, and the hardships of the first Winter here in the New World.
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As we gave thanks for all our Blessings, and the multitude of foods available to us, We, would reflect on the foods available for the 'First Thanksgiving'.
- Turkey, they hunted wild fowl
- They foraged woodlands for plentiful Nuts.
- They grew corn/maize, beans, squash, pumpkins.
- Thus our Menu: Turkey; Cornmeal & Chestnut Stuffing, they did have Nuts. -they would have made cornmeal porridge or a pottage with cornmeal in it.
- They would not have had potatoes, mashed or otherwise, nor yams.
- They did have Succotash (Narragansett sohquttahhash)
- They had onions, they grew them and foraged wild onions, but they would not have been creamed.
- They would have had squashes, but not the tomatoes.
- They did not have cranberries, pineapples, radishes, and olives.
- They did not have wheat, so they did not have bread, rolls or pie crusts. They could have had a flat cornbread. They had no butter or cream.
- They did not have Pumpkin pie, but stewed pumpkin.
Our Family's Traditional Feast: Roasted Turkey with Cornbread Chestnut Stuffing; Mashed Potatoes with Gravy; Yams, Mashed or Candied with Nuts; Succotash; Mixed Squashes, baked, maybe w Tomatoes; Creamed Pearl Onions; Poppy's Cranberry-Pineapple Relish; Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce; Relish dish of Radishes, Scallions, and Olives; Fresh Baked Bread / Rolls and Butter; Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie; Ice Cream or Whipped Cream; Eggnog and Mulled Spiced Wine
Thank you for stopping by,
I hope you join me on my journey, as I recount many things from my past, and explore the many other creative possibilities in my future. – OmaEagle
❤ I would love to hear back from you.
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Oma Eagle 