November Colonial Dames Meeting

The November 16, 2013 The Lord Craven Chapter of Colonial Dames held their meeting at the  Hieronymus Seafood Restaurant Blue Room, 5035 Market Street in Wilmington, NC.

Colonial Dames member, Carol Jutte displayed a poster of information about Heraldry & COA at the November Colonial Dames meeting. In the middle of the display panel is one of Carol Jutte's ancestors who did not have a painted COA hanging in Washington, DC headquarters. Carol had the COA painted and it will now hang at NSCDXVIIC Headquarters. The name of Carol's ancestor was Thomas Howys, the painting is of his coat of arms.

 The guest  speaker was Mary Ann Hepler and her workshop was titled "Great Warrior Path." Mary Ann provided an informative and interesting information about the Path that the Indians used coming down from the north to the south and some paths turning east and west.  Often these paths became our paths and eventually our roads. 

Nora Hickam gave a memorial for Mr. Buski who was the genealogist for CDXVIIC at Headquarters who passed away on November 3, 2013. Lord Craven  chapter sent a donation to CDVIIC in memory of Mr. Buski. Visit the web site below for additional information.

http://www.colonialdames17c.org/obituary-of-steven-j-buski-jr.html.

The First Thanksgiving Feast

There is no exact record of when the First Thanksgiving was celebrated, we do know that it was between Sept 21, and Nov. 9,1621 and that it was a 3 day celebration.  We know from 2 quotes some of the foods that were served, cod, sea bass, wildfowl, corn meal and 5 deer, brought by the Indians.  It may not be politically correct to say Indian, but that is what the Pilgrims called the native people.

The most important foods in the English diet were meat, fish and bread, some fruit was eaten, and vegetables were called sallet herbs or roots at that time, and not a favorite of the Pilgrims. Shellfish was plentiful, but was considered poverty food.

The record from the Mayflower tells so there were no animals aboard except for 2 dogs but though they are not listed there were probably goats, chickens, pigs and cats on board. They could use the milk from the goats and some of the eggs from the chickens, the animals were needed to build up stock.

The first Thanksgiving was a secular celebration, it was a Harvest Celebration.  The winter of 1620 had been devastating to the Pilgrims and with the help of the Indians they had had a bountiful harvest.  Fifty Pilgrims and 90 Indians attended the 3 day harvest feast.  Four women had survived the winter, Elizabeth Hopkins, Elinor Billington, Mary Brewster and Susanna Winslow, they oversaw the preparation and cooking of the food with the help of the children and servants.

The people on benches at long tables, the few chairs were taken by the most important men.They ate with knives, a few spoons, no forks, around there necks they wore large napkins, about 36 inches square, they were important as they were used both serve and eat.  It was fine to eat with your fingers, and you could use the corner of your napkin to pick up and eat a piece of hot food with. Wooden trenchers were used as plates and could be share with another person.  Small bowls or cups were used for soup or drinks.

The meal was started with a prayer or “Thanksgiving before Meate”.  The meal was served by the children and servants.  They did not eat meals in courses at we do, all the food was placed on the table, sort of potluck style.  There was not a serving of each dish for everyone. Beverages served would be Beer, by both adults and children, Aqua Vitae or strong waters, and water. 

Our Thanksgiving                                                             Pilgrim Thanksgiving

Turkey                                                               Wildfowl, turkey, ducks, swan and goose

Potatoes                                                              No white potatoes then

Sweet Potatoes                                                    the wealthy had them in England, aphodisac, but                                                                          

                                                                               Pilgrims would not have them

Corn                                                                   Indian corn probably ground into meal for bread

Indian Pudding                                                   No molasses at that time

Cranberries or Craneberries                               used in a stuffing or “pudding in the belly”

Pickles                                                                 pickled cucumbers or cowcumbers were favorites                 

                                                                               of the Pilgrim children

Gravy                                                                   meat was either roasted or boiled.  There was no

                                                                            Wheat flour to thicken a sauce with – they used

                                                                            Bread crumbs or egg yolks to thicken sauces

Apple Pie                                                             no fruit trees at that time

Pumpkin Pie                                                       Pumpkin was cooked with meat in stews

Other Desert                                                       There were native berries, strawberries,                    

                                                                               Blueberries, raspberries, crab apples, and nuts.

                                                                               They were incorporated in dishes, there was

                                                                                Little sugar to make sweet dishes.   

posted by Ruth-Anne Bolz