Did you know that the American Thanksgiving was ‘created’ by a New Hampshire woman? You might have been taught that it was first celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts — Pilgrims and Indians and all that. But that was a one-off observance of an English tradition. The true American Thanksgiving is from New Hampshire.

Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, born in Newport, was a style-maven of the 1800s. She was the editor of the popular Godey’s Ladies’ Book, published in Boston. Hale balanced work demands with raising a family as a single mother — a ‘modern’ woman if ever there was one! She was an influencer with millions of devoted ‘followers’, like the Martha Stuart of her day. In 1827, Hale wrote a novel, Northwood: Life North and South, in which she describes a ‘typical’ upper-middle class New Hampshire family celebrating a Thanksgiving meal.

Starting in 1846, Hale lobbied for a national holiday of Thanksgiving. At that time, such an event was sporadically popular in New England, but Hale thought that the entire nation should celebrate it. During the Civil War, she wrote several letters to President Lincoln urging him to declare such a holiday, in an effort toward national unity. If everyone had a holiday in common, Hale reasoned, then maybe they could agree on bigger issues too. Finally, in 1863, Lincoln decreed “A National Day of Thanksgiving and Praise”, in response to Hale’s urging. That is why the illustration at the top of this page states “They gave us our Thanksgiving Holiday”.

PS: Sarah Josepha Buell Hale also wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb”.

The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted on January 19, 2025. If you click the Subscribe button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month – for free.