- NEWS RELEASE-
The First Thanksgiving in America
Edwardsville, IL. November 1, 2014- Vicki Rolens, Managing Director of the Federation of American Consumers and Travelers (FACT) has researched information about Virginia plantations for consumers, especially history buffs, planning vacations.
If you are planning a vacation to celebrate at the site of the first Thanksgiving, don’t head for Massachusetts! Contrary to popular belief, the first official Thanksgiving was held December 4, 1619 at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia. This was almost two years before the Pilgrims observed Thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621.
In 1931, Dr. Lyon Tyler, the son of John Tyler (the 10th President of the United States) and retired president of William & Mary College, discovered by accident the documentation of the first Thanksgiving in the Nibley Papers. The Nibley Papers were written from 1609 to 1622 by the Historian of the Berkeley family and Berkeley Castle in England to record the settlement of Virginia. In an interesting side note, John Tyler’s grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, is still alive and lives close to Berkeley Plantation at Sherwood Forest. His brother is still living in Tennessee. Sherwood Forest is the only presidential home to have been continuously occupied and maintained by a president’s descendants. President Tyler named the plantation Sherwood Forest because he considered himself an outlaw politician. Both John Tyler and his son, Lyon Tyler, married a second time late in their lives to younger women and had more children. It is amazing to think that the grandsons of President Tyler, who was born in 1790 during George Washington’s presidency, are still alive in 2014!
Berkeley Plantation, in addition to being the site of the first Thanksgiving, is also the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States. It is also the ancestral home of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. The long history of this plantation begins in 1619 and continues today. The poignant bugle call “Taps” was composed in July, 1862 at Berkeley Plantation while it was occupied during the Civil War by Union forces. General Daniel Butterfield with the help of his brigade bugler, Oliver Norton, replaced the signal “To Extinguish Lights” with the beautiful “Taps” that we all recognize today.
This area is a history buff’s paradise. Not only are the plantations of Edgewood, Westover, and Shirley nearby, but so is America’s Historic Triangle. Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English settlement in 1606, Colonial Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia colony from 1699, and Yorktown, the final battleground of the American Revolution, are linked by the scenic 23 mile Colonial Parkway. Downtown Richmond, the capital of Virginia and once the capital of the Confederacy, is only 25 miles from Berkeley Plantation while Williamsburg is approximately 30 miles away. Anyone who is interested in learning about our country’s amazing journey to freedom will find a feast of historic sites within a short distance.
For more information: www.berkeleyplantation.org www.sherwoodforest.org www.charlescity.org www.jamesriverplantations.org http://historicjamestowne.org www.colonialwillaimsburg.com
This news release has been issued by the Federation of American Consumers and Travelers (FACT), a consumer organization formed under the not-for-profit laws of the District of Columbia in 1984. FACT serves more than 1 million consumers nationwide. Additional information on FACT may be found in the Encyclopedia of Associations, and by visiting the association’s Web site (www.usafact.org). Informative, unbiased news bulletins are regularly disseminated by FACT to help its members remain current on matters which might seriously impact their lives. The association does not offer support to – and does not receive support from – any political party or movement. In addition to publishing consumer-related reports, the association provides more than 30 benefits for members, ranging from medical insurance and dental discounts to prescription drug savings and scholarships. FACT’s administrative office is located at 318 Hillsboro Avenue, Edwardsville, IL 62025.