The Story of the First Thanksgiving

The People at the First Thanksgiving

Pilgrims: There were 53 pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. This number included twenty-two men, thirteen young children, fourteen teenagers, and four married women. Interestingly, all of the pilgrims who were part of the first Thanksgiving were survivors of the Mayflower voyage. By the time the first Thanksgiving occurred, the Mayflower passengers were the only settlers living in New England. The next ship, the Fortune, arrived shortly after the first Thanksgiving.

Indians: According to pilgrim Edward Winston's firsthand account, as written in a letter, there were about ninety Indians who attended the first Thanksgiving. The chief of this particular Indian tribe was Massasoit, which was also disclosed in Winston's letter. The Indians hunted and killed five deer for the feast, which they brought back to share with the pilgrims.

The First Thanksgiving Feast

In the two letters that describe the first Thanksgiving, only a handful of different foods are specifically named. Here is a complete list of the foods mentioned:

Wheat

Indian Corn

Barley

Fowl (including turkey)

Deer

However, according to historical analysis, the pilgrims had a more foods available to them at the time, including traditional Thanksgiving foods such as squashes, pumpkins, leeks and corn meal.

Common Misconceptions

Thanksgiving: A Product of the 19th Century
One of the biggest misconceptions about the first Thanksgiving is that it immediately became an annual tradition. Only a few of the original pilgrims' descendants carried on the tradition and celebrated on December 21, calling it 'Forefather’s Day'. In fact, Thanksgiving did not become a yearly holiday until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday with his Thanksgiving Proclamation.

No Potatoes!
Also, some of the most nostalgic Thanksgiving dinner 'musts' were not present at the first Thanksgiving dinner: There were no potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams (they were not yet introduced to New England), cranberry sauce, or ham!