Amuse-bouche – a tiny bite of what is to come before a formal dinner. I have a feeling our featured historical figure was no tiny bite.
Sarah Josepha Hale (1788 – 1879) was born in New Hampshire, but spent much of her life in Boston and Philadelphia. She was widowed at a young age and put her mind to supporting her family via writing. She was a published poet and the editor of the first woman’s magazine. While she was an advocate for women’s education (she was a financial backer of Vassar College) and property rights, she opposed suffrage. In her lifetime, she was probably most famous for being the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Edgar Allan Poe were all published in Godey’s. However, Hale is probably most famous to us as the writer behind Mary Had a Little Lamb.
In addition to writing, editing and helping set up women’s educational institutions, Sarah J. Hale became a one-woman campaign pushing a set date for the Thanksgiving celebration. Hale believed that a single date would bring the nation together, united by a quiet day of reflection and shared meals. She petitioned Abraham Lincoln to choose a date, which he did in 1863, setting Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving in Dallas was a religious affair, with special services being held throughout the denominations. Published in subsequent years were special thanks being given for a lack of war, lack of diseases, plentiful crops, and good rainfall. While churches held special services, they might also hold a big community dinner. Thanksgiving banquets and dances were not unheard of at the time, sometimes being given in a private home but often in a public space. Turkeys being served at all of these events are mentioned in several newspaper articles.
So, while I am giving you side-eye about the right to vote thing, I appreciate all the other things you supported and accomplished in your life, Sarah Josepha Hale.
Like your women sassy, well-educated and votey? Join the tour!
