Thanksgiving - How a Woman from Maine Help Spread the Tradition

A New Englander was partially responsible for the spread of the Thanksgiving holiday in the mid-1800s. Read how Sarah Joseph Hale - remembering her fond memories of Thanksgiving in Maine - helped with the spread of celebrating Thanksgiving.

"The Thanksgiving menu was spread around the country in the 1850s partly by homesick New Englanders bringing their party with them wherever they moved and partly through the efforts of Sarah Joseph Hale, editor of the most influential publication in the country, Godey's Lady's Book. She started using her position to promote the idea of Thanksgiving in the 1840s, and by 1860, the custom had spread to nearly all the states. During the Civil War, she persuaded President Lincoln to declare a national Thanksgiving Day, and the date he chose for it is basically the one we use today.

Hale had fond memories of her family's bountiful Thanksgivings in Maine, and the holiday menu she publicized is still the norm in New England. One thing that may strike people from other parts of the country is the prominence of plain boiled vegetables: boiled turnips, boiled cabbage, boiled onions."

Read the rest of the article in "Thanksgiving, an American meal", The Los Angeles Times, November 18, 2009.

Click here to learn how to enjoy Thanksgiving in Maine.