The Wilkes Team

Make this a time of remembering, with the whole family, what the Thanksgiving Holiday represents.

Do you have an article, fact, activity, or recipie that would be a blessing to us all? Please click here to submit. We would love to know how your family remembers and celebrates this important day.

INTRODUCTION HISTORY ACTIVITIES

FACTS POEMS & QUOTES RECIPIES

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Introduction to a Blessed Thanksgiving Celebration
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Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. Ezra 8:21-22 Verses used by Pastor John Robinson in his farewell address to the Mayflower Pilgrims

Numbering less than a couple hundred among the thousands in England, the Pilgrims of the 1600s were the subject of mmense persecution and the king’s direct attacks. King James was determined to induce submission to his regime or he’d harry them out of the land. The future looked bleak for this small devoted body. What inspired them onward? What gave birth to courage amidst great fear? It was the unchanging principles, promises, and truths of God’s Word. Emboldened by these, they reached out by faith unto their Heavenly Father, they opened their mouth wide and God sufficiently filled, they were lead up upon the high Rock.

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History of the Pilgrims
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Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

O Come, let us sing unto th eLord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods (Ps. 95:1-3)

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destrucction within the yborders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Is. 60:18)

We have a call upon us to Thanksgiving. Unto the One who has given us manifold blessings, may we not forget to render the thanks due unto His name. May this be a day of great rejoicing in each home across the nation. As our founding fathers below remind us, this is to be a day of prayer, praise, and penitence. May the simple realization of how greatly the hand of Providence has blessed us draw us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. Happy Thanksgiving all! The below excerpts from Thanksgiving Proclomations would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving celebration.

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Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclomation

…No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union….

Excerpt from President Lincoln’s official Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863. This was given shortly after Lincoln’s salvation.

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George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclomation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;….Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence….And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;….and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

President George Washington, October 3, 1789

Read the entire proclamation here.

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John Hancock’s Thanksgiving Proclomation

Whereas it is the incumbent duty of communities, as well as individual persons…. to recollect the innumerable blessings conferred upon them by their all gracious Father and Benefactor; and as the season of the year is now approaching when – in imitation of the example of our venerable forefathers – a day has been invariably set apart for this laudable and religious purpose:

I … accordingly appoint Thursday, the twenty-fifth day of November next, to be observed as a day of public thanksgiving and praise throughout this Commonwealth, hereby calling upon ministers and people of every denomination to assemble on the said day and … render to God the tribute of praise for His unmerited goodness towards us: in favoring us with so great a measure of health; in preserving us from desolating judgments; in so far smiling upon our trade, our liberty, and the works of our hands; …[and] in continuing to us the innocent enjoyments of social life, the means of religion, the right of private judgment, and the Holy Scriptures – which are able to enlighten and make us wise to eternal salvation…
And… it is highly becoming that we present our humble and penitent supplications to the God of all grace that He would be pleased mercifully to forgive our manifold sins., and through the sanctifying influences of His Spirit, correct our heart and manners and make us a holy and happy people; that He would be pleased to preserve to us our invaluable rights and liberties, civil and religious; to prosper the administration of the government of the United
States, and of this and other States in the Union;… to smile upon our university and all seminaries of learning so that streams may issue from them to make glad the city of our God; … to put an end to civil and religious invasions on the rights of men; and to cause the benign religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be known, understood, and practiced among all the inhabitants of the earth…

John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

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• Gratefully Remembering (History of Thanksgiving) – Part 1

The Thanksgiving season demands a twofold response from us Americans. First, a response of gratefulness; Gratefulness to what God has given us and what he has done in and through this nation, the United States of America. The second response is remembering. Remembering what God did in our past, His Providential Hand working in the lives of individuals, and what those individuals had to go through to make what we have to day possible.

Let us now enter into the spirit of the thanksgiving season by gratefully remembering what our forefathers accomplished, endured, and sacrificed.

During the early 1600’s, Living in small villages about the borders of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, England, was a small band of Christian reformers. The majority of them were yeoman; owners of small parcels of land which they diligently farmed and worked on. To the world at large they were insignificant. But God was preparing them to be the foundation blocks which future generations would build upon.

They had a true desire to, live their lives biblically and godly, follow Christ commands, and have true unity one with another. These desires implanted in them by God, caused them to separate from England’s state church. For it was downright impossible to fulfill their desires and still attend a church which they perceived was full of evil and hypocrisy. This resulted in much persecution. For you see, the King did not perceive their action from the same perspective. Consequently he utilized harsh measures to try forcing them into obedience to his laws.

These Christian reformers, also called separatist (because of their separating from the state Church), and later called Pilgrims, were divided into two different assemblies, each shepherded by a different Pastor. One, as time went on, fell apart and never recovered. The other, however, Pastored by John Robinson, continued on, meeting in Elder William Brewster House every Sunday for worship. This went on for years until persecution reached such levels that William Brewster lost his house, and the other Separatists were being watched incessantly. Consequently, they resolved to leave their native country as soon as possible and head to the Netherlands. Where they aniticipated, according to what they heard, a land in which there was religious freedom.

• Gratefully Remembering (History of Thanksgiving) - Part 2

After many unsuccessful attempts, because of governmental interference, the pilgrims finally arrived in Holland. Deciding to preside in the city of Leyden, the pilgrims for the first time began to experience true religious freedom. Nevertheless, though escaping the persecutions in England they began to experience a whole new type of trials and difficulties in the pleasure seeking land of Holland. After eleven or twelve years of living in Leyden, the pilgrim leaders began to see a need for transplanting and their eyes kept being directed to the land far over the Atlantic Ocean—America. There were many reasons for this conclusion. 1. They saw their children becoming lukewarm “…were led by evil example in dangerous courses, getting the reins off their necks and leaving their parents.” * 2. The hard physical labor was hastening many of the pilgrims to quicker deaths. 3. “They cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundation, or at least of making someway towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ…”* these reasons with many other embolden them to begin the undertaking.
It took 3 to 4 years for this undertaking to actually begin. The English government kept throwing, obstacles and difficulties in the form of agreements, contracts, and charters, which greatly retarded their progress. The Pilgrims didn’t grow weary through this time but continued depending upon Christ for strength. What joy they had when the day finally arrived to actually embark on ships and begin their journey. The ships they sailed on were the Mayflower and Speedwell. Yet only after a short journey the captain of the speedwell complained of leaks and stated he had to return. This led to a dividing of the already small number of pilgrims to the point where there was only 41. After the speedwell left, the 41 pilgrim, with sailors, and another 61 adventures, settled on the Mayflower for the crossing of the Atlantic. Their journey was full of many privations and difficulties. Nevertheless they trusted in their God and depended upon him. God proved himself worthy of their trust, like he always has and always will and he brought them safely through.  After 66 days they safely arrived in the Cape Cod bay of New England.

William Bradford gloriously captures their response to what they had gone through and to what was to come in his journals.  It manifests the great foundation blocks they laid for us; ones which we can’t allow to be destroyed and which must be applied to every aspect of life.

“…What could the see but a desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men”…If they looked behind them, there was the mighty ocean which they had passed and was now a gulf separating them from all civilized parts of the world. What then could now sustain them but the spirit of God, and His grace? Ought not the children of their fathers rightly to say: Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness: but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity….Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever. Yea let them that have been redeemed of the Lord show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered forth in the desert-wilderness, out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men!”*

* Excerpts taken from The Plymouth Settlement by William Bradford.

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• John Tilley (1571-1620)
  

Here was a man of humble beginnings and an abrupt end. Little is known of his accomplishments in life; but with little doubt, Mr. Tilley recognized hand of God at work. He was the eldest of 8 children and lived in the small town of Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. He married his wife Joan in 1596. They had 6 children together and saw 5 of them reach adulthood.

As a part of the Seperatist movement, the Tilley family underwent much persecution. Their faithful Pastor John Robinson inspired the often weary, but visionary souls of the pilgrims. When the time came for the pilgrims to leave the continent of Europe, John Tilley, his wife, and youngest daughter Elizabeth joined 41 pilgrims on the long 60+ day voyage.

He was one of 41 men to sign the Mayflower Compact aboard the battered ship. Little did he understand the legacy he took part in leaving to the world by his signature. Sadly, both Mr. & Mrs. Tilley passed away the first bitter, cold winter that claimed nearly half of the 102 Mayflower passangers. Parentless, young Elizabeth Tilley went to live with Rev. & Mrs. Carver only to be turned out once again when this dear couple passed away the following year. Nevertheless, God had His hand upon the orphaned child and providentially orchestrated a marriage between her and John Howland.

As the upcoming report on John Howland will reveal, their marriage would eventually impact the lives of those living in the 21st generation today. John Tilley had every right to live a comfortable life as a member of the Churc of England. He could of even stayed in the careless town of Leyden, Holland where worship of God was tolerated by the government but undermined by the culture. Praise the Lord; however, that this Patriarch of faith with a multi-generational vision stayed the course.

Herein is one who, “…overcame…by the blood of the Lamb,… the word of his testimony; and loved not his life unto the death (Rev. 12:11). This legacy was passed on to his daughter Elizabeth who left, within her will, this charge to her children, “It is my will and charge to all my children that they walke in ye feare of ye Lord and in Love and Peace towards each other.”

• John Howland (1599 – 1673)

John was born in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England. At the age of twenty-one, he was employed by John Carver and shortly thereafter made the 66 day trip to America aboard the Mayflower. As many will recall, Rowland was the one who ventured above deck amidst a horrific storm,  that lasted well nigh 2 weeks. Peeking aboved the rancid room below, the boat, which was riding up a large wave, came crashing down leaving pour John in midair and within moments the raging ocean. Despite evident disobedience, the Providential hand of God was upon him and a trailing topsail halyard from the boat came fluttering by to which John quickly grasped.

John Rowland was one of 41 men to sign the Mayflower Compact. Sadly, the original copy of this document was lost and the sole reason those fundamental words were not loast is due to the journal of William Bradford (never underestimate the powerful potential of journaling). After the establishment of the new government, John went ashore with a small group of men to explore the shores of Cape Cod.

Through what can only be attributed to diligence and dependability, Howland rose to a position of great respect and responsibility in Plymouth. He was called upon to be assistant to the Governor, served as a member of many Plymouth committees, was placed in charge of the Colony’s fur trading post at Kennebec, Maine, and was an influential member of the Plymouth Church. Seeing a need to owe no man anything and to be free from future problems, the pilgrims asked Howland for assistance in buying out the businessmen who had bankrolled the settlement of Plymouth. Howland was a ready, willing vessel through whom God was able to work powerfully.

In 1624, John (age 25), described as a ‘plain good-hearted Christian,’ married 17 year old Elizabeth Tilley. They went on to raise 10 children  (4 sons & 6 daughters) through adulthood. Rowland understood the responsilibity of passing on the baton to the next generation. This is seen in the positions of leadership that his sons took in Plymouth. 400 years later, the influence of Rowland continues to affect the United States through his direct decendents: President George Bush, George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Jeb Bush, and many more. He also assisted his brothers (namely Henry & Arthur Howland) in coming to New England. Their direct decendants include Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Winston Churchhill.

Howland died on February 23rd, 1673, and was “with honour interred”. This was given only to the leaders of the Colony, and meant that a squad of soldiers fired a volley over his grave. He is described in the records as a “godly man and an ardent professor in the ways of Christ.”

Was he perfect? By no means. However, herein was one who chose to follow the principles and paths of Christ. In 1620, 41 Pilgrims willingly climbed aboard the Mayflower, leaving left behind fortune, fame, and comfort to insulate themselves and posterity unto the increase of Jesus Christ.

We have a similar decision before us. The world we live in continues to embrace evil. I do not believe God is calling us to physically leave our wicked culture, but rather to willing climb aboard the Mayflower of separation and to prepare to be leaders and possibly martyrs. Let us not see how close we can come to the world but chose rather to be Godly and ardent professors in the ways of Christ. God has called us to be different. We are pilgrims on a heavenbound journey. And remember, you may be an influential John Rowland or a seemingly insignificant John Tilley, but both were used by God to impact our culture because of faithfulness.

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Thanksgiving Day Activities
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• Placing 5 kernels of corn on each plate in memory of suffering of the Pilgrims.
• Go around the table and have each person express one thing they are grateful for (of course we all should be able to go on and on as we count our many blessings, but we would not want the turkey to go cold).
• Prepare a small edible gift with a little Happy Thanksgiving label featuring a Scripture Verse & note of appreciation for your neighbors. We have found this to be a huge blessing, especially at Thanksgiving when no one expects such things.
• Have different family members conduct a short research on one of the Pilgrim era characters (we have a list of 100 or so). America is quickly forgetting who her true heroes were. William Bradford’s own journal of Plymouth provides dozens and dozens of names (both popular and unheard of). Some will dress up as the character for their presentation, others will read a short essay, and there may even be a short skit. It certainly makes for a memorable afternoon or evening.
• Have a turkey hunt for the younger children. With a straight stick, a piece of rope, and several smaller sticks, you can have your very own ’close range’ archery set. Daddy goes and hides a pre-made cardboard turkey(s) in the yard and lets the hunters lose!
• Make your very own, edible turkey.
• Prepare and play pin the beard on the turkey (same rules as pin the tail on the donkey.
• Read the account of the Pilgrims as told in the “Light and the Glory for Children.” We have done this many times over the years. This particular account captures the sacrifice and Providential hand of God amongst the Pilgrims.
• Draw a picture. Several people in our family have looked all over the place for nice Thanksgiving pictures. Here are some of their favorites. Click on the picture to print off a small format or click here for larger pictures.

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Important Dates & Facts to know
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• July 22nd, 1620 – the Pilgrims depart from Delftshaven, Holland in the Speedwell to pick up the Mayflower in Southampton, England. The Speedwell was to be the vessel left behind for the Pilgrims’ use in America once the Mayflower returned. Both ships leave August 5th.
• September 6th, 1620 – After leaving the leaky Speedwell behind, the Pilgrims leave Plymouth, England and officially begin their 66 day, westward journey.
• Number of passengers: 41 Pilgrims from the Scrooby church, 18 indentured servants, and the remainder being financial opportunists and adventurers for a total of 102.
• Winter of 1620-1621 – nearly half of Mayflower travelers die.
• Fall of 1621 – The very first Thanksgiving Feast – 2007 is the 386th Anniversary
• 1622 – The Plymouth settlement residents are reduced to only a 1/4 pound of bread per day for a portion of the year.
• 1623  – Once again, the Pilgrims are reduced to only 5 kernels of corn per person/day for a period of time before provisions were obtained.
• The tradition of placing five kernels of corn at each plate first started at Plymouth on Forefather’s Day, 22nd Dec. 1820 on the occasion of the Bi-Centennial of the Landing of the Pilgrims.  Hosting the occasion was the newly founded Pilgrim Society with guest speaker, Daniel Webster.
• 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln issues an official Thanksgiving proclomation that is then continued by every subsequent president until 1941 when the 4th Thursday of every November became a National Thanksgiving holiday.

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Poems, Quotes, & More
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• A goal of the Pilgrim’s expedition across the Atlantic as recorded in William Bradford’s journal:

“‘Lastly, (and which was not least), a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.”

• A very touching poem that well depicts what the Pilgrims went through. Read this with passion, envisioning the suffering of our forefathers – prepare to be touched.

Five Kernels of Corn by Hezekiah Butterworth

‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”

O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

• The song below was sung onboard the Mayflower prior to leaving the ship within Cape Cod Bay. Click here to print the music or to here the tune. For slightly different words and rythm, click here.

“Old Hundredth”
Also titled: “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
(Sing to the tune of the Doxology)

1. All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

2. The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

3. O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

4. For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

• A Thanksgiving Day Prayer/Poem

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
–Mary Fairchild
George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclomation

John Hancock’s Thanksgiving Proclomation

The Mayflower Compact

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Scrum-dilly-licious Thanksgiving Recipies
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• Honey Corn Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teasponn salt
2 eggs 1 cup whipping cream (millke is fine too)
¼ cup oil (vegetable or saflour)
¼ cup honey

In a blwo, combine four, cornmeal, sugar baking powder, and salt. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add cream, oil, and honey; beat well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yield: 9 servings.

We always double this recipe and put in a 10”x15” pan.

• Lime Gelatin Salad

1 package (6 oz) lime flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla exract
1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup lemon-lime soda
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

Dissolve gelatin in water. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in gelatin g mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla, oranges, pineapple, soda, and pecans. Chill until mixture mounds lightly when dropped from a spoon. Fold in three fourths of the whipped topping. Pour in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm. Cut into squared; garnish with remaining whipped topping. Yield: 16-20 servings.

Usually, we omit the pecans and do not cut into squares but either prepare it in a large bowl or leave it uncut in the 13×9x2 pan

• Home-Made Fruit Turkeys – Click here for all the details!

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