Thanksgiving: A Short and Simple History

Celebrations regarded as “Thanksgivings” took place in Texas, Florida, and Canada in the late 16^th century. A 1619 charter in Jamestown, Virginia declared the necessity for an annual Thanksgiving. Although there were prior Thanksgivings, the pilgrims in Plymouth Colony celebrated what is considered the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621. This was more like the fifth Thanksgiving. The reason this Thanksgiving receives the attention is probably because two primary sources survived, thinks to William Bradford and Edward Winslow, so we actually know some details, while we know very little about the other Thanksgivings.    
 
Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony involved 53 pilgrims, about 100 Native Americans and three days of feasting. The ingredients consisted of deer, various birds including wild turkeys, fish, eel, corn, pumpkin, cranberries, and whatever fruits and vegetables they acquired from the harvest.
 
In some ways, today’s version of Thanksgiving remained quite similar to the “First Thanksgiving.” The men helped with the hunting and gathering, while the women prepared the food for consumption. The menu included turkey as well as local, seasonal, and traditional dishes. Besides celebrating the harvest and giving thanks, the feasts purpose included soothing rocky diplomatic relationships between the colonists and the Native Americans, similar to spending time with in-laws and extended family today.     
 
Thanksgivings were not celebrated annually, but rather religious leaders and early American presidents declared a Thanksgiving when they felt it necessary. George Washington became the first American president to declare a Thanksgiving to be held November 26, 1789.  In 1863 Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated the last Thursday in November. In an effort to extend the holiday shopping season and boost the economy, Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, Liberia celebrates on the first Thursday in November, the Norfolk Islands celebrate the last Wednesday in November, and Japan celebrates annually on November 23. Having a harvest feast, or dinner to celebrate being grateful for abundance probably happened long before people colonized the United States of America, but the spanning influence concerning how the holiday is celebrated internationally cannot be denied.    

President Obama: My Distant Cousin At Least Twice

One of the particularly neat things about ancestry research is recognizing when you are related to someone significant, such as the president. President Barack Hussein Obama II is my 10^th cousin once removed on my father’s side. Our common ancestor and an immigrant from England, Richard Singletary may have been married to a ‘Goodwife Singletary’ who died ca. 1638 and then to Susanna Cooke. These are President Obama’s 9^th great-grandparents and my 10^th. While President Obama descends from Richard’s oldest son Jonathan, I descend from daughter Eunice, likely the second of seven kids.

           My 10^th and President Obama’s 9^th Great-Grandparents

                    Richard Singletary and Susanna Cooke

Eunice Singletary m. Thomas Eaton        Jonathan Singletary Dunham m. Mary Bloomfield 

Jonathan Eaton m. Sarah Saunders         Benjamin Singletary Dunham m. Mary Rolph

James Eaton m. Rachel Kimball                Jonathan Dunham m. Mary Smith

Enoch Eaton m. Ester Williams                Samuel Dunham m. Hannah

Frazier Eaton m. Lucinda Blakeslee         Jacob Dunham m. Catherine Goodnight

Jesse Eaton m. Elizabeth Locke               Jacob Mackey Dunham m. Louise Eliza Stroup

Mortimer Eaton m. Sophia Weld             Jacob William Dunham m. Mary Ann Kearney

Mable Eaton m. George Mutch               Ralph W.E. Dunham Sr. m. Ruth Lucille Armour

Clarence Mutch m. Bliesner                     Stanley Armour Dunham m. Madelyn Lee Payne

Mutch m. Chapin                                      Ann Stanley Dunham m. Barack Hussein Obama Jr.

Chapin m. Maddox                                    Barack Hussein Obama II m. Michelle Robinson

Me

You may be wondering why Jonathan Singletary Dunham has the last name Dunham when his father’s name was Richard Singletary. I will share with you the various possibilities for that and you will probably still wonder. One claim is that Jonathan’s mother was ‘Goodwife Singletary,’ that her last name was Dunham and he took the name in tribute to her. However, there is no evidence of his mother being a Dunham. His mother might even be Susanna Cooke. Another legend is that Richard Singletary was an heir of the Dunham’s in England, and a nursemaid who had been instructed to kill him as a child had instead brought him to New York where she left him with a ship captain and called him Single-tarry because he was all alone in the New World. The nurse apparently confessed on her death bed. Still one more version of events is that Jonathan had angered puritan leaders in Massachusetts and ticked off some Quakers and when he moved with his wife’s family to Woodbridge, New Jersey, took Dunham as an alias. Based on numerous records it does appear that he generally went by Jonathan Dunham in New Jersey and Jonathan Singletary in Massachusetts. Perhaps the most interesting document is one in which Jonathan Singletary Dunham’s children give him power of attorney over land from Richard and Susanna and nearly the entire family signed their names, Dunham alias Singletary. Subsequent generations of Jonathan Singletary Dunham’s descendants went by Dunham. 

The second way in which I am distant cousins with President Obama is less direct and more complicated. The connecting ancestor in this case is Robert Hinckley, through sons Thomas and Samuel. I descend from Thomas, through his daughter Elizabeth, while President Obama descends from Samuel, through his daughter Susannah. 

When Thomas Hinckley died in 1635, his 16 to 17 year-old orphaned daughter Elizabeth sailed to Boston with her uncle Samuel Hinckley, his wife Sarah Soole, and three of her cousins. The family settled in Scituate Massachusetts and Elizabeth likely resided with her aunt, uncle and cousins until she married Edward Sturgis in 1640.  One of Elizabeth’s cousins, Thomas Hinckley, perhaps named after his uncle and Elizabeth’s father, served as governor of Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692, and held other important community offices, such as commissioner, representative and magistrate.   

            

        My 13^th and President Obama’s 11^th Great-Grandparent

             Robert Hinckley  m. 1. Elizabeth  2. Katherine

 

Thomas Hinckley m. Anna (Katherine)         Samuel Hinckley m. Sarah Soole

Elizabeth Hinckley m. Edward Sturgis            Susannah Hinckley m. John Smith

Edward Sturgis m. Temperance Gorham        Samuel Smith m. Esther Dunham*

Fear Sturgis m. Joshua Holmes                       Shubael Smith m. Prudence Fitzrandolph

**Mary Holmes m. John Randall                    Mary Smith m. Jonathan Dunham

John Randall m. Lucy Brown                           Samuel Dunham m. Hannah

Lucy Randall m. Amos Breed Sr.                     Jacob Dunham m. Catherine Goodnight

Amos Breed Jr. m. Eliphael Phally Weaver    Jacob Mackey Dunham m. Louise Eliza Stroup

Amos Breed II m. Elisa Dye                              Jacob William Dunham m. Mary Ann Kearney

Abigail Jane Breed m. James B. Chapin          Ralph W.E. Dunham Sr. m. Ruth Lucille Armour

George Chapin m. Flora Allen                          Stanley Armour Dunham m. Madelyn Lee Payne

Roy E. Chapin m. Madeline Wilson                Ann Stanley Dunham m. Barack Hussein Obama

                                                                                                               

(Grandpa) Chapin m. Grandma (Mutch)          Barack Hussein Obama II m. Michelle Robinson

(Dad) Chapin m. (Mom) Maddox                                  

Me

*Esther Dunham was the daughter of Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary (see above), so President Obama descends from the Dunham’s alias Singletary’s twice.

**I also descend from Mary Holmes’ sister Abigail and Jedediah Brown.  

The Math of Ancestry

 The basic fact is that we’re all related. An article that I read claimed that everyone on the planet today is within 16^th cousins (genetically) at the furthest relationship. Some debate the accuracy of that argument, but the overall fact that we are all distantly related remains. So, the question really becomes how distant is the relationship and are you related to some individuals multiple times? The more family that you input into your family tree, the more likely you’ll see that you are related to some people multiple times. If you only entered yourself, parents and grandparents going back to your 12^th great-grandparents (if you could locate all of them) into your family tree you would have 33,367 people.  

When you look at the math of ancestry it makes sense that you trace your roots back to some of the same characters. Since you have over four-thousand 10^th great-grandparents, it’s realistic to consider that some of those are the same. Some might be disheartened and question the point of doing ancestry research if we are all related, but even though we know we are related, the discovery is in how we are related.  

Grandparents                                      4

Great-Grandparents                            8

Great-Great Grandparents                  16

Third Great-Grandparents                  32

Fourth Great-Grandparents                64

Fifth Great-Grandparents                   128

Sixth Great-Grandparents                   256

Seventh Great-Grandparents              512

Eighth Great-Grandparents                1,024

Ninth Great-Grandparents                  2,048

Tenth Great-Grandparents                  4,096

Eleventh Great-Grandparents             8,192

Twelfth Great-Grandparents              16,384 

Further Reading

Family Trees: Tracing the worlds ancestor

The Royal We

Mitochondrial Eve

Y-chromosomal Adam

A Revolutionary War Hero and a Cherokee Great-Grandmother

Lawrence Connor, my sixth great-grandfather, (on my mom’s side) proved himself the definition of an American patriot.

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1752, Lawrence arrived in the American Colony of Virginia in 1773 as an indentured servant to Cyrus Cooper of Alexandria, Virginia for a term of four years. In the mid-1770s, Shawnee Indians were attacking American settlers as they encroached on land in West Virginia and Kentucky along the Ohio River, because while the Shawnee Indians still claimed ownership of this land, the Iroquois had ceded it in the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Lawrence, perhaps in exchange for his indentured servitude, went on a nearly two-year expedition against the Shawnee Indians, and before that was complete had signed up to join the 12^th Virginia Regiment (Later the 8^th Virginia Regiment.) in the Revolutionary War. Lawrence fought in the battles at Germantown, Monmouth, Gilford Court House, Camden, and Stony Point. In the battle at Camden he wounded his arm or shoulder to the extent that it later impacted his ability to work and he received a pension from 1789 until he died in 1826. Lawrence served in the Revolution for three years, often returning to battle after overcoming illnesses and injuries. Even though Lawrence Connor was a new arrival in the American Colonies, he gave everything he had, including his arm and his ability to make his own living, for his new country. Thankfully his new, young, country appreciated it enough to provide a pension.

Lawrence Connor married Margaret Blane in 1783, and they had 11 children- Alexander, (whom I descend from) Mary, Elizabeth, Esther, Joseph, James, Sallie, Nancy, Cornelius, Alice, and Margaret. The story is that Margaret Blane was Cherokee Indian. So, lets discuss the possibility of that. To begin with, claims of Indian ancestry that prove untrue are quite common. Margaret’s grandson James Connor claimed that his grandmother was Cherokee Indian when he applied for benefits in his Tennessee Indian Miller Roll Application #39004. Was James trying to get something that didn’t rightfully belong to him, or was he the only member of the family willing to claim his Indian descent? Some sources claim that Margaret Blane was an Indian orphan taken in by Anglos. Some assert that she might have ‘only’ been half Native American. The fact that Lawrence was a newly arrived immigrant, from Ireland, involved in Indian expeditions, does make the possibility of Margaret Blane being of Indian descent more likely. Among people that research this, there seems to be a general sentiment that Margaret Blane is at least half Native American and hopefully it can be proven at some point.

Some Connor ancestors have utilized DNA testing to try and solve this mystery, but ideally we need someone who descends from the maternal side and carries her mitochondrial DNA (unless it turns out that her mother was European and her father was Native American, then that won’t work either.) Many Connors on the paternal side have also applied the use of DNA to learn more about the family ancestry and it has been determined that the DNA for three sons of Lawrence and Margaret- Alexander, Cornelius and Joseph, matches.  

  

My Branch of the Tree:

Lawrence Connor m. Margaret Blane

Alexander Connor m. Elizabeth Jackman

Thomas G. Connor m. Martha Whitworth

Margaret Connor m. Hugh Portwood

Arma Laura Portwood m. William David Erwin

Arma Mae Erwin m Joseph Rhoads

Grandma Rhoads m. Grandpa Maddox

Maddox m. Chapin

Me     

Abigail Ingraham: A Notable Wife, Mother and Grandmother

Abigail Ingraham was born about 1636, probably in Rehoboth, Massachusetts and she died February 12, 1715 in Stonington, Connecticut. She is buried in Wequetequock Cemetery in Stonington, Connecticut. It turns out that Abigail Ingraham (Chesebrough, Holmes, Avery) is both my ninth and tenth great-grandmother, and I descend from all three of her husbands- Samuel Chesebrough, Joshua Holmes and Captain James Avery. Additionally, I descend from two of Abigail and Joshua Holmes’ grand-daughters, Mary and Abigail Holmes. Abigail first married Samuel Chesebrough on November 30, 1655 and they had seven kids together- Abigail, Marie, Samuel, William, Sarah, Elizabeth and Elisha.  Abigail married her second husband, Joshua Holmes on June 15, 1675.  They had two children- Mary and Joshua. Lastly, Abigail married Captain James Avery on July 14, 1698. James and Abigail did not have any kids together, however; Captain James Avery is my 11^th great-grandfather, through his daughter Hannah, with his first wife Joanna Greenslade. James and Joanna married November 10, 1643 and had nine kids- James, Mary, Thomas, John, Rebecca, Jonathan, Christopher, Samuel, and Hannah.

9th Great-Grandparents

Abigail Ingraham m. Samuel Chesebrough                                       

8th Great-Grandparents

Elisha Chesebrough m. Rebecca Mason                  

7th Great-Grandparents

Abigail Chesebrough m. William Slack                     

6th Great-Grandparents

Abigail Slack m. Jonathan Weaver

5th Great-Grandparents

Eliphael Phally Weaver m. Amos Breed

4th Great-Grandparents

Amos Breed m. Elisa Dye

3rd Great-Grandparents

Abigail Jane Breed m. James B. Chapin

2^nd Great-Grandparents

George Chapin m. Flora Allen

Great-Grandparents

Roy E. Chapin m. Madeline Wilson

Grandparents

Chapin  m.  Mutch

                                      10^th Great-Grandparents

Abigail Ingraham m. Joshua Holmes      Abigail Ingraham m. Joshua Holmes 

                                      9^th Great-Grandparents

Joshua Holmes m. Fear Sturges           Joshua Holmes m. Fear Sturges

                                      8^th Great-Grandparents

Mary Holmes m. John Randall                Abigail Holmes m. Jedediah Brown

                                      7^th Great-Grandparents

                                      *First Cousins

John Randall m. Lucy Brown                  Lucy Brown m. John Randall

                                      6^th Great-Grandparents

Lucy Randall m. Amos Breed Sr.           Lucy Randall m. Amos Breed Sr.

*See Grandparents through 5th Great-Grandparents above or below, as the family lines continue exactly the same.                                           

11^th Great-Grandparents

James Avery m. Joanna Greenslade

           

10^th Great-Grandparents

Hannah Avery m. Ephraim Miner

9^th Great-Grandparents

Elizabeth Miner m. John Brown

8^th Great-Grandparents

Jedediah Brown m. Abigail Holmes

7^th Great-Grandparents

Lucy Brown m. John Randall

6^th Great-Grandparents

Lucy Randall m. Amos Breed Sr.

5^th Great-Grandparents

Amos Breed Jr. m. Eliphael Phally Weaver

4^th Great-Grandparents

Amos Breed II m. Elisa Dye

3rd Great-Grandparents

Abigail Jane Breed m. James B. Chapin

2^nd Great-Grandparents

George Chapin m. Flora Allen

Great-Grandparents

Roy E. Chapin m. Madeline Wilson

Grandparents

Chapin m. Mutch                                                       

Presidential Cousins: Jefferson and Monroe

One of my favorite aspects of ancestry research is discovering relatives who were historically significant, even in small ways- such as being a pioneer, living on the frontier, employed as the first postman, judge or a successful Indian interpreter. 

Two fairly distant ancestors proved somewhat more historically significant than others, as they were our second and fifth U.S. Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson is my half third cousin eight times removed, while James Monroe is my second cousin eight times removed. Born in Kent, England, Katherine Banks was Thomas Jefferson’s second great-grandmother and my tenth great-grandmother. Katherine married three times and I descend from her first marriage to Joseph Royall, while Thomas Jefferson descends from her second marriage to Henry Isham. James Monroe’s great-grandparents, William Monroe and Mary Bowcock are also my ninth great-grandparents. Andrew Monroe, William Monroe’s father and our immigrant ancestor came from Scotland.        

Henry Isham m. Katherine Banks                Katherine Banks m. Joseph Royall

Mary Isham m. William Randolph                 Katherine Royall m. Richard Perrine

Isham Randolph m. Jane Rogers                   Sarah Perrine m. William Cocke

Jane Randolph m. Peter Jefferson                 Temperance Cocke m. Abraham Bailey

2^nd U.S. President Thomas Jefferson         Roger Cocke Bailey m. Mary Renard

                                                                            Mary Bailey m. Stephen Winfree

                                                                               

                                                                            Mary Frances Winfree m. John Bennett Willis

                                                                                              

                                                                            Catherine Willis m. William Maddox

                                                                            Francis “Frank” Maddox m. Mary Jane Devenny

                                                                            Charles Henry Maddox Sr. m. Lydia Janke

                                                                            Charles Henry Maddox Jr. m. Grandma Rhoads

                                                                             Mom Maddox

                                                                  

                                                                             Me

                      

Andrew Monroe m. Elizabeth Alexander

                        James Monroe’s 2^nd and my 10^th great-grandparents

                        William Monroe m. Mary Bowcock

                        James Monroe’s great-grandparents and my 9^th great-grandparents

Andrew Monroe m. Christine Tyler                  William Monroe m. Rachel Piper

Andrew Spence Monroe m. Elizabeth Jones  Alexander Monroe m. Margaret Lang

5^th U.S. President James Monroe                    Judith Monroe m. William Jackman

                                               

                                                                                Elizabeth Jackman m. Alexander Connor

                                                                                Thomas G. Connor m. Martha Whitworth

                                                                                Margaret Connor m. Hugh Portwood

                                                                                Arma Laura Portwood m. William David Erwin

                                                                                Arma Mae Erwin m. Joseph Rhoads

                                                                                Grandma Rhoads m. Charles Henry Maddox Jr.

                                                                               

                                                                                Mom Maddox

                                                                                Me

Cemetery Records

Death records were not federally mandated until 1907. That means there is perhaps 300 years of trying to learn about your ancestors’ deaths with no record. But, don’t despair, there are other records- particularly wills, newspapers and cemetery records that can help you learn about the death of your ancestors. Today we discuss cemetery records and two very useful, easy-to-use, and FREE websites where volunteers post information and/or pictures from cemeteries. Cemetery records tend to be the better option when seeking death information because the records are more accessible, sometimes there is no will, and newspapers are not often indexed so you could spend a great deal of time looking for information that isn’t even there.

Visit Find A Grave and Internment to see if someone has included your ancestors. You can even contribute pictures or information that you have gathered from cemeteries. These are not the only cemetery records online, but they have so many records that if no one has contributed information about your ancestor on one site, odds are good that they can be found on the other site.   

Click to check out Internment.net

Click to check out Find A Grave