p. 744 | Untitled article by W. E. C.

Pacific Press Publishing Co. · New York · December 1, 1898

Thanksgiving in Colonial Days.

By W. E. C.

AMONG the papers of the late ex-State Senator Guy C. Stoddard, of Massachusetts, an old newspaper clipping was found containing a quaint account of an old colonial Thanksgiving church service and dinner. It was written in the year 1714 by the Rev. Lawrence Conant, of the old South Parish in Danvers, Mass. It contains an allusion to the religious sentiments of the people of those days, and believing it will be read with interest by SENTINEL readers, it is given herewith:—

“Ye Governor was in ye house and Her Majesty’s commissioners of ye customs, and they sat together in a high seat of ye pulpit stairs. Ye Governor appears very devout and attentive, although he favors Episcopacy and tolerates ye Quakers and Baptists.

“He was dressed in a black velvet coat, bordered with gold lace and buff breeches with gold buckles at ye knees, and white silk stockings.

“There was a disturbance in ye galleries, where it was filled with divers negroes, mulattoes, and Indians, and a negro called Pomp Shorter, belonging to Mr. Gardiner, was called forth and put in ye broad isle, where he was reproved with great carefulness and solemnity.

“He was then put in ye deacons’ seat between two deacons, in view of ye whole congregation, but ye sexton was ordered by Mr. Prescott to take him out, because of his levity and strange contortion of countenance (giving grave scandal to ye grave deacons), and put him in ye lobby under ye stairs; some children and a mulatto woman were reprimanded for laughing at Pomp Shorter.

“When ye services at ye meeting house were ended, ye council and other dignitaries were entertained at ye house of Mr. Epes, on ye hill near by, and we had a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner with bear’s meat and venison, the last of which was a fine buck, shot in ye woods near by. Ye bear was killed in Lynn woods near Reading.

“After ye blessing was craved by Mr. Garrich of Wrentham, word came that ye buck was shot on ye Lord’s day by Pequot, an Indian, who came to Mr. Epes with a lye in his mouth like Ananias of old.

“Ye council therefore refused to eat ye venison, but it was afterward decided that Pequot should receive forty stripes save one for lying and profaning ye Lord’s day, restore Mr. Epes ye cost of ye deer, and considering this a just and righteous sentence on ye sinful heathen, and that a blessing had been craved on ye meat, ye council all partook of it but Mr. Shepard, whose conscience was tender on ye point of ye venison.”

W. E. C.