Happy (USA) Thanksgiving, Fellow Florida Duval Gene Researchers (Part I of II rev 2004) Question: Where & When was "America's" First Thanksgiving (by European Colonists) held ? Answer: 1564. Right here�on the First Coast,--- right here in Jacksonville, Florida. Another reason why our region is called The First Coast. But,---hold the cranberry sauce�just a minute, you say ! What about all those Pilgrims in their tall black hats and,and�the Indians and the turkey and all that ? "Everybody knows that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated at Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1621". Sorry, Pilgrim, not New England,--- you came to the table late---about 57 years late. Records* show that the (Protestant) French Huguenots landed at Ft. Caroline, present day Jacksonville, in 1564, built huts of log and earth, dug a well and on June 30th sang a hymn of Thanksgiving and prayed. Probably no banquet (some historians claim there was a feast) and no Indians and the Colony didn't last long---it was wiped out by the (Roman Catholic) Spanish under Pedro Menendez in 1565. Among the Huguenots was a Duval (l). 40-50 survived the Ft. Caroline massacre and returned to Europe. Others were spared by Menendez at the "3rd Matanzas" massacre. Author Bennett writes that he personally know 2 (unnamed) local (Jacksonville) present-day families who are descendants of those colonists. Question: Where was the first, ---produced by Europeans�wine made in America ? Sorry, California---again, right here in Jacksonville, Florida�at Ft. Caroline. Ah, those French---who needs turkey and Indians, if there is wine? Question: Where was the Second Thanksgiving in America held (in a permanent European settlement) ? Right here on Florida's First Coast, St. Augustine, Florida, Sept. 8, 1965. Annually, a colorful, costumed, authentic reenactment of the landing of Menendez and his Spaniards is held on the actual site. My father was born in one of the historic houses on St. George St., St. Augustine. Question: What was on the menu and what Indians attended? Cocido,mullet, Florida gopher (land tortoise) . Chief Seloy and his (Timucua) Indian Tribe. Question: What President declared the first National Day of Thanksgiving ? Sorry, not Abraham Lincoln,USA in 1863, but President Jefferson Davis, CSA (Confederate States of America), in 1862. Question : Where was the first (European-parentage) child born in America ? Sorry, not Virginia Dare, of Raleigh's Lost Colony --- but, right here in Ft. Caroline. Question: Where did Europeans first smoke (in USA) pipes of local tobacco ? Answer: You guessed it--- right here in Jacksonville, Florida, USA---and nicotine was named after a Frenchman-- Question: What famous "smoker" fought in France for the Huguenots ? Answer: Sir Walter Raleigh in 1569, serving in a troop raised by Admiral Coligny,prominent Huguenot leader. When I can find it in my hard-copy archives, I'll post a list of the original colonists and crew---some of whom escaped the Massacres at Ft. Caroline and Matanzas. I wish you could see the full colored engravings by LeMoyne, the cartographer, historian and artist who sailed with Laudoniere on the 1564 expedition that established la Carolina (Ft. Caroline), in my treasured book "Settlement of Florida", compiled by Congressman/Author-Historian Charles E. Bennett. Depictions of the 6 to 7 foot tall, full body tattooed, Timucuan Indians at war, play, mining gold, and hunting "crocodiles". Listed below are some of the great Websites with history, pictures of the reconstructed Ft. Caroline and links: National Park Service Ft. Caroline and Ft. Matanzas www.nps.gov/foca National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/geo-flor/22.htm LeMoyne engravings www.pelotes.jea.com/leMoyne.htm (continued in Part II) *My partial "Bibliography" will follow in Part II, my second and final Post on this subject. R. Jaudon "Don" Berry, PhD Jacksonville, Florida We've tried & tried.We tried everything. Now try Jesus ! R.Jaudon"Don"Berry searchg 4 Huguenot&Salzburger Roots Insurance by "THE" Book.Christian counseling via E mail. http://www.neworleansweb.org/easter1.html http://raindrop.org/hishands/poem.shtml http://orangehillsassembly.com/artpoetry/isawhell.htm http://www.christianpoets.com We've tried & tried.We tried everything. Now try Jesus ! R.Jaudon"Don"Berry searchg 4 Huguenot&Salzburger Roots Insurance by "THE" Book.Christian counseling via E mail. http://www.neworleansweb.org/easter1.html http://raindrop.org/hishands/poem.shtml http://orangehillsassembly.com/artpoetry/isawhell.htm http://www.christianpoets.com