Thanksgiving Day greetings to all my American friends of Orcadian descent! And a happy Thursday to those NOT celebrating this fall bounty festival. As I go to the kitchen to peel potatoes, I shall consider the great blessings of family ties which have me rooted in place, time, and a warm virtual hearth. The names of Orkney (Learmonth and Watts, Angus, Shearer, Slater, Peace) and the Highlands (Campbell) glisten on my family tree and remind me that this generation must do ITS part to make family stories proud ones and to inspire family loyalty. I certainly hope there is some way of tracing my ancestors to those of Stephen and Grumpy!!! Anne (Margaret Campbell S(c)later) Ardmore, PA (near Philadelphia

Happy Thanksgiving Anne, I am none of the names you mention, but bear in mind the old Scottish saying "We are all Jock Tamson's Bairns", we are all part of the big human family who should work together for peace and the benefit of those less fortunate than ourselves. I did a quick search on the story of "Thanksgiving" and I have pasted below an extract from a web site. I especially like the part where early settlers and native indians feasted together in peace and harmony - where and when did it go all wrong? Sadly part of the human nature is given over to greed, none of us are exempt from this part of our nature, perhaps it's a case of us just trying to control this side of our nature more. Take care Grumpy The Thanksgiving holiday celebrated each November in the United States is known worldwide as an American custom, but its roots extend far back into human history. According to research conducted by The Center for World Thanksgiving at Thanks-Giving Square, the first Americans observed rituals and ceremonies to express gratitude to a higher power for life itself. A Seneca Indian ritual, for example, states, "Our Creator ... Shall continue to dwell above the sky, and this is where those on the earth will end their thanksgiving." Another quotation attributed to American Indians before Columbus is, "The plant has its nourishment from the earth and its limbs go up this way, in praise of its Maker ... like the limbs of a tree." The Pilgrims' First Harvest Feast According to historical sources, the Pilgrims never held an autumnal Thanksgiving feast. The Pilgrims did have a feast in 1621 near Plymouth, Massachusetts, after their first harvest. This is the feast people often refer to as "The First Thanksgiving." This feast was never repeated, so it can't be called the start of a tradition, nor did the colonists or Pilgrims call it a Thanksgiving Feast. In fact, to these devoutly religious people, a day of thanksgiving was a day of prayer and fasting. Nevertheless, the 1621 feast has become a model for the Thanksgiving celebration in the United States. More than likely, this first harvest feast was eaten outside, based on the fact that the colonists didn't have a building large enough to accommodate all the people who came. Native Americans definitely were among the invited guests, and it's possible, even probable, that turkey (roasted but not stuffed) and pumpkin in some form found their way to the table. The feast is described in a firsthand account presumably written by a leader of the colony, Edward Winslow, as it appears in Mourt's Relation: "Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty." >From this we know that the feast went on for three days, included 90 Indians," as Native Americans were called then, and had plentiful food. In addition to the venison provided by the Native Americans, there was enough wild fowl to supply the village for a week. The fowl included ducks, geese, turkeys and even swans. -------Original Message------- From: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Date: 27 November 2003 12:20:48 To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [] Greetings of the Day Thanksgiving Day greetings to all my American friends of Orcadian descent! And a happy Thursday to those NOT celebrating this fall bounty festival. As I go to the kitchen to peel potatoes, I shall consider the great blessings of family ties which have me rooted in place, time, and a warm virtual hearth. The names of Orkney (Learmonth and Watts, Angus, Shearer, Slater, Peace) and the Highlands (Campbell) glisten on my family tree and remind me that this generation must do ITS part to make family stories proud ones and to inspire family loyalty. I certainly hope there is some way of tracing my ancestors to those of Stephen and Grumpy!!! Anne (Margaret Campbell S(c)later) Ardmore, PA (near Philadelphia To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com