Our First ThanksgivingDonald has been kind enough to share this with me privately, but i want everyone to know about Virginia's FIRST Thanksgiving. Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 12:38 AM Subject: Our First Thanksgiving Rena -Hi I received the following information a couple of years ago pertaining our first Thanksgiving. Note the bold line at the bottom. Donald The First Thanksgiving Capt. John Woodlief at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia December 4, 1619 Capt. John Woodlief/[Woodliffe] was with the Jamestown settlers in 1609 - the Second Charter of the Virginia Company of London. He later returned to England to bring other colonists, as well as his wife and and family, to Virginia. Again he returned to England, and in 1619, Woodliffe, as captain and governor, sailed from Bristol on the good ship Margaret, bringing 36-38 settlers [historical accounts differ] to Berkeley Hundred along Virginia's James River. The Virginia Thanksgiving was essentially a prayer service. The very first in the list of written instructions to Woodliffe as captain stated: "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for the plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetualy keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god." In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation recognizing Virginia's claim to the first Thanksgiving in America.