An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving!

The Little Dolls Celebrate Thanksgiving!

In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" written by my cousin Louisa May Alcott, Mother Bassett was busy preparing for Thanksgiving when she and Pa were called away by an emergency. The Bassett children were left with the oldest children in charge of caring for the family. The children settled by the fireplace after a simple supper and the oldest boy Eph told the family story of their ancestor, Lady Matilda Bassett. The oldest daughter Tilly was proud to have been named after this ancestor, who they referred to as Matildy. The children discuss the old Bassett family and mention that "some of the Bassetts came along with the Pilgrims".

My 11th great grandfather William Bassett came in 1621 on the ship Fortune to Plymouth.

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What a splendid turkey!

In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving", the oldest girls of the family, Tilly and Prue, thought they would continue fixing the Thanksgiving meal. In pondering what "yarbs" would be best to put in stuffing for a turkey, sage was considered but sweet marjoram and summer savory were decided upon. Mistakenly catnip and wormwood were the "yarbs" grabbed in the darkness of the storage area. The catnip and wormwood totally ruined the stuffing! The turkey was roasted in front of the fire and some unexpected happenings caused the turkey to be burnt on one side.

Ma and Pa came back home when it turned out that there was no real emergency and the Bassett family enjoyed their Thanksgiving meal despite some flaws.

When all their guests had left Pa Bassett said "Children, we have special cause to be thankful that the sorrow we expected was changed into joy, so we'll read a chapter 'fore we go to bed, and give thanks where thanks is due."

This year will mark the 186th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott's birth on November 29, 1832.

My 5th great grandfather Eliakim May was 1st cousin to Louisa May Alcott's great grandfather Samuel May.

 Samuel May's granddaughter, Abigail (May) Alcott, was Louisa's mother; "Marmee" in "Little Women".

 My direct ancestor Nehemiah May was brother to Louisa May Alcott's direct ancestor Ebenezer May.

I used my Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen for roasting the turkey in front of the fire. Here it is shown with the door open for basting. Isn't that turkey a beauty!

Jenny Wren Lindenwood is delighted and amused to watch the little dolls prepare the Thanksgiving meal!

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry holds many of our favorite things, yellowware, stoneware, tinware, jams, jellies, canned goods, baked goods, potatoes, squash, and apples!

At the very end of the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving", Louisa May Alcott speaks of "the soft scurry of mice in the buttery, taking their part in this old-fashioned Thanksgiving."

Little Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse for the dolls at Corgyncombe, is a descendant of the Brown mouse family who came on the Mayflower. Mayflower passenger Peter Brown Mouse's daughter Mary Brown Mouse married Ephraim Tinkham Mouse.

The Mayflower was the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620.

I descend from Mayflower passengers Myles Standish, George Soule, Stephen Hopkins and his daughter Constance, Edward Fuller and his wife, Peter Brown, John Howland, John Tilley, his wife Joan (Hurst) Tilley and their daughter Elizabeth, Richard Warren and am researching Isaac Allerton, his wife Mary (Norris) Allerton and their daughter Mary, two different lines to Francis Cooke and another line to Stephen Hopkins with his wife Elizabeth (Fisher) Hopkins.

I brought out some of my Tasha Tudor Christmas card collection to enjoy at tea with pumpkin pie, cheese, and Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast Tea. Birds have always been a favorite subject for Tasha Tudor at Christmas and throughout the year.

Spinning was an everyday task for Tilly and Prue.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Dear Readers!

Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our web site and our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

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