{"id":63133,"date":"2020-11-13T13:10:17","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T18:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=63133"},"modified":"2020-11-30T12:18:21","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T17:18:21","slug":"looking-back-remembering-the-300th-anniversary-of-the-mayflower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/looking-back-remembering-the-300th-anniversary-of-the-mayflower.html","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back: Remembering the 300th Anniversary of the Mayflower"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 as part of the celebration of the 400th<\/sup> anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower \u2013 Mary Harrell-Sesniak writes about how the event was celebrated 300 years ago, in 1920. Mary is a genealogist, author, and editor with a strong technology background who has written and collected some of the funniest, quirkiest, or most touching sayings about genealogy that she\u2019s encountered in her career as a family historian. Please attribute this article if sharing.<\/em><\/p>\n

No, your eyes are not playing a trick on you \u2013 that title is not a mistake. This is<\/em> officially the 400-year anniversary of the Mayflower<\/em>, when the brave Pilgrims and others set sail across the ocean and landed at Plymouth. With such a momentous event though, I thought it would behoove us to see how it was celebrated in 1920, some 300 years after the famous landing.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration:<\/a>
Illustration: \u201cThanksgiving at Plymouth\u201d by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1925. Credit: National Museum of Women in the Arts; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Known as the tercentenary celebration of the arrival of the Mayflower<\/em>, the reports from 1920 just might give some ideas to enhance this year\u2019s quadricentenary celebrations this month.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, Texas), 1 February 1920, page 26<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

World in Flux<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just like today, the world was in flux in 1920. In addition to a pandemic, our ancestors had just experienced a devastating world war. Not surprisingly, some plans for celebration were canceled, including a world\u2019s fair \u2013 as this article noted:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was originally planned to hold a world\u2019s fair in honor of the anniversary, but the war has changed public taste and the country at large is in no mood for so expensive and useless a fete.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"An<\/a>
Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, Texas), 1 February 1920, page 26<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Celebrities and Dignitaries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the cancellation of the world\u2019s fair, some celebrations continued, complete with overseas guests such as Georges Nivelle, delegate of the French government.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Twin Falls Daily News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 8 November 1920, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overseas Celebrations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not every festivity was in the U.S. Overseas embassies coordinated with local dignitaries and American visitors. For example, Plymouth, England, held a pageant and celebrated with entertainment and historical, literary and religious ceremonies over an 11-day period.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 2 September 1920, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Honor the Pilgrims<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to explore GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> for stories about the Pilgrims \u2013 and also look for evidence of your own roots. You never know; you might just find that ancestors were so proud of their Mayflower<\/em> roots that it was mentioned in earlier newspapers!<\/p>\n

How Do You Plan to Celebrate Thanksgiving?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the current risk of infection, I have my own thoughts \u2013 and I invite you to leave comments of your own.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Please remember what you are thankful for, and don\u2019t risk spreading the disease.<\/li>\n
  2. Why not be creative? Pre-tape small presentations by children and family that can be shared via social media or on video chat. If you are meeting in person, have a mask or decorated sneeze guard contest.<\/li>\n
  3. If you are gathering in person, consider \u201cseparate but equal\u201d tables or one table with sneeze guards. Two tables facing each other keep family and friends socially distanced to some degree.<\/li>\n
  4. Try not to share food dishes, bottles or pass the bread. We recently hosted an outdoor socially-distanced-and-masked birthday get-together of four people and provided small prepackaged shrimp cocktails so nobody had to share.<\/li>\n
  5. If asked what someone can bring, suggest disinfecting wipes and sprays.<\/li>\n
  6. Please be thankful if you have the ability to give. The suffering in this country is great and many are making choices as to whether to pay a bill or provide food \u2013 and others are dependent upon homeless shelters.<\/li>\n
  7. Lastly, don\u2019t forget the many religious people who pray for you or the medical staff and first responders who may be serving their community on Thanksgiving Day.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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