By now most of us no longer passively accept the popularized First Thanksgiving narrative. After all, despite its kernels of truth, the story is infused with a mixture of myth and, well, outright fabrication (as we’ve previously seen). Many elements of the story only emerged in the last century too. In fact, historian James Baker…

Like many of the nation’s most revered historical events, Thanksgiving has accumulated a lore that often makes  the lines between fact and fiction indecipherable.  Of particular note is the purported landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in December 1620. Although historians have recognized its dubious foundations for some time (after all, the first assertion…

You’ve probably heard of a “gaggle of geese.” Maybe even a “murder of crows.” But did you know that a group of November gobblers is called a “rafter of turkeys”? Here are some early 20th-century images (from the New-York Historical Society Postcard Collection) of the runner-up for America’s national bird. Not quite enough feathers to reach the rafters,…

As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, the American Historical Manuscripts Cataloging Project staff would like to share this lovely discovery with our readers. This illuminated manuscript, done in the Carolingian style, was executed in 1932 by Madeline Abraham Scheuer for Dr. Victor H. Palsits (1867-1952). Palsits was the Keeper of Manuscripts at the New…

This post was written by Joseph Ditta, Manuscript Reference Archivist. Richard “Dick” Gosman (1875-1946) was born and raised on a farm in Blissville, Queens (the site is now occupied by Amtrak’s Sunnyside rail yard). Between the ages of ten and fourteen (1886-1889) he produced several handcrafted periodicals, of which his monthly People’s Paper ran the longest,…

This post was written by Tammy Kiter, Manuscript Reference Librarian. This time of year has become synonymous with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  As we revel in the excitement of watching our favorite characters float larger than life down Central Park West, let’s celebrate three of the key ingredients for a fantastic holiday in the…

In 1900, The Century Co. published Colonial Days & Ways, by Helen Evertson Smith, a description of life in New York and Connecticut during that period. According to Smith, the book is largely derived from papers found  “tucked away under the eaves in old baskets of Indian make, or in open pine-wood boxes, and even in…