In 1863 there lived a young, penniless widow in New Hampshire named Sarah Hale. She established a popular magazine called “Godey’s Lady Book.” In her “book” she wrote some columns, some articles, some editorials, and even some recipes. (Reminds you a little of Benjamin Franklin and his “Poor Richard’s Almanac” doesn’t it?)

Among other things, Sarah Hale encouraged a national celebration of Thanksgiving. You see, Thanksgiving at that time was a State by State holiday on different days. And it was a religious holiday—a day for saying thanks to God for his many blessings.

Sarah began a letter writing campaign to President Abraham Lincoln. In 1863, urged on by Mrs. Hale’s letters, Abraham Lincoln took the phenomenal action of naming a set date for national observance of Thanksgiving as a holiday. He hoped by this measure to achieve some unity in the States which were disastrously split by the Civil War.

Lincoln’s proclamation called for celebration of Thanksgiving “with one heart and one voice.” Following the example set by George Washington, he set the last Thursday of November as the date of the prayer and feasting.

This proclamation set the standard for every sitting President since then right up until our present day. This is regarded as the beginning of our annual Thanksgiving Holiday nationwide. Congress ultimately passed legislation setting the official day as the forth Thursday in November, and that bill was signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

And to think it all began with the Pilgrims and the Indians before we were a nation, and came to its full realization because of one single, penniless widow! See what good one person can do?