Thanksgiving Day, 1890, a Recipe, & a Sale!

Thanksgiving is coming, but for the folks of Camden in The House on Harmony Street, it would already be here! Dane Westover and his big, busy family would have celebrated Thanksgiving on this day in 1890, as per this announcement:

November 08, 1890
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
By the grace and favor of Almighty God the people of this nation have been led to the closing days of the passing year, which has been full of the blessings of peace and the comforts of plenty. Bountiful compensation has come to us for the work of our minds and of our hands in every department of human industry.
Now, therefore, I, Benjamin Harrison, President of the United States of America, do hereby appoint Thursday, the 27th day of the present month of November, to be observed as a day of prayer and thanksgiving; and I do invite the people upon that day to cease from their labors, to meet in their accustomed houses of worship, and to join in rendering gratitude and praise to our beneficent Creator for the rich blessings He has granted to us as a nation and in invoking the continuance of His protection and grace for the future. I commend to my fellow-citizens the privilege of remembering the poor, the homeless, and the sorrowful. Let us endeavor to merit the promised recompense of charity and the gracious acceptance of our praise.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this 8th day of November, A. D. 1890, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and fifteenth.
BENJ. HARRISON
By the President:
JAMES G. BLAINE,
Secretary of State.

Thanksgiving was an American holiday then, but not yet a national one. Each year, the current president would appoint a day, as President Harrison did in 1890, for the country to keep Thanksgiving. As Harrison noted above, it was a much more religious holiday then, with citizens gathering at their local churches to praise and worship the Lord, and remembering the poor with acts of charity and benevolence.
For Margaret Sullivan, then the Westovers' housekeeper, there would have been all the usual holiday foods to make: Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and, of course, pumpkin pie! Here is the most likely recipe for her to have used for her pies, from the White House Cook Book:

PUMPKIN PIE. No. 1.
For three pies: One quart of milk, three cupfuls of boiled and strained pumpkin, one and one-half cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of molasses, the yolks and whites of four eggs beaten separately, a little salt, one tablespoonful each of ginger and cinnamon. Beat all together and bake with an under crust.
Boston marrow or Hubbard squash may be substituted for pumpkin and are much preferred by many, as possessing a less strong flavor.

There doesn't seem to be any mention of whipped cream on top, which is an addition I love! Do you like to top your pie with whipped cream?

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Upcoming sale!

In other book news, the third in the Lighten Our Darkness Series will be on sale this coming Monday, along with a discount for the full set! Don't miss further details by signing up for my email newsletter (I won't flood your inbox, I promise!).

A very happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Blessings,
​Sarah