New Jersey played a significant role in shaping the nation’s Thanksgiving tradition, from Governor Sir Francis Bernard’s colonial proclamations to Governor William Livingston’s 1783 Day of Thanksgiving, to local congressman Elias Boudinot inspiring President George Washington’s first national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789.
Thanksgiving in New Jersey has always been more than a meal. It is a feeling that dates back to the 18th century, when Washington called for national days of thanks and Francis Bernard helped shape the early character of colonial New Jersey. Families gathered in small dining rooms, neighbors paused from the harvest, and entire towns came together simply to give thanks for one another. Those early moments created a rhythm that still echoes through every Thanksgiving season we celebrate today.
You can feel that old spirit in our modern traditions. You hear it, remembering the roar of the Ridge and Bernards crowd on a cold Thanksgiving morning, a community ritual that once pulled nearly everyone out of bed before sunrise. You hear it again in the legendary Westfield and Plainfield game, where generations packed the sidelines to cheer, laugh, and reconnect with the people they grew up with. And you see it on Thanksgiving Eve when the Jolly Trolley in Westfield fills with familiar faces returning home, gathering in a glow of conversation that feels almost like the colonial taverns of old, where neighbors once shared stories before winter settled in.
Thanksgiving in New Jersey is a story about people. The people who built our towns. The people who carried the traditions forward. The people who gather every year in big crowds, small circles, and sometimes right under the lights of an old trolley stop just to feel connected again.
These memories are not separate stories. They are one long thread that runs from Washington and Bernard to the football fields and the taverns and the trolley tracks where we meet today. They remind us that Thanksgiving has always been about community. About seeing someone you have not seen in years and feeling like no time has passed at all. About sharing gratitude for the place we call home. So enjoy this journey through the stories and memories that make Thanksgiving in New Jersey what it is. It is a holiday that changes with every generation but still feels exactly the same. A celebration of our past and a reminder that the heart of Thanksgiving has always been the people beside us.
Thanksgiving Mr. Local History Research & Memories
American Board Game History
Views: 218 We all know the feeling. Say the words board games, and something instantly pops into your mind. With the holiday season bringing family and friends together, it is almost guaranteed that a board game will hit the table…
Basking Ridge Live Cam – Mr. Local History’s Beautiful Town Green
Views: 8,898 Yes, there is sound too. You can mute it if you like. Basking Ridge Village Web Cam How’s life in Basking Ridge? Check in on the Basking Ridge Town Greene from atop the Presbyterian Church. Signature downtown village…
Thanksgiving Meet – Horses, Hounds and Foxes Before Turkey – A Countryside Tradition
Views: 10,250 President George Washington proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789, the last Thursday of November that year, to be a “day of public thanksgiving.” What is known as the “Gentry”, in New Jersey they held fox hunts on Thanksgiving Day. Fox…
Bring Back the Thanksgiving Ridge vs. Bernards Turkey Bowl
Views: 2,647 The Ridge–Bernards Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl Rivalry. We could hold our tongue no more. It needs to come back, so we had to tell the history and why we’d love to get it back. From 1963 through 1977,…
Thanksgiving Proclamations Way Before Lincoln Did It -Thanks Jersey Guys
Views: 1,338 On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated Thursday, November 26, 1863, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. While many recognize President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation, many don’t know that two New Jersey statesmen persuaded President…
Fall Beauty in our Community – Photos Over the Years
Views: 1,338 🍁 Fall’s Golden Tapestry, A Journey Through Time and Color Every autumn, the hills, rivers, and small towns of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania come alive in a blaze of color. Crimson maples, amber oaks, and golden…
New Life? Larison’s Turkey Farm in Chester, New Jersey
Views: 8,028 Larison’s Turkey Farm was more than just a restaurant; it was a cherished New Jersey landmark steeped in tradition. Established in 1945 on the grounds of a working turkey farm dating back to 1868, Larison’s embodied the warmth…
Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ Time in Bernardsville & Peapack, New Jersey
Views: 43,630 A Small Part of Camelot in the Somerset Hills in Northern Somerset County, New Jersey, and why the Fall and Thanksgiving were When We Saw Her Most. While the Somerset Hills is home to many power brokers and…
SHOP LOCAL – Small Business Saturday is Everyday at Mr. Local History!
Views: 2,616 The Mr. Local History Project is probably the “smallest of small businesses” and needs your support. We have great gifts that bring fun and memorable local history to all! Please consider #justoneitem. It makes a big difference and…
Bring Back the Thanksgiving Football Classic – Westfield vs. Plainfield
Views: 2,039 🏈 The Westfield – Plainfield Thanksgiving Day Football Game. Few local rivalries in New Jersey carry the history and heart of Westfield versus Plainfield. Their first meeting dates back to the turn of the 20th century, with the…
Westfield’s Iconic Jolly Trolley – Thanksgiving Eve’s Place to Be
Views: 17,948 This is a personal story and what I’m calling a web gift from the WHS class of 1980 to all those who loved the Jolly Trolley. I hope you continue to send in your stories and photos. As…
Holiday Tradition: Basking Ridge Fire Company, a Christmas Tree and a Boot
Every year, the Basking Ridge Fire Department erects a locally donated 30-foot evergreen tree on the town green. The fire personnel also decorate the tree which becomes a central piece for the town’s holiday celebrations.
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