The Remarkable Story of How a Blaze Editor’s Ancestor Helped Make Thanksgiving a National Holiday

"Permit me, as Editress of the 'Lady's Book', to request a few minutes of your precious time..."

I didn't know how many "greats" separated the two of us, but one of my oldest memories is proudly telling my kindergarten class that one of my ancestors wrote the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Sarah Josepha Hale as she appeared in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1850. (Photo courtesy of The Library Company of Philadelphia)

Little did I know how much else the remarkable woman had a hand in, including being one of the dominant forces in convincing President Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

A staunch supporter of education for women and the editor of a widely influential magazine for ladies, Sarah Josepha Hale wrote President Lincoln a letter in 1863 that began: "Permit me, as Editress of the 'Lady's Book', to request a few minutes of your precious time, while laying before you a subject of deep interest to myself and -- as I trust -- even to the President of our Republic ... This subject is to have the day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival..."

Sarah proceeded to note that she had been unable, despite her best efforts, to make the holiday celebrated on the same day in each state, and had concluded that some legislative action was necessary. Before the war she had argued that Thanksgiving would bring the country together, reminding Americans nationwide that they are all part of the same great country -- amidst the Civil War, she said it was even more important.

Though Sarah had been campaigning to make Thanksgiving a national holiday for decades, within weeks of the aforementioned letter, Lincoln released his Thanksgiving Proclamation honoring her request.

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens ... to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens," the proclamation reads. "...Commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."

The Remarkable Backstory

So how did Sarah Josepha Hale, born Sarah Josepha Buell in Newport, New Hampshire in 1788, became such a powerful and confident woman that she saw fit to advise the president (with or without his request) on how to bring the country together? And 150 years ago, when women could not vote and were only allowed to engage in a handful of professions?

Sarah's father was a Revolutionary War veteran, and her mother was a woman who valued learning and had a mind "clear as rock-water," as Sarah later wrote. But it was her brother, Horatio, who really helped the young woman advance her education early in life.

Sarah Josepha Hale in 1831, by James Reid Lambdin. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

“He seemed very unwilling that I should be deprived of all his collegiate advantages,” Sarah said, describing how Horatio would return home from Dartmouth and teach her all he had learned.

When Sarah married David Hale, a "lawyer of distinguished abilities" in 1813, she continued her pursuit of knowledge with the assistance of her husband.

"We commenced, soon after our marriage, a system of study and reading which we pursued while he lived. The hours allowed were from eight o'clock in the evening till ten; two hours in the twenty-four: how I enjoyed those hours!" she recalled. "In all our mental pursuits, it seemed the aim of my husband to enlighten my reason, -- strengthen my judgement, and give me confidence in my own powers of mind, which he estimated much higher than I."

But the young woman's bliss was cut short in 1822 when her husband died of pneumonia, making her a widow at age 34 with five children under the age of 8.

A Writing Career Begins

Sarah was devastated by the loss of her husband, and reportedly wore black for the rest of her life as a sign of mourning. But she still had children to care for, and turned to the skills her late husband had helped her foster, finding "very few employments in which females (could) engage with any hope of profit."

In December 1827, Sarah's first book, "Northwood," was published. It is unclear what steps she had to go through to make that happen, but she was one of few published women in America. It is interesting to note that the Freemasons actually helped get Sarah's career off the ground by printing a small collection of her poems after her husband's death. Sarah's late husband, she briefly explained, was a prominent member of the fraternity.

Not long after "Northwood" was published, Sarah was invited to take charge of the editorial department of "The Ladies' Magazine" in Boston, which she described as "the first periodical exclusively devoted to her sex which appeared in America." Sarah remained in the role when Godey's Lady's Book acquired the magazine in 1837, bringing the latter to new heights of success.

(Photo: Godey's Lady's Book via Hope Greenberg/ The University of Vermont)

Sarah published one of Edgar Allen Poe's first short stories (and many more after that) in her years at Godey's. She also published works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Harriet Beecher Stowe. And in addition to her editorial duties, Sarah wrote countless other books, stories, essays and poems, primarily for women and children.

"The wish to promote the reputation of my own sex, and do something for my own country, were among the earliest mental emotions I can recollect," she once wrote.

And she certainly succeeded in that effort. The editor of a contemporary paper in Massachusetts described her: "Mrs. Sarah J Hale, the lady editor, is one of the most sensible and energetic of all the conductors of the numerous magazines that are now published; and as she was the pioneer in this species of literature, no one has had a greater influence, or become more universally popular among her countrywomen ... Her success is richly deserved, and her energy, devotion, and perseverance under circumstances the most trying, afford a cheering example to her sex."

What Did Sarah Write About?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Hale and Godey steered away from politics, religion, and social issues, focusing instead on women’s domestic education from health to home to fashion—the magazine was especially noted for its coloured fashion plates—and maintained a popular following and a readership that numbered 150,000 at its high point in 1860."

(Photo: Godey's Lady's Book via Hope Greenberg/ The University of Vermont)

The magazine - which cost a hefty $3 a year - included patterns for outfits, models of houses and furniture, original articles and more, in addition to its famous colored fashion pages. Louis Godey prided himself on the value the magazine imparted, and even sent artists to England and France to document the latest styles.

But while Godey's was the dominant publication of its era and undeniably required more work than many could manage, Sarah was a prolific writer and published countless books and stories of her own. One of her most enduring works is "Aunt Mary's New Stories for Young People," from which "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is derived, but there are far more that have been forgotten by history.

[sharequote align="center"]"No one has had a greater influence, or become more universally popular among her countrywomen..."[/sharequote]

The wisdom of the era, in particular, is captivating. In one of Sarah's books, "Sketches of American Character," she described one individual: "She was a weak woman--too highly elated in prosperity, too easily depressed by adversity--not considering that both are situations of trial..."

Some of her other books were more practical in nature. "The New Household Receipt Book: Containing Maxims, Directions, and Specifics for Promoting Health, Comfort, and Improvement in the Household," spanning more than 600 pages, seems to be a master reference book for women living in the era. While I don't claim to have read the entire thing, parts I skimmed included everything from how to maintain your nails to how to keep vermin away "even in crowded cities."

Sarah Josepha Hale in an unspecified year. (Engraving by John Chester Buttre/The American Portrait Gallery)

Other topics included how to paint "in imitation of a Grecian manner," how to drain a pond, how to prevent wool from being a "subject to be attacked by insects," and why drinking hot beverages "injures the teeth and impairs digestion." It also had a number of "rules for women servants" and suggests that if you do not have coals to keep the feet warm, "about a yard of moderately-sized iron chain, made red hot and put into the pan, is a simple and excellent substitute..."

"Bed clothes, and the wool of mattresses ... cannot be too often beat, carded, cleaned, and washed. This is a caution which cannot be too often recommended," she adds.

Sarah remained active in her writing career until the age of 89, retiring from her editorial duties after nearly 50 years in 1877.

In a brief description of her accomplishments some years earlier, Sarah continued to praise her late husband for making it all possible, and it is clear she missed him dearly.

"[The] approbation which he bestowed on my talents has been of great encouragement to me in attempting the duties that have since become my portion," she wrote. "And if there is any just praise due to the works I have prepared, my sweetest thought is---that his name bears the celebrity."

Sarah Josepha Hale died in 1879, at age 91.

Sarah's Legacy

According to the University of Vermont, after Godey sold the magazine and Sarah retired as editor in 1877, Godey's "passed through several hands and faded into obscurity" after dominating the landscape for nearly half a century, including throughout the Civil War.

Meanwhile, I found out that I'm not actually a direct descendent of Sarah Hale -- though I can certainly see why my ancestors were proud of their relation to such a remarkable woman. I am actually the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Horatio Hale, Sarah's brother, who did at least help foster her talents early in life.

And while nursery rhymes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday are among the most recognized of her accomplishments, Sarah was an extraordinary woman of faith and loyalty who possessed an exceptional work ethic and near-unparalleled career. Why is it that history always seems to forget the most remarkable aspects of an individual?

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