Thanksgiving & Pilgrims

Monday, October 10th marks Thanksgiving in Canada. While our Thanksgiving differs in date and origin from the US Thanksgiving holiday, I find my mind turning to Pilgrims and the US Thanksgiving on this date due to recent family discoveries.

Through my Taylor lineage, my family has been in North America since the 1600's, living in Connecticut as part of the Pilgrim wave of immigration from England. Although at this time I have found no ancestors that were on the Mayflower, I do have a US cousin who can trace her lineage to the Mayflower.

I am currently researching an extended branch of the family, the Coit's, who can trace their lineage back to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1638. John Coit was one of the original Pilgrims in Salem, which had been founded only 9 years earlier. Yes, this is the same Salem that would become infamous in 1692 for the Witch Trials (so far, no relatives involved in that!) so another good tie in for this season.

Once again my family research has taken me down a new path, and one steeped in history and tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!