THE FIRST DAY OF THANKS IN BUFFALO VALLEY
(A day of thanks after the Revolutionary War)
Grade 4
Christine Martin
"It is such a glorious day here today at the Sierer farm and I would like to thank each of you for coming. When the ladies get the tables cleared we will be serving crab apple cider, pumpkin pies, and mince meat pies from the venison that Peter and William brought. Meanwhile you can continue to intermingle with all who are present here today."
You see that is the master of ceremony, Colonel Kelly. He just lives down the road about four miles. This has been such an exciting day for each of us. I have been looking forward to this day for the last month. All the excitement of this day started yesterday when a bunch of the neighbor ladies come over here to my house and we cooked all day preparing the food that was served. We had everything from venison, wild turkey, and wild duck. The wild ducks were shot on that Buffalo Creek right over there by a good Indian friend that came with Colonel Clark. As well as preparing the food yesterday, we set up long tables here on the lawn beside our house to serve the feast today.
My husband, John Sierer, always had a dream of bringing the neighbors of this Buffalo Valley together to celebrate the end of the Revolutionary War. He was discussing this dream with a friend and between the two of them they decided to make this dream a reality. I felt really honored to have this celebration at our new stone house which is considered the mansion by many of our friends. They couldn't have picked a better day than this beautiful day in November.
It looks like the ladies need some help getting the desserts out on the tables. Maybe I should go help them. I need to run inside and get the big pitchers that we need to serve the crab apple cider. Later, Colonel Kelly will be asking some of the people to share some reasons they are thankful today. I heard that there are some amazing stories to share. My husband is also going to tell our story of thanks. Oh, did I tell you about the music. You see that young lady over there leading that group of singers beside the fiddle player? That is our daughter. My husband asked her to share in this celebration. Here comes Colonel Kelly now to get the stories of thanks started.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you are enjoying the desserts, we have some special stories of thanks to tell about today. I guess I will start off with a few things I am thankful for. I am sure many of you share in these, too. I am very thankful that the war is over and that we are able to till the soil again and raise the crops to support our families. I am also grateful for the permanent constitution that the nation has adopted and the settlement of Indian troubles. I guess that gives all of us reason to celebrate. I have asked a few of our guests here today to share their unusual reasons for Thanksgiving. John Sierer would you share yours first?"
"First of all I would like to thank each of you for coming to our house to celebrate this day. I am truly thankful for this new house we have built. As many of you may know, my family and I came to this valley before the war began and we lived across that field in that small log cabin. One evening when I came home, our daughter had a small puppy that our neighbor had given her. Needless to say, I was not very pleased. As you know times were tough and I knew we wouldn't have food enough to feed that dog. We were already struggling to feed ourselves. I insisted that we give the dog back to the neighbors , but my wife pleaded with me and said that our daughter hadn't had this much fun for a long time. I decided to let the subject drop until the next day. That night we were awakened by a loud barking of the dog. The next morning we found Moccasin tracks from Indians around our house. That dog had saved our lives. Of course, we did keep the dog. I was so thankful for our safety that when we built this stone mansion I had that engraved clock placed in the stone right there below the peak. The clock shows the time that the dog barked and saved our lives. I also had our initials engraved in the stone."
"Thank you John Sierer. What a story of thanksgiving. Next, lets hear a song of thanksgiving from his daughter."
I didn't really hear the other stories of thanksgiving that day after my husband shared. It was such a beautiful November day with so many friends surrounding me and hearing our story all over again just made think of how thankful I really am. This day was set out as a special day of thanksgiving for us, but I started realizing that every day should be a day of thanksgiving.
(This story is partially fictional, but based mainly on the history of the house I will be moving into with my husband. The house is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and it is known for the celebration of the first Thanksgiving in Buffalo Valley in November, 1795 after the Revolutionary War.)
More information:
To see the old deeds of the stone mansion, click here..
To learn more about the history of the area at the time this story took place, click here.
To learn more about the area of the setting of this story, click here.
Review Questions: The First Day of Thanks In Buffalo Valley
- What were some things the people at this celebrations were thankful for?
- What made John Sierer keep the dog the neighbors gave to his daughter?
- Reexplain John Sierer's story of thanksgiving.
- Do you think that this family will continue to hold thanksgiving dinners? Why or why not?
- What are some things you are thankful for?
Christine Martin The First Day of Thanks in Buffalo Valley
Outline:
I. Colonel Kelly
II. Mrs. Sierer
III. Colonel Kelly
IV. John Sierer
V. Colonel Kelly
VI. Mrs. Sierer
Ideas for props:
apron for Mrs. Sierer, brimmed hat for Colonel Kelly, bib pants for John Sierer
Answers for questions:
1. The war is over, permanent constitution, and saved from Indian attack.
2. The dog barked and saved his family from an Indian attack at night.
3. Answers will vary.
4. Answers will vary.
Sources Used:
Steese, Charles M. "Buffalo Valley's First Thanksgiving." Article written for the Daily Item newspaper.
Steese, Charles M. "Genealogical Sketches of Pioneer Families Who Lived in Buffalo Valley." Article written for the Lewisburg Saturday News.
" Union County Heritage." Volume XII, The Publication of the Union County Historical Society. Union County, Pennsylvania.
(Charles Steese was the Secretary of the Union County Historical Society and the Senior Assistant at the Pennsylvania State Museum)