However you choose to give thanks this week, take a moment to give a grateful thought to Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book for a good chunk of the 19th century, was an amazing woman. She wrote “Mary’s Lamb,” now popularly known as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” This connects Hale to Thomas Edison, as the first words he ever recorded on his newly invented phonograph were the words to “Mary’s Lamb.” But “Mary’s Lamb” also connects Hale to singers like Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding and Paul McCartney, all of whom put their spin on the poem.
Hale also spearheaded the movement to preserve George Washington’s home, Mt. Vernon, and was instrumental in helping to finance the Bunker Hill Monument. Hale lived a long and interesting life and was one of the most influential women of her age.
Most relevant this week: Sarah Jospeha Hale wrote letters to five successive U.S. presidents, suggesting that Thanksgiving be proclaimed a national holiday. Lincoln was the president who finally listened and created the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here is Sarah Hale’s gravesite at Laurel Hill Cemetery. The telltale pumpkin was left at the grave by Gwen of the LHC staff, who placed it there so I could find Hale’s stone for the tour I gave on Sunday afternoon.
1 Picture, 217 Words 