This little, hardcover book of just 45 pages was written by Harriet
Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (14 June 1811 – 1 July 1896). The First Christmas of New England is
a short story originally published in an 1876 volume containing three separate stories. Stowe was a prolific writer for her time,
authoring over 30 books, which often contained social commentary including
abolition of slavery, women’s rights, temperance, and American History. Her most famous
book Uncle Tom’s Cabin criticized the Fugitive Slave Act, inflamed the
South and energized abolitionists in the North prior to the Civil War.
Harriet was born into the religious family of Rev. Lyman
Beecher. Three of her brothers became ministers,
and her father was the famous Reverend Lyman Beecher. Her mother was Roxana
Ward Foote, a descendant of Nathaniel Foote (about 1593 – 1644), Nathaniel
Bliss (1622 – 1654) and Deacon Samuel Chapin (1598 – 1675) early Connecticut
settlers, and my ancestors, too. As far
as I can tell, Harriet Beecher Stowe was not a Mayflower descendant, but she did
write about the Pilgrims several times in her books.
All of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s books were well researched.
This little story about the 1620 Christmas and the Pilgrim’s first winter in
New England is written as fiction but quotes from Bradford’s journal and other
primary sources. She doesn’t tell any myths about the Plymouth Colony. I don’t
know why her book isn’t more well known. I stumbled across it for a few dollars
at a used bookstore. You can find it for sale at Amazon and sellers like Abe
Books online.
The small size of the book and the simple woodblock style
illustrations would make this an excellent gift for young people. Although it
was written in the middle of the 19th century, when many of our
myths about the Pilgrims and the Plymouth colony were first dreamed up, this
book doesn’t romanticize their story.
The first Christmas took place a few weeks after landing in the New
World, while many of the Mayflower passengers were still living on board the ship.
By Christmas Eve, some of them had already died. There was no celebrating of a pagan holiday,
on December 25, 1620, they worked hard at building shelter for the new settlement.
Within a few more weeks (after the ending of the book), half of the Mayflower company would be dead.
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| The Beecher Family |
For the truly curious:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or, The History of a Christian Slave,
first published in 1852
The Mayflower, or, Sketches of Scenes and Characters
among the Descendants of the Pilgrims, published 1843
Betty’s Bright Idea (and other Stories) published
1876 includes “The First Christmas of New England”.
The First Christmas of New England, published by
Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts, 2002 also available online at the
following links:
A PDF version in full: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/journeys.dartmouth.edu/dist/1/686/files/2015/12/Stowe-First_Christmas_of_New_England.pdf
This version is readable online, but scroll down to the First Christmas story (it's the second of three stories by Harriet Beecher Stowe on this website): https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_First_Christmas_of_New_England_Other/WrLoDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+first+christmas+of+new+england&printsec=frontcover
The ancestry of Harriet Beecher Stowe can be found at this
link: https://famouskin.com/family-tree.php?name=48996+harriet+beecher+stowe
The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford,
Connecticut: https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/
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To Cite/Link to this blog: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The First Christmas of New England by Harriet Beecher Stowe", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 13, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-first-christmas-of-new-england-by.html
