2018 Meeting Programs

December 6th Program Details
Featured Speaker: Velvet Woodlief
"America's First Thanksgiving"

The program for the December 6, 2018 meeting of the Granville County Genealogical Society will be presented by Mrs. Velvet Woodlief, GCGS member.

Velvet will present a program on Capt. John Woodlief, and his landing at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia on December 4, 1619. "America's first Thanksgiving". Upon landing on the shores of the James River, Virginia, he carried out the first of his orders and instructions from Sir William Throckmorton, knight and baronet, Richard Bearkley, Esq, George Thorpe, Esq, and John Smyth, Gent., who commissioned the voyage. "Wee ordaine that the day of our ship's arrivall at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perputualy keept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almight God".

Edward Woodlief, one of our society's members, and other Woodliefs from Granville, Vance and Franklin Counties, along with the help of late Pearl Woodlief Blackley (Vance County) and from Woodliefs across the United States worked to get the recognition for the First Thanksgiving in America established. In 1956, a memorial was built on the shore of the James River at Berkeley Plantation honoring Capt. John Woodlief. On the plaque to Capt. John Woodlief, there are more Woodliefs from North Carolina than any other state. That same year and each year since, Woodlief descendants are sent a special invitation and a reception is held for them prior to the re-enactment of the landing of Capt. John Woodlief. Other spellings of the surname are Woodliffe, Woodliff, Woodlase and Woodlief. Edward Woodlief can trace his ancestry to this Capt. John Woodlief.

A celebration of this event is held the first Sunday in November of each year (moved from the first Sunday in December for more favorable weather). Next year will mark the 400th anniversary of the landing and the guest speakers will be Charles Berkeley, owner of Berkeley Castle in England and the former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles. The Godspeed sailing ship from Jamestown will be anchored offshore.

Please join members of the Granville County Genealogical Society in attending this meeting, to be held at 6:30 P.M. on December 6, 2018 in the conference room at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, N.C. All GCGS meetings are open to the public, and visitors and guests are always cordially invited to attend.

All GCGS meetings are open to the public and guests are cordially invited to attend.

 

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Questions or comments send to: GCGS.office@gmail.com