This is a news article of a reenactment of the first thanksgiving that my dad found when he and my grandma were looking at our genealogy. In 1584 on December 27th, John Woodlief was born in Peterley Manor in Dinton, Buckinghamshire, England. His parents were Drew Woodlief and Katherine Duncombe. John was listed in the 2nd Charter of the Virginia Company on May 23, 1609. When his ship “The Good Ship Margaret” arrived on December 4th, 1619, Capt. John Woodlief proclaimed the “first” Thanksgiving in the New World which is shown in the picture of what they are reenacting. Woodlief was Captain as well as manager for a colony known as Berkeley Hundred. Capt. John Woodlief died in 1637 in Virginia, Colonial America. This connects to my family and identity because my grandma’s last name is Woodlief and the Woodlief name dates back to 1609, this is as far as the last name goes as far as we know. We found out during our research that the original spelling of our last name was Woodliffe but it changed to Woodlief because their names were spelled incorrectly or they wanted their names to sound more English. Coming to Virginia on one of the many ships and starting a settlement began our journey in America and our families history. To be American means sailing across the ocean and leaving what you know to start a new life. This newspaper shows that freedom was not easy to have, people didn’t survive but because of one ship, my families history will continue to live on. 

– IMB

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more