Delete comment from: Boston 1775
There's a fair amount of Adams family correspondence on the Thanksgiving Day riot, most of which is pretty oblique. Here are a couple of the more interesting.
"The riotous ungovernable spirit, which appeared among the students at the university in the course of the last quarter gave me great anxiety; particularly as I understood, that one of my brothers, was suspected of having been active in exciting disturbances; but from his own declarations and from the opinion I have of his disposition, I hope those suspicions, were without foundation I conversed with him largely upon the subject, and hope, his conduct in future, will be such as to remove, every unfavourable impression." JQA to cousin Cotton Tufts
"I long to hear from Charles & Thomas I charged them to write to me— I do not know that Mr Shaw & I could have given them better advice if they had been our own Sons— I hope they will conduct agreeable to it—& be wiser than they have been, & more cautious of abusing Government, for what they from choice suffer—the Ten shillings penalty, I mean." AA's sister Elizabeth Smith Shaw to their other sister Mary Smith Cranch
Interestingly, Thomas Adams' classmate Pitt Clarke only mentions the toasts, songs, and thankful hearts on Thanksgiving day 1787. "Thanksgiving, very pleasant. Went to meeting. Mr. Hilliard preached from Psalms 107, 31, 32 verses. After meeting had an elegant dinner in the hall, each one carried in a bottle of wine & all joined in drinking toasts, & singing songs in praise of the day & with thankful hearts."
Sep 11, 2019, 6:31:30 PM
Posted to A Thanksgiving Dinner Gone Wrong