Some argue that the first thanksgiving occurred in Virginia. In 1619 a group of settlers sailed up the James River with instructions from the London Company that “the day of our ship’s arrival...shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.” Debarking at a tract called “Berkeley Hundred” they held a Thanksgiving service on December 4th - two years before the Pilgrim celebration.
Although interesting to historians, the Berkeley thanksgiving was largely forgotten until the twentieth century. It did not include a turkey dinner (shown on some travel brochures) and did not start a holiday tradition.