Thanksgiving’s a time to count your blessings, but do you know who made the day possible? Here’s everything you need to know about how Sarah Hale, Thanksgiving and Abraham Lincoln go together.

Although the story of Thanksgiving often involves a heartwarming tale of Native Americans helping the Pilgrims through their first winter in a new country, it isn’t quite the case. In fact, there’s actually four different states that claim to have hosted the first Thanksgiving and no, they’re not all in New England. So, why do we even celebrate Thanksgiving? Well, the real history of Thanksgiving dates back to before The Civil War, not the landing of the Mayflower, and was brought about by a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale.

Sarah Joespha Hale was born in 1788 in New Hampshire. She and her siblings were homeschooled by their mother who had more schooling than the typical woman of the time. As Hale grew her education was improved even more by her brother who allowed her to read his college textbooks. Even as an adult, Hale was keen on learning. After marriage, her husband would devote 2 hours of each day to her education. Unfortunately, after nine years of marriage her husband suddenly passed away from a stroke. Hale was left penniless with 5 young children to raise, but she didn’t let the thought of failure enter her mind.

As you can imagine, a woman finding a job during this time was quite difficult. Luckily Hale had studied literature for many years and had written a book of poems for her children. With a little help from the Free Masons, of which her husband had been an active member during his lifetime, she published a book of poems and made a decent profit. In this collection her poem, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” rose to the top—as you probably know, it’s still widely recited by children today. After its publication, there was controversy over who actually wrote the poem, but Hale was able to put the criticism behind her and moved on to publish her first novel, Northwood.

It was in Northwood that Hale would first explain the concept of the traditional Thanksgiving. The Sarah Hale Thanksgiving account paid tribute to the settlers of Massachusetts more than the Pilgrims and would leave Americans with a wholesome idea of celebration that would soon become a yearly tradition. She followed the novel up with a set of short stories which again described the warmth of Thanksgiving and encouraged Americans to take part in its comfort.

It didn’t take long before people began to notice Hale’s talents and she was soon instated editor of Lady’s Book, also known as Godey’s Magazine. It was here that she began to reach a broader audience. She began fighting for property rights and higher wages for women as well as for girls to receive a better education. Hale quickly gained an audience and soon began publishing editorials as well as an abundance of books that gained great fame during her time.

This clever way of presenting her ideas earned her a lot of respect. So, when Hale began to write to mayors about proclaiming a Thanksgiving Day she actually did get a response. She worked hard to present her case to many areas and even worked to make the holiday uniform so that one day all of America would be able to celebrate together. Hale chose the fourth Thursday in November as her day of Thanksgiving because she felt it an opportune time due to harvests, homecomings from summer travels and lack of ailments.

By 1859 she’d managed to get 32 states and the District of Columbia to celebrate Thanksgiving. As hopes of the special day becoming a national holiday increased, Sarah Hale’s Thanksgiving plan was put on hold due to the Civil War. Frustrated by the lack of development, Hale took things to the next level by writing to President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. In this letter, which is still preserved in the Library of Congress, Hale would inspire the President to address the nation and urge them to all celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

Although Hale had succeeded in getting Lincoln to proclaim the holiday in 1863, it still lacked legal status on a federal level, and she could not rest until her holiday became legally recognized. Unfortunately, Hale would never see this happen. In 1879 Sarah Josepha Hale passed away at the age of 91.

In 1941, President F. D. Roosevelt finally made Thanksgiving Day a national holiday that would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, just as Hale had fought to have it. Today, we put on plays with pilgrims and Indians, dress up in Quaker attire and give thanks for the good things in our lives. Although parts of our celebration may be a bit off, we do follow many of the traditions that Sarah Hale planned for us. Despite this, most people don’t realize that the holiday would have never come to be without Hale’s hard work and persistence! So, maybe this Thanksgiving we can all give Sarah Josepha Hale a special place in our hearts as we join with loved one’s over an abundance of food.