When the first settlers arrived in Jamestown in April 1607 and raised a cross at Cape Henry, claiming the land for England, they may have had a thanksgiving predating their first known observance in 1619. In that year, Berkeley Hundred was settled, one of a number of plantations granted by the Virginia Co. of London to its stockholders.

As many prepare to gather around the table for annual Thanksgiving feasts and celebrations, some might wonder when the tradition started and when it became a national holiday.

While the 1621 feast wasn’t called “Thanksgiving” at the time, it set the stage for a holiday that would become a cornerstone of American culture. The modern version of Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the Civil War, as a time to unite and reflect.

As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, here are three surprising Texas ties to the holiday you probably didn't know.

The Pilgrims and Wampanoag shared a harvest feast, but it didn't happen the way you were likely taught in school.

Here's a bit of history about Thanksgiving and traditions surrounding the holiday. The first Thanksgiving Day "celebration" is said to have taken place in 1621, the History Channel reports. The story,