Thanksgiving (United States) as early as 1607, with the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, Virginia holding a thanksgiving in 1610. In 1619, 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia. The group's London Company charter specifically required "that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned... in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." Three years later, after the Indian massacre of 1622, the Berkeley Hundred site and other outlying locations were abandoned and colonists moved their celebration to Jamestown and other more secure spots.
History of St. Augustine, Florida History of St. Augustine, Florida The history of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States, began in 1565 when it was founded by the Spanish admiral, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. The Spanish Crown issued an "asiento" to Menéndez, signed by King Philip II on March 20, 1565, granting him various titles, including that of "adelantado" of Florida, and expansive privileges to exploit the lands in the vast territory of Spanish Florida, called "La Florida" by the Spaniards. This contract directed Menéndez to explore the region's Atlantic coast and report on its features,