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.

And while we know that our Thanksgiving holiday tradition goes back a long way, when was the first Thanksgiving? And did the first Thanksgiving meal include all of the food we're used to seeing on our own festive tables?

And have you ever wondered, “When was the first Thanksgiving?” To better understand how this celebrated holiday came to be, TODAY.com spoke to Melanie Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of the book “Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience.