Television producer and writer Earl Hamner Jr. turned his experiences of growing up in rural Virginia during the Great Depression into the hit TV 1970s show The Waltons. Life was hard during those times, but Hamner’s nostalgic stories emphasized the positive, as the family came together to overcome challenges and celebrate important moments together. That included Thanksgiving. In a 1993 interview conducted ahead of the premiere of A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion, Hamner reflected on his family’s Thanksgiving traditions.

‘The Waltons’ creator Earl Hamner Jr. said Thanksgiving was big holiday for his family

Hamner based the character of John-Boy Walton on himself, while many of the other characters in the show were inspired by his family members. So it’s hardly surprising that A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion had him reflecting on his own Thanksgiving memories. 

“I found myself thinking about other Thanksgivings we had as a family back in Schuyler [Virginia],” Hamner told The Morning Call. “It was generally a happy and important holiday for us. In addition to the 10 of us, our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins always joined us for the celebration.”

Hamner went on to share that the family’s small house would be so crowded that people “had to eat in shifts.” 

“[T]here was no way everyone could sit in our little kitchen at the same time,” he said. “Men ate first and then the women and children had their meal.”

Preparing the Thanksgiving meal took two days 

Earl Hamner’s sister Marion Hamner Hawkes was the inspiration for Judy Norton’s Mary Ellen Walton character. She also shared some of her memories of the family’s Thanksgiving celebrations. She recalled how much effort went into preparing the big meal. 

“It was a two-day job because there were so many of us. Mom did most of the cooking because our budget couldn’t afford many mistakes, but my sisters and I helped,” she said. 

Earl and Marion’s father was in charge of bagging the bird that would appear on the family’s dinner table. 

“He’d go after young ones, rather than old, tough Toms,” she said. 

In addition to turkey, the table was laden with side dishes including stuffing, potatoes, “corn pudding made from my grandmother’s recipe, and other vegetables as well as pickled peaches and watermelon rinds,” Hawkes said. 

Meanwhile, Marion’s brothers would collect walnuts to be used in fudge, salads, and baked goods. Desserts typically included sweet potato pie, lemon meringue pie, pound cake, and chocolate cake. Sometimes, applesauce cake was also served. 

Hamner’s sister shared family recipes for the 1993 reunion movie

To give A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion an air of authenticity, the movie’s set designers actually reached out to Hawkes. She shared many of the Hamner family’s traditional recipes with them. Those were then prepared and seen on the dinner table in the movie. 

Hawkes also shared several those recipes with readers of The Morning Call, including those for her family’s corn pudding, sweet potato pie, pound cake, and famous applesauce cake. More of the family’s traditional recipes are collected in Hawkes’ cookbook, Mary Ellen’s Recipes. It’s available for purchase through the Walton’s Mountain Museum store. 

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