Church Record Sunday: Historic Paxton Church Cookbook

You have to love a cookbook that has so much rolled into it. Not only does the cookbook, Historic Paxton, Her Days and Her Ways 1722-1913. Family Recipes Contributed by The Women's Aid Society of Paxton Church have recipes but it also has a comprehensive history of this Paxton, Pennsylvania  church. This history includes not only the church, the ministers, and the attached school but even the history of the graveyard.  This is my kind of cookbook! There is 144 pages of historical content before you reach the recipes section.

To get to the recipes you will need to forward the book to page 145 which begins the cookbook portion with bread recipes. The names of the women who provided recipes in this cookbook are largely listed by their husband's names.  While this does happen occasionally in early cookbooks it still provides information on when your family lived in a certain area and what organizations they belonged to. Names of those who submitted recipes in this book include:

Mrs. Marshall Rutherford
Mrs. J. E. Rutherford
Mrs. Bellett Lawson
Mrs. Thomas Lyter
Mrs. F. O. Tayler
Mrs. J. Q. A. Rutherford
Mrs. S. F. Barber
Mrs. W. Franklin Rutherford
Mrs. Charles Smith
Mrs. John Y Boyd
Miss. Eliza E. Rutherford
Mrs. J.A. Lutz
Miss Margaret S. Rutherford
Miss K. Virginia Ruhterford
Mrs. Charles Forney
Mrs. James Boyd
Mrs. Edgar Martin
Mrs. J. F. Myers
Miss Janet Elder
Mrs. S. Gray Bigham
Miss Keziah Rutherford
Mrs. Arthur Bailey
Mrs. Alison Mayhew
Mrs. H. F. Kramer
Mrs. Howard A. Birchall
Mrs. John Wensell
Mrs. Thomas Smallwood
Mrs. John Elder
Mrs. Wm. Sourbur
Mrs. Ricker
Mrs. S. H. Rutherford
Mrs. Donald I. Rutherford
Miss Eleanor G Rutherford
Mrs. George C Martin
Mrs. Hudgins
Mrs. J. H. Sheesley
Mrs. Harry Holmes, Jr.
Mrs. George Sheaffer
Miss Isabella Rutherford
Mrs. A. P. L. Dull
Mrs. Kochenderfer
Mrs. H. A. Rutherford
Miss Helen Rutherford
Mrs. Daniel Ricker
Mrs. J. C. Wensell
Mrs. John Schuster
Mrs. William Kunkle
Mrs. Harry Fitting
Mrs. Joshua E. Rutherford
Miss Matilda Elder
Mrs. Harry Holmes
Mrs. S. Ralston Dickey
Miss June Rutherford
Miss Mary B Rutherford
Miss Martha K Rutherford
Mrs. Howard A Rutherford
Mrs. Robert C Welsh
Miss Margaret Brown Rutherford
Mrs. E. M. Mulock
Mrs. Darwin F. Pickard
Miss Eva Kunckle
Miss Caroline Smallwood
Miss Inda H Kauffman
Mrs. J. S. Rose
Mrs. J. A. Rose
Mrs. Francis W. Rutherford
Mrs. David Martin
Mrs. Kochenderfer
Mrs. Matthew B. Elder

Women are also acknowledged in the beginning pages by the editor for their contribution to this history.  This cookbook is rich with detail and if you ancestor is listed, you will learn much about their time and their religion as well as what they ate.

Read More

Recipes from the Past: Vinegar Pie

Have you ever thought about the food that generations past ate but that for whatever reason is absent from your dinner table?  I'm always interested in knowing why some of the dishes of our parents or even grand-parents generation no longer are fixed.  Now, I do realize that in some cases you wouldn't want them to end up on your dinner plate. My grandmother made head cheese and though I realize some people like it, I'd prefer not eat it.

One of the mailing lists I subscribe to is sponsored by the Association for the Study of Food and Society.  In one of the threads there was a mention of vinegar pie. I, like others, have not tasted vinegar pie. However, I have seen mention of it in several of my older cookbooks. I wonder why it has lost favor in the pie world?  The name may be the reason, but maybe fruit pies are just preferred in our era of access to fresh fruit all year long.

So fast forward to today when I was doing some research and saw an article by genealogist Myra Vanderpool Gormley entitled, Vinegar Pie, Cat's Eyes and Tales From Grandma's Kitchen from the Nov/Dec 2006 Ancestry Magazine.

In this article she talks about her favorite pie being vinegar pie.  She describes the ingredients as "eggs, sugar, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, cream of tartar and vanilla extract.  Later meringue is added to the top of the filling and browned.

So have you had vinegar pie?  What does it taste like?  Do you make it still or is it simply a pie of the past in your family?

Read More

Libraries and Websites to Find Community Cookbooks

This list will be migrating over to the right side bar but for now I thought I would bring your attention to just a few places that have collections of community cookbooks.  These resources are not just regional, they have collections from all over the United States. This list is in no particular order.

Libraries

Los Angeles Public Library

University of Illinois Library

Library of Congress 

Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library Harvard University


Websites

Internet Archive

Read More

Where Can I Find Community Cookbooks?

As with any new resource that you want to research for clues to your family history, the most important question is where to find that resource. Currently, community cookbooks are a little different than the majority of genealogical resources we typically use. They are not indexed in a database. They are not available on a subscription site. And because they are largely self-published, they are not part of  all library collections. So what's a researcher to do?

Well, that's when it's necessary to not mull over where they aren't but where they are. So start with considering the possibility that they are a home source. Does any family member have a community cookbook that might have recipes from family members? We often don't ask to see books that family members own, so it's not a source that those providing you with information would think of.  So ask.

Check out library catalogs.  There are some collections of community cookbooks housed in various libraries throughout the United States. A good example is the Los Angeles Public Library which has a large collection of cookbooks, including community cookbooks, going back to California's  first community cookbooks. There are a few places to find cookbooks online. I will be puttting together a list of these libraries and websites and adding it to the right hand side of the blog for reference.  Look for that being posted sometime next week.

I firmly believe that genealogy is everywhere. Use ebay to search for community cookbooks that are for sale. You can also save your searches so that ebay continues searching for those keywords and alerts you when they are found. I searched on ebay and found hits for searches on "charity cookbooks" "community cookbooks" "church cookbook", searching by the name of a religion and the word cookbook and searching on a city and the word cookbook.

I know it's much easier to go for the information that is easily found on a genealogy subscription site.  And there is no doubt that that is a great start to your research. But as you fill in the details to your female ancestor's life, consider taking extra time to hunt down community cookbooks that recreate a time and a place that your ancestor was part of.

Read More

Community Cookbook: Spirit Lake Cook Book

One of the oldest community cookbooks in my personal collection is the Spirit Lake Cook Book sponsored by Dorcas Circle of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 1937. Spirit Lake, Iowa.

This cookbook features recipes and advertising from local businesses. Including advertising was mutually beneficial, it allowed businesses to receive much needed exposure and helped to offset costs associated with the cookbook while helping the group raise much needed funds.  Not all cookbooks include this advertising but this specific one includes 12 pages of similar looking advertisements. Ads representing food type businesses like the local creamery, market, bakery, Coca-Cola bottling company and cafe are represented here.  There are also ads that would be of interest to genealogists like that for the  Donovan Funeral Home and Baumgardner's Furniture Store and Funeral Home. (Need to know what funeral homes existed in your ancestor's time?--Look in a community cookbook from that era!) Even a female attorney is found among the advertising section, Virginia Bedell, as well as a female Ph.D., Mary Price Roberts.


One of the great aspects of this advertising section is that in this small town, even small today with only a little over 4,000 in the 2000 Census according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Lake,_Iowa), has listings for probably almost every business, which could help one gain a sense of what occupational opportunities existed.

What about the recipes?  Well they run the gamut of protein dishes, vegetables, salads, desserts and pickles/relishes. Being the era of less wastefulness than our own, the meat dishes include different kinds of "meat loafs" including one made with ham and one made with jellied veal. There is Mock California Chicken that is made with noodles and tuna and lots of kinds of pickles which would have been great way to preserve foods. These pickles include both vegetable and fruit pickles.

The above image shows a recipe for Jellied Veal Loaf, among other things.  Curious what is in the Jellied Veal Loaf?

Jellied Veal Loaf

3 T. diced celery

2 T. gelatine (sic)

1c cold water

1 tsp. salt

1 bay leaf

3 T lemon juice

2 c meat stock

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T chopped onion

2 c cooked and ground meat

3 T chopped green pepper

3 hard boiled eggs

Soak gelatin in water, dissolve in hot meat stock, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. When mixture begins to thicken, add meat, onion, green pepper and eggs, cut in pieces. Put in a wet mold in which you have previously poured 1/4 inch hot gelatine (sic). Garnish with slices of egg and green pepper. Serves 10-12. (Recipe by Mrs. H. C. Bradfield).

Surnames included in this cookbook are: Belden, Tritle, Bradfield, Smith, Jahn, Haakenson, Bramblett, Titus, Hill, Furman, Schlotterbeck, Girg, Tott, Harker, Peterson, Brainard, Brown, Pillsbury, Rodawig, Sylvester, Baumgardner, Burt, Hughes, Maytum, Richards, Moore, Moreland, Flemming, Blair, Buck, Deibner, Edwards, Cornell, Lepley, Raebel, Willadsen, Snow, Smithers, LaFontaine, Rector, Clark, Baldy, Parsons. Maish, Arp, Wiegand, Farr, Ellis, Donovan, Klein, Salyards, Radcliff, Hinshaw, Schuneman, Webb, Miller, Peck, Bernholtz, LaDoux, Phippin, Dempsie, Jensen, Lewis, Jones, Osborn, Flemming, Anderson, Schneidawind, Martinson, Cother, Rienke, Narey, Frost, Swailes, Price, Gray, Grant, Gravatt, Welty, Kushe, Redington, Simmons, Fitch, Saupe, Rank, Sarazine, Roberts, Snow, Barlow, Marshall, Williams, O'Dea, McMahon, Redger, Yarnes, Blackert, Hanson, Walson, Jahr, Salyards, Carver, Gerkin, Pedersen, Rector, Fontaine, Steenburg, Fronk, Grove, Tintinger, Strong, Hill, Lindquist, Francis, Hornseth, Ilsley, Adams, Rank, Magnuson, Wherry, Dowden, Walter, McNall, Williamz, Thomas.

Read More

What Did Your Family Eat During World War II?

World War II ushered in an era of necessity that changed the way Americans, and those in other nations, ate. This era included such experiences as food rationing, victory gardens and introductions to different types of food. All families would have been affected as their choices at the grocery store were diminished and women were encouraged to make substitutions for well known favorites and to make what they did have last longer.

Rationing

Not just food was rationed during the war years. I remember a story from my own family history about a great-great grandmother who passed away; no family members went to her funeral because gas was rationed and they lived too far away. Rationing affected more than just what food you could buy and how much gas you could purchase it affected your access to some durable goods.

So what food was rationed? Sugar, meat, coffee, processed foods, cheese, canned milk and fats. To see a list of rationed items and the dates they were rationed, check out this website on World War II rationing.

Families were issued ration books with coupons that were used to purchase food. Ration book covers include the name of the person who it was issued to and their address. These books often are a home source that may be archived by a family member and can be used by the genealogist to add interest to your family history. I have also seen these books at antique stores and on eBay. GenealogyToday’s databases include one with 9,800 names from War Ration books. This unique database provides another way to find family members. While these books provide little information, it does place your ancestor in a specific place in time.

We’re Eating What For Dinner???

In some cases, Americans were encouraged to substitute different food stuffs for what was familiar due to rationing or limited quantities. One of my older relatives lived with my family for a time and refused to eat any ground beef. This refusal stemmed from World War II when horse meat was provided as a substitute for beef. Even after more than 45 years, she was convinced the government was slipping horse meat into packages of ground beef.

Other meat substitutes both animal and plant based were also suggested. Tricks to making food last longer were encouraged. Your family may have changed their diet considerably in order to comply with shortages. Patriotic propaganda that came in the form of posters and cookbooks that told women how to shop and what to cook.

Victory Gardens

When you think about it, it makes sense to encourage the masses to plant gardens when food is at a premium. A little self sufficiency makes it possible to spread the wealth so to speak. One way our families were encouraged to help with the war effort was to plant a victory garden. The May 3, 1943 issue of Life magazine (p. 29) includes a pictorial of gardens in all kinds of places in the United States including at a prison. The caption to that picture notes that prisoners aren’t allowed to plant corn, lest it be used to hide from the guards.

So Now What?

What may seem like everyday, ordinary life to older family members can add interest to your family history narrative. Interview older family members about what they ate, how they sacrificed and did without during the war years. If you are that older family member, write down your experiences. History is made up of the experiences of individuals and history is lost when we neglect to tell our stories and our experiences.

Want to learn more about eating during World War II? The book Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking: Cookbooks and Gender in Modern America by Jessamyn Neuhaus includes a few chapters on the subject.   Portions of the book are available as a preview on Google Books.

So what did your family eat during World War II?

Read More

Introduction: Community Cookbook Detective

By Madaleine J. Laird

I'm good at finding things, always have been. My life improved dramatically after I found Gena Philibert-Ortega on Facebook. Long story short, I sent her a friend request, she accepted, we met in person at a Family History Expo, and now I inhabit her guest bedroom on a fairly regular basis. We've apparently formed what my mother would call a mutual admiration society. Gena introduced me to the fascinating notion of community cookbooks as an untapped source of genealogical information, and somehow I've managed to impress her with my detective skills . . . at least I think I have.

One of my contributions to Food.Family.Ephemera is the Community Cookbook Detective series, in which I'll report on my efforts to identify the people, places, organizations, and events associated with community cookbooks. I'm sure this isn't big news to anyone who's into genealogy the way Gena and I are, but sometimes those pesky details cannot be found within the cookbooks themselves. Uncovering the details—as well as the big picture—requires digging a little deeper. I'd like to believe I'm up to the challenge!

Staying sharp requires practice, however, and I'm hoping that readers of Food.Family.Ephemera can provide me with some cases to work on. Do you own a community cookbook whose origins are a bit mysterious? If so, you're not the only one. I've come across several that contain no hint of where, when, or why they were published. Many community cookbooks were created as fundraisers for churches, schools, and other community organizations, so it's not surprising that compilers were more focused on immediate concerns than on the cookbooks' future value as informational artifacts.

If you have a mystery cookbook stuffed inside a kitchen cabinet, let me take a look at it! Tell me as much as you remember about how it came to be in your possession. Who gave it to you? Where did you buy it? How long have you owned it? Scan or photograph the cover and the first few pages of the book, then send the images to kinfolit@gmail.com, and please put "Community Cookbook Detective" in the subject line of your email. I hope we can solve a few mysteries together, or at least have fun trying!

Read More