Manuscript Location

Winterthur Library, Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Place of Origin

United States

Date of Composition

1863--1923

Description

This extensive recipe book contains approximately 150 handwritten recipes and 80 or so recipes on clippings. Most of the recipes are culinary. The bulk of the recipes date from the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of twentieth century. For example, one recipe is attrivbuted to Mrs. Henderson, a cookbook author who published in the 1870s; a recipe for lemon pie that is signed by Martin and Eliza Coates (who is thought to be Martin's sister) is dated 1906; and a number of clippings concern substitutions for ingredients that were in short supply during World War I. However, the book does contain some recipes that date from the first half of the nineteenth century, including two recipes for union pudding, which emerged in the lead-up to the Civil War. All of the recipes are indexed in a database available at the library.