Manuscript Location

University of Virginia Library, Special Collections

Place of Origin

United States ➔ Virginia

Date of Composition

ca. 1850-ca. 1900

Description

The Nourse family was established in America by James Nourse (1731-1784), who emigrated from England in 1769, settled near Charlestown, West Virginia, on a plantation called Piedmont, and was active in colonial politics. Nourse was the father of twenty-one children, several of whom were prominent in governmental affairs in the early American republic. Likely dating from the second half of the nineteenth century, this unsigned cookbook is written in a small leather-bound volume of approximately 100 pages. The recipes are in several different hands, written in pencil, blue ink, and brown ink. Some newspaper clippings are laid in.

The volume contains the following manuscript recipes: Brown Bread, Steamed Brown Bread, Beef à la mode, Beef Shank— Broiled, Biscuit, Ginger Bread (good), Delicate Cake (two recipes), Carries Cake, Johnny Cake, Griddle Cakes, Steamed Dumplings, Mrs. Nelson's Br Bread, Brown Bread, Good Gruel, Mince Meat, Plain Mince Meat, Lemon Pie-Teresa, Good Pie Crust, Potato Pie Crust, Rich Puff Paste, Good Apple Pie, Molasses Apple Pie, Mother's Pudding, Bird's Nest Pudding, Quinces, Quince Jelly, Baked Rice, Rolls, Mrs. Lewis's Tea Biscuit, White Wash.

The cookbook is located in Box 10 of the Nourse family collection.