Manuscript Location

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library

Place of Origin

United States ➔ North Carolina

Date of Composition

begun 1837, continued at least into the 1840s

Description

The library's collection of the Jones Family Papers includes three recipe books written by Beverly Jones (1811-1902) and his wife, Julia Amelia Conrad Jones (1824-1913). Beverly Jones was a North Carolina physician and planter. He and his wife were the parents of ten children born between 1844 and 1859. Two of their sons served in the Confederate Army.

Two of the recipe books in the collection were compiled by Julia Conrad Jones. She started one of these books, a 48-page volume, in 1837, before her marriage to Beverly Jones, and then continued the book for some years. It contains recipes for preserves and sweets as well as many recipes for dyestuffs. She began her second recipe book, a 44-page volume, in 1840, after her marriage. Most of the recipes in this book focus on dyestuffs and practical household supplies, but the book also contains some recipes for sweets. Both of these books show evidence of a second hand. The Jones Family papers include Julia Jones's diaries, which record her daily life and work in her household, material possibly helpful in interpreting her recipe books.

The third recipe book in the collection, which is undated, was apparently authored by Beverly Jones. It comprises 21 pages of recipes, mostly for beverages and sweets.