Manuscript Location

Winterthur Library, Quaker and Special Collections

Place of Origin

United States ➔ Massachusetts ➔ Dedham

Date of Composition

ca. 1847

Description

This volume comprises 48 pages of recipes, all written in a single hand believed to be that of  H. N. Pilsbury, who resided in Dedham, Massachusetts.The primary focus of the book is cakes, puddings, and preserves. A few recipes for savory dishes appear toward the end. The recipes include Boston pudding, rice pudding, bread pudding, berry pudding, whipped cream [a dessert], gooseberry jelly, raspberry jam, preserved quinces, preserved strawberries, currant wine, hot pudding sauce, rich wedding cake and very rich wedding cake, election cake, gingerbread, and custard. The book's recipes for Cup Cake, Common Gingerbread, Cider Cake, and Loaf Cake are paraphrased from Lydia Maria Child's The Frugal American Housewife, first published in 1829 and particularly popular in New England. Household and medical recipes are scattered throughout the volume as well. Inside the front and back covers are a few notes about clapboards, nails, shingles, and lumber, dated 1847, which is roughly when this book was likely compiled. The book's contents are listed in a database available at the library.

To view digital images of this book, click on the link in the library catalog under "Multimedia," then click on "1800s."