1879 Virginia Cookbook, Housekeeping in Old Virginia

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I just bought a reprint of this old book dated 1879. Even the reprint is old!! HOUSEKEEPING IN OLD VIRGINIA edited by Marion Cabell Tyree. "Contributions from two hundred and fifty of Virginia's noted housewives, distinguished for their skill in the culinary arts and other branches of domestic economy."

The reprint date is MCMLXV. Who knows what those Roman Numbers mean? It's been 30 years or more since I learned that stuff and haven't much used it since. LOL.

Anyway, to the real point..... Here's the names of the contributors. I was thinking that some Virginians may be interested if their family name is listed. I would be happy to share recipes from your ancestor, if listed. The list of names is very long. I will just type up the last names. Let me know if you want more info. Have fun...

Alexander, Ambler, Anderson, Armstrong, Averett, "Mozis Addums", Adams, Brown, Barbour, Barton, Beale, Bell, Bliss, Brady, Breckinridge, Brinckerhoff, Brooke, Bruce, Mrs. M B (no last name spelled out), Buck, Burwell, Button, Burney, Burks, Broaddus, Byrd, Cameron, Cabell, Campbell, Carrington, Carson, Camm, Chalmers, Cobbs, Coleman, Coles, Colston, Chew, Christian, Craighill, Cone, Davis, Dangerfield, Davies, Davis, Deane, Drans, Dickinson, Dunn, Duke, Miss D. D, Didlake, Edmonds, Edwards, Early, Ewing, Elam, Fitz Hugh (Fitzhugh), Ficklin, Fitzgerald, Figgat, Forsberg, Graves, Garland, Gardner, Gilmer, Goodwin, Goolrick, Googin, Gordon, Gilmer, Harrison, Henry, Harding, Hickey, Holt, Hutter, Hubbard, Hyland, Ingle, Irby, Jones, Johnson, Kent, Kinckle, Kinsolving, Knox, Latham, Mr. K, Leighton, Leftwich, Lee (WOW...Mrs. General R.E.L. herself), Letcher, Lemmon, Lewis, Langhorne, Lacy, Lawrence, Little, Mrs. J.D. L, L.D.L, Marye (Governor's wife I think), Mason, Massie, Meem, Miller, Minor, McPhail, McDaniel, McNutt, Meade, Mosby, Murrel, McFarland, McGee, McGavock, Gen. M., Moore, Newton, Nelson, Nichols, Norvell, Norwood, Owen, Palmer, Page, Pierce, Powell, Preston, Pollard, Payne, Phillips, Pendleton, Price, Parker, Reed, Reid, Read, Rives, Roane, Robinson, Roberts, Ruggles, Sale, Saunders, Seddon, Semple, Service, Shields, Silverthorn, Strother, Stone, Slaughter, Spence, Suter, Stansbury, Shannon, Shute, Smith, Sharp, Sparks, Smith, Taliaferro, Taylor, Thompson, Thomas, Tutwiler, Tyree, Taylor, Tucker, Watson, Walker, Mrs. Col. W., Withers, Wingfield, Wheat, Wharton (a judge's wife), Whitehead, Warwick, Welford, Withers, Wilson, Walker, Langhorne.

Here's an interesting bread how to from page 39....

"OLD MAIDS, Make at night like common light bread. Roll out the size of saucers in the morning, for the second rising. Bake on a hoe, turning over as a hoe cake. Then toast the sides in front of the fire. A very nice, old-fashioned bread. -- Mrs. Dr. E."

-- Susan in Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), April 28, 2002

Answers

MCMLXV is 1965

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), April 28, 2002.

Yep. M=millenium, millenia =1000

CM = Millenium less century = 900

L=Fifty, X=Ten, V=Five

Total, as John said.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 28, 2002.


Susan, I love those kind of books! The recipes and household tips are so quaint. I can read my collection of those books for hours on end. A lot of them have medical advice, too. My favorite has the following advice for treating "the bite of a mad dog"...it says, "heat an iron poker to glowing red, and burn out the affected area entirely". !!!!!!

Uh, no thanks---I think I'll just die of rabies instead! ;)

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), April 28, 2002.


As a born and bred Virginian, I would love to see what kind of recipes my relatives might have contributed. My family names are Stone and Smith. Smith might be a little long to include, but Stone isn't all that common a name.

A few years ago, a book was published on the Stone descendants that goes back as far as the early 1800s so it is possible I might be related to some of the recipe contributors. Thanks in advance.

Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (Trevilians@attbi.com), April 28, 2002.


My ancestors were Stiener from Switzerland. Come over in about 1700 with Wm. Penn and settled in eastern part of the colony. One boy changed his name to Stone or Stoner and moved to Virginia sometime just before the founding war.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), April 28, 2002.


I also have that book. It was a christmas gift. I don't know how old my copy is but It is very worn and the pages are yellowing. I tried some of those bread recipes. Mine didn't turn out very well.If you think you keep a clean house just read how they cleaned the kitchen. I'll bet you thought they weren't very picky back then.Wrong!

-- corky wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002.

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