“In
fact, women formally constructed their matrilineal genealogies and their
relationships to one another in their cookbooks, binding together the different
generations.” –Janet Theophano, Eat My
Words: Reading Women’s Lives Through the Cookbooks they Wrote.
As a genealogist, I am very interested in the records that
our female ancestors left behind. Family history researchers often get
frustrated by the lack of records for women and the difficulty in reconstructing
the life of a female ancestor. This concern led me to thinking, what records
exist that are unique to women? What resources are not normally considered
genealogy sources but may hold clues to women's lives? Where can we find clues
to the lives of our female ancestors?
This blog focuses on a source unique to women. Cookbooks are a resource used by our ancestors. Most of us are familiar with the various types of cookbooks available in any bookstore, some written by food companies, manufacturers, celebrity chefs, and a host of others. But it's the community or charity cookbooks that provide information about what women really cooked and shared with their families. Community cookbooks began to be published during the time of the American Civil War. They provide recipes from a group of women and at the very least include their names and affiliation. Sometimes they include much more information that tells us something about their lives. These cookbooks are a virtual city directory of information about women who share a common concern, religion or neighborhood. For many women they were the only place where their name and something they wrote was published.
This blog explores community cookbooks, what they tell us about women's lives, their genealogical value and where you can find them. In this blog I share community cookbooks, archives and ideas about remembering our female ancestors. Community cookbooks help provide clues about women’s lives.
This blog focuses on a source unique to women. Cookbooks are a resource used by our ancestors. Most of us are familiar with the various types of cookbooks available in any bookstore, some written by food companies, manufacturers, celebrity chefs, and a host of others. But it's the community or charity cookbooks that provide information about what women really cooked and shared with their families. Community cookbooks began to be published during the time of the American Civil War. They provide recipes from a group of women and at the very least include their names and affiliation. Sometimes they include much more information that tells us something about their lives. These cookbooks are a virtual city directory of information about women who share a common concern, religion or neighborhood. For many women they were the only place where their name and something they wrote was published.
This blog explores community cookbooks, what they tell us about women's lives, their genealogical value and where you can find them. In this blog I share community cookbooks, archives and ideas about remembering our female ancestors. Community cookbooks help provide clues about women’s lives.
Welcome to this blog. I hope it gives you ideas about the great sources left behind by our female ancestors.
Enjoy your discoveries!
Gena Philibert-Ortega
Neat site and I love the idea of cookbooks as a resource for genealogy!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea in the female domain at the family level. LM
ReplyDeleteGreat idea in the female domain at the home and family level. LM
ReplyDelete