Christmas Gertsen and Dunn Family Cookbook 1920s Holiday foods admin 6 years agoNovember 22, 2021

A Cranberrie Meringue Pie 1920’s from the Family Gertsen and Dunn; Comanchie and Norway Iowa

A Cranberrie Meringue Pie

This is a recipe found in a cook book I got from Morrison Illinois and written in the 1920’s and 30’s. I think the person who wrote this book was from Iowa; there are a lot of notations in the book with that state as a focus. The two cities listed next to the names of a couple of ladies who contributed recipes, Comanchie and Norway Iowa are very small towns along the Mississippi River and about 3 counties apart from each other. I believe there is a lot of relatives credited in the cook book, by the names of Dunn, Gertsen, Broderson and Hanson; and one recipe is credited to Grandma Cook.

A Cranberrie Meringue Pie which could be a nice addition to a Holiday menu. It is dated October 16 1923, not quite thanksgiving or Christmas, but being cranberries, it fits in with what has become traditional flavors of both holidays. There are all kinds of cranberry recipes throughout this book, it makes me wonder if this is from a place that grew them.

I have left the different spellings of names and recipe titles as they are in the book, such as Tomattoes, this is how she spelled them.

I am including a pie pastry recipe from the same book; Freda’s Pie Crust dated April 14 1923

These are several other pie recipes, all in this lovely little book.

Pumpkin Pie,

Lemon Pie

and Pineapple Pie recipe by Mrs. H. L. Hanson.

This book has several commentaries on the everyday life all through this book; I love these glimpses into the life of the cook book author. Sometimes you find names, dates, bits of poetry or as in this one little notes about the weather and comments on; “Sending for 1 doz brown leg horn cockerels this morning Sept 14 – 75cents each.” (1923)

They are such a delightful little slice of history.

There are a lot of entries with the name Frieda; this last one gives us a look at her last name Gert? In 1916 for Baked Cranberries.

And this note gives us a look at her whole name; possibly Gertsen or Gertser? It is very hard to decipher handwriting some times. In looking at the words other where in the book I think it is Gertsen.

Throughout this whole little book there are all kinds of names; This is the list of them with dates if there are any.

The name on the inside cover of the book is;

Mrs. Eugene Dunn, April 25 1922 with another last name that I cannot figure out, possibly Campbell. – Johnney Cake, Fruit Salad Dressing, Tomattoe Catsup

(also Mrs. E.L. Dunn) – Pineapple Cake, Pickled Peaches & Pears June 8^th 1917, Creamed Speghettie, Plum Gumbo

Mrs. Wredman – Doughnuts, Cucumber Pickles

(also Mrs. O. Wredman Tues. Aug 23 1921) – Cherrie Pudding

Mrs. Tallman – Mrs. Tallman’s Cake

Mrs. Wm. H. Dunn – Ginger Cake, Short Cake, Brown Bread, Jems, Macaroni

Mrs. Ben Broderson – Devils Food, Angel Food, Coffee Cake, Light Biscuits, Pickled Beans, Pickled Beets, Canned Pie Plant Feb 17 1918 Harris…..?

Mrs. Tyler – Hickory Nut Jumbles

(also H.T. Tyler) – Grape Juice (also Elsie Tyler) – Salmon Croquets

Mrs. John Willet (or Wallet) from Comanche Ia. (Iowa?) – Marble Cake

(“Camanche is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 4,448 at the 2010 census.”)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camanche,_Iowa

Mrs. Lyle Hanson from Norway Iowa Box 218 – Devil’s Food Cake, Pineapple Pie, Brown Cookie 1922

(“Norway is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 545 at the 2010 census. The city is approximately 17 miles (27 km) southwest of downtown Cedar Rapids. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.”)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway,_Iowa

Thyra – Yellow Cake

Mrs. J.P. Norman – Boiled Raisen Cake

Miss Freda Gertsen – Freda’s Pie Crust April 14 1923, Apple Sauce Cake, Freda’s Pie Bananna Pie, Apple Dicky, Baked Cranberries

Mrs. Carlsen – Mrs. Carlsen’s Bananna Nut Cake

Mrs. Bonnie Brodman – Baking Powder Biscuits

Miss Mary H. Gertsen – Ginger Cake, Punch

Mary’s Yellow Cake

Ethel Dunn – Ethel’s Sunshine Cake, Pineapple Sherbet, Canned Tomattoe Soup

Hope Needham Friday Eve Aug 13^th 1926 – Checkerboard Cake

Lorena Hanson – Chocolate Angel Food

(possibly Miss Loreena Wiedman) -Oat meal Cookies

Elsie Hope Gertsen Sept 28 1926 – Golden Sponge Cake

Mrs. Junnie (?) Campbell – Maple Mousse

Mrs. Ida Thomas July 28 1925 – Dill Pickles

Edith Belle – Pineapple Pie

Miss Julia Lauer – Drop Oatmeal Cookies

Mrs. Nissen – Mrs. Nissen’s Cookies

Anna C. Gertsen – Pineapple Sponge

Mrs. S. McHenry – Pineapple Souffle

Mrs. Tedderson – Prune Whip

May Le Jupp – Date Torta, Schaum Torte

Jessie Cromer (Jessie and Charles) Oct. 4^th 1933 – 24 hour Salad

Mattie Gellespie – Pineapple Fruit Salad

Mrs. Ann Dunn – Sour Salad, Pepper Relish Sept 18 1923,

Mrs. E Gulick – Potato Salad

Mrs. L.M. Shaw – Dried Beef Gravy

Jennie Strahan – Carrot Marmalde, Tomattoe Relish, Grape Juice, Pepper Hash Mar 9^th 192?

Mrs. Roy Scherer recipe for Corned Beef

Mrs. Wright – Favorite Snow Cake

Mrs. C.L. Voss – White Cake

Grandma Cooks – White Cake (which makes this a recipe from the mid 1800’s)

Mrs. Schade – White Cake

Another bit of amusing in this book is the recipe, Hope Needham Friday Eve Aug 13th 1926 – Checkerboard Cake. This is especially great because I have a friend whose Birthday is the 13th of August and this was a Friday the 13th; makes me wonder if that particular date had any significance to the author. I am going to have to make this cake for her birthday just because it sounds like a lot of fun. She likes history and cooking as much as I do.

These are a couple of other pie recipes form other books.

A cranberry Pie from Burlington Vermont 1875 a small calendar book full of handwritten and clipped newspaper recipes.

A cranberry Pie on a newspaper clipping, from Fairbanks Alaska (the person I got this from said North Pole Alaska) no dates but recipes look to be from the early 1900’s.