History Oxford Michigan Cookbook admin 5 years agoDecember 9, 2021

Oxford Michigan books dated from 1908 through the 1960’s Family names

I got these from Carmichael California, but the location places in the notebook, several say Oxford Michigan (Mildred Sternberg, 1940 Died 1972, recipe is for a Lemon Sherbet), from a set of handwritten books with the dates starting in 1908 and going through the 1960’s.

This nice set of loose papers and two handwritten books has some very interesting family history in the older spiral notebook; she has listed recipes and the names of the contributing person as well as the date and their age when they passed away. I will add these statistics as I go through the books.

Mrs. Webster (died May 1980 94 yrs.) – Ham Loaf

M. Mabley (oxford) – Boiled Icing

Mildred Sternberg (Oxford Mich – died 1972) – Lemon Sherbet

Carrie (Died very young about 1925) – Salad dress., Dark fruit cake, White fruit cake,

Mrs. A. Thomas (Oxford) – Fry Cakes

Mother’s (Died March 1926 55 yrs old) (Oxford) – Chili Sauce, Fruit Cake

M. Loper ( died 56 ys ago) – Date Muffins

Grandma McLeods (died March 1918 78 y old) Recipe is from 1908 – Scotch Bread

Mrs. Leyel (1921 Mich.) – Coffee Cake

Mary Fish (age 96 – Feb. 10-80) – Blitz Cake

Aunt Kate – Saffron Cake

Barbara H. (April 59 yrs old) – Pecan Pie

Hazel – Suet Pudding

Minnie House (Killed in a accident in 1959) – Date Strips,

Betty Ellen – Nameless Cake,

Mae – Strawberry Jam, Filled Cookies,

Mrs. Gebbart (Alhambra 1942) – Fudge Pudding Cake

Amy – Pineapple Sherbet

Dr. Lauson – Delux Ground Beef Patties,

K.L.H.C. (Dec 28, 1950) – Shrimp Keys(?)

Ramona – Ramona’s Frozen Cheese Salad, punch

Mrs. Nathalia Shockey – Paper Bag Apple Pie

Lois – Lois’s Cake Cookies

Elma – Gum Drop Cake

Frances Wauchop – White Boiled Frosting

Machen Anderson – Emma’s Devil’s Food Cake

Betsy Ross (the Betsy Ross or someone else?) – Betsy Ross Date Pinwheels

(A sieve full of flour is equal to four cups.)

Several of the recipes have this as one of the measurements.

This direction is from another recipe in the book, it seems that a lot of them are from her Mother and this is her way of measuring the flour. Several of these recipes are very old, and come from a long line of family cooking in Michigan and the old country. From the name of Grandma, McLeod, and her scotch bread, another recipe that is a Cornish pastry, I am betting the “Old Country” is going to be north England and/or Scotland or Ireland. The Pork pie can be traced far back into history with all kinds of raised pies using a hot water crust, and a pasty or Cornish pastry was eaten as a filling lunch by hard working miners and rural workers, again for centuries.

I happen to have just watched a program on Amazon called “Edwardian Farm” in which three archeologists recreate life on a farm at the turn of the Century (1900’s) for a whole year. In one of the episodes the lady is taught how to make a pastry exactly like the recipe for Cornish Pastry that I have in this set of loose papers. (This recipe is dated 10-26-58 so I will publish it on that date) As I read the recipe, I pictured the lady making it in the program and it was almost exactly the same, just a few minor differences in the ingredients.

I also have a cook book from the 1680’s in Ireland which has four recipes for a Saffron cake, and there is one in this book for the same thing. I will post it on the 29th of June.

As I read these recipes, I am picturing the ladies who have passed them down through the years, as the hard-working rural families that are the backbone of this country. These people and the history are the whole reason I do this blog!