Annie C. Horsch Cookbook
Born in Germany in 1866, Annie C. Horsch worked for many years as a servant and housekeeper in the home of the Dummer family in Rowley, Mass. Listed as a domestic in the Rowley City Directories as early as 1888, Horsch began to work for the miller Nathaniel N. Dummer (1824-1907) and his wife Elizabeth (b. 1839) prior to 1900 and was retained well into the 1940s. Horsch died of cerebral arteriosclerosis in Newburyport on Jan. 23, 1956, at the age of 89.
Scrappy and well used, the Horsch cookbook was the working reference for a domestic employed by an old Rowley family, the Dummers. The cookbook consists primarily of recipes for breads and desserts, with a slight nod to healthy eating (including Graham Bread and “Health bread”) followed by a succession of pies, cakes, and puddings. The book includes recipes for Spider Johnny Cake; lemon, raisin, various minces (mock mince, pear mine, tomato mince), sour milk, rhubarb, cranberry, coconut, pineapple, and caramel pies; and then the cakes: dark cake, French cake, fruit cake, apple sauce cake, Harrison cake, chocolate cake, ribbon cake, Bangor cake, and marble cake, among many others.
Background on Annie Horsch
Born in Germany in 1866, Annie C. Horsch worked for many years as a servant and housekeeper in the home of the Dummer family in Rowley, Mass., one of the oldest and most prominent families in town. Listed as a domestic in the Rowley City Directories as early as 1888, Horsch began to work for the miller Nathaniel N. Dummer (1824-1907) and his wife Elizabeth (b. 1839) prior to 1900 and continued with the family well into the 1940s. Horsch died of cerebral arteriosclerosis in Newburyport on Jan. 23, 1956, at the age of 89.
Contents of Collection
Scrappy and well used, the Horsch cookbook was the working reference for a domestic employed by an old Rowley family, the Dummers. The cookbook consists primarily of recipes for breads and desserts, with a slight nod to healthy eating (including Graham Bread and “Health bread”) followed by a succession of pies, cakes, and puddings. The book includes recipes for Spider Johnny Cake; lemon, raisin, various minces (mock mince, pear mine, tomato mince), sour milk, rhubarb, cranberry, coconut, pineapple, and caramel pies; and then the cakes: dark cake, French cake, fruit cake, apple sauce cake, Harrison cake, chocolate cake, ribbon cake, Bangor cake, and marble cake, among many others. The book also includes recipes for a small number of condiments (chili sauce, piccalilli, pickles, and relishes), donuts, and jellies. A handful of recipes are attributed to other women, including one for Graham Gems is attributed to Mrs. N.N. Dummer, Horsch’s employer, Elizabeth M. Dummer.
Administrative information
Access
The collection is open for research.
Language:
English
Provenance
Gift of Melinda McIntosh, Oct. 2008 (2008-229).
Processing Information
Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, Feb. 2018.
Copyright and Use (More information
)
Cite as: Annie C. Horsch Cookbook (MS 217 bd). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.