The Centennial Buckeye Cook Book

These two letters came from Marysville, Ohio, and  First Congregational Church's women who were soliciting recipes from the Governors' wives for their cookbook. Although they had to approach Mrs. Governor Porter twice, she did finally send them a recipe for her "Silver Cake". The letters read as follows:

Charles Phellis

W. W. Woods

R. M. Henderson,

Cash

Marysville, Ohio

June 15, 1876

Mrs. Gov. Bibb Tenn.
Dear Madam,
"The women of the 1st Congregational Church are collecting recipes for a cook book to be issued shortly entitled “Centennial Cook Book”. They wish to have a department containing a recipe from the wife of the Pres. and the wives of the present governors, of cake, or any article of cooking they may have to send (selected or original) Your name will appear with the recipe.
By complying with this request, you will assist in lifting our church debt, and greatly oblige us."
Respectfully yours,
Mrs. W. W. Woods, Sec.

2nd Letter

Hand-written

by Mrs. W. W. Woods, Sec.

August 1st, 1876

Mrs. Gov. Porter
Dear Madam,
"About two months since we sent you a letter (containing an addressed envelope) asking for a recipe (either selected or original) for our “Centennial Buckeye Cook Book”. A few weeks we also sent you a postal card, as yet, we have not been favored with a reply. As the book is to be dedicated to the wives of the Governors of 1876, we are very desirous that this department should be complete. About two thirds of the states have responded ( most of them sending several recipes.)
Please reply at once and very much oblige.
Yours Respectfully,
Mrs. W. W. Woods Sec.
PS Where the Governor is unmarried, or a widower, we dub the recipe, either Cookery, Flora, Farming or Miscellaneous from him. Gov. Rice of Mass. kindly sent us three."

The first edition of the Centennial Buckeye Cook Book was published in 1876. Between 1876 and 1905, a total of thirty-two editions of the cookbook were published, and more than one million copies sold. The book began as a project of the Marysville, Ohio, First Congregational Church when the women of the church decided to publish a cookbook in order to raise money to build a parsonage. Their effort launched a cookbook that rapidly became one of the most popular publications of nineteenth-century America. There were 28 contributors, including Mrs. Rutherford Hayes of the “celebrity” caliber. Mrs. Governor Porter was among them.

I think with this sweet recipe for a successful cookbook, I'll close on the Porter/Dunlap clan. There's more in my book, but for expediency, and not to tell all, I'll move along in these posts.

Mrs. Gov. Porter’s Recipe

SILVER CAKE.

Three-quarters pound sugar, three-quarters pound butter, whites twelve eggs, yolks of two, tea-cup sweet milk, three tea-spoons yeast powder, flour to suit; beat yolks and half the sugar till very light, add whites and rest of sugar, butter, and flour enough to make a batter rather stiffer than for pound-cake.--Mrs. Gov. Porter, Tennessee.