Figure 1. Congregational Ladies' Cook Book in storage in archives of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, St. Charles, Illinois.
Many of the artifacts guests see when they walk through the 1843 Durant-Peterson House are not items that were in the house when the families lived there. The items that fill the parlor, hearth room, kitchen, chambers, and tool room are examples of the furniture, cookware, utensils, linens, toys, and tools used in rural homes in the second half of the 19th century. Nearly none of these items belonged to the Durants or Petersons.
The unique one-of-a-kind items owned by the Durants or the Petersons are safely stored so they are protected and only brought out for special occasions—and blog posts.
One of those special items is a cookbook from 1896 (see Figure 1). Artifact #B-77-3 is a book titled “Congregational Ladies’ Cook Book” This cookbook features contributions from Jerusha Durant and her daughters Julia (Durant) Johnston and Emma (Durant) Lane who lived in the Durant-Peterson House, as well as many other notable St. Charles women. The cookbook was assembled by the Woman’s Aid Society of the Congregational Church of St. Charles, Illinois for “its patrons, trusting it may prove a boon to many a gude (sic) wife, and so to the gude (sic) man who shall hear, ‘That all-soft’ning, overpowering knell, The tocsin of the soul, the dinner bell.’”[1]
Figure 2. Handwritten "receipts" in the Congregational Ladies' Cook Book from Emma (Durant) Lane and Abba (Durant) Allen.
But more importantly, the hand-written “receipts” (that’s what they called recipes in the 1800s) inside this cookbook are from the Durant women proving that the cookbook belonged to the Durant family. Inside the cover reveals a recipe for Boiled Salad Dressing—handwritten by Emma (Durant) Lane—and for Yellow Cake recipe on the facing page—handwritten by Abba (Durant) Allen! (see Figure 2) Proof of ownership like this makes this cookbook a very special artifact.
Chapters in the book include Gingerbread, Pickles, Pastry, Candy, and Facts Worth Knowing. One interesting fact is that fresh lard will remove tar! Who knew?
Donated to Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley in 1977 by Constance (Mikiska) Heacox, the great-great-granddaughter of Jerusha and Bryant Durant who built the Durant-Peterson House, the cookbook not only provides a glimpse at popular foods of the time but also reveals a lot about the community in which these ladies lived.
The Library of Congress website has 43 cookbooks that date from 1890 and 1899.[2] The “Congregational Ladies’ Cook Book” is not on the list but it would fit right in! Collections of recipes from church and community groups were a popular fundraising method in the 19th century so it is likely this cookbook was sold as a fundraiser for the church.
The “Congregational Ladies’ Cook Book” has more than just recipes. Advertisements were also included from attorneys, banks, bakeries, dentists, flour mills, tobacco, grocers, hotels, and even funeral services (see Figure 3). There are 72 business ads in the 131-page book! A few of the advertisers are still around today, but even if the business is closed, the names are familiar to St Charles’s history:
Figure 3. Advertisements in the Congregational Ladies' Cook Book
The St. Charles Library on East Main Street. “Open Saturdays from 1:30 to 5:30 o’clock”
St. Charles Lumber Co. – Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Shingles, and Sash
J. F. Colson – Dry goods and clothing, boots and shoes
Dr. W. H. Peck – Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist
C. Ferson & Co. – Grain, Dairy Feed, Coal, Lime, and Cement
Ed Baker – Dealer in Wagons, Carriages, Stoves, and Ranges
St. Charles Hotel – “Warm Meals at all Hours”
W. C. Hunt – Real Estate and Loan Attorney
The cover of the cookbook has a photograph of the Congregational Church, which the Durant family attended according to the diaries of Emma (Durant) Lane and Abba (Durant) Allen. Located at 214 Walnut Street, in downtown St. Charles, this church building is still standing today and is the home of Lazarus House. Records from the St Charles History Museum state that William Beith (yes – the same Beith who built the house at 8 Indiana Street in downtown St. Charles and now is the office of Preservation Partners) built the church, which was dedicated in 1848.
While historical cookbooks tell the story of popular foods and cooking methods of their time, they also expose details about the place and time they were published.
What a wonderful treasure!
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[1] Woman’s Aid Society of the Congregational Church, Congregational Ladies’ Cook Book (St. Charles, IL: Valley Chronicle Press, 1896).
[2] “Community Cookbooks: An Online Collection,” Library of Congress, accessed April 18, 2025, https://guides.loc.gov/community-cookbooks/chronological/1890-1899.