Potluck

FINDING FOODS ON THE TRAILS OF ANCESTORS

By Mary Emma Allen

Cooking was often done over a campfire in Pioneer times. Photo credit sxc.hu

The search for one's ancestors and family history can lead you on fascinating jaunts and adventures of discovery. As I delve into the stories of my ancestors' lives, I'm led to parts of the country, distant from where I grew up. Following the trails of my ancestors has enabled me to visit interesting places, make new friends, meet relatives and learn about new foods.

As I searched for ancestors, I ventured to western New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Kansas, and Civil War sites of the South. My genealogy travels opened up new vistas, brought me to historic sites, and enabled me to research foods.

Ancestors in Kansas

My search introduced me to my grandmother's uncle, mentioned only as Uncle William Mathewson in Grandma's photo album. However, he was known in Kansas, where he settled, as the original Buffalo Bill. He left home and took up life in the West as a fur trapper and explorer.

Eventually Uncle Buffalo Bill established trading posts on the Santa Fe Trail, married an adventurous English woman, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Inman, helped found Wichita, Kansas, and was an Indian peacemaker requested by the natives at treaty talks.

Uncle George in a Civil War Cemetery

Grandma's Uncle George Mathewson perished during the Civil War. My research led me to his grave at Marietta, GA, north of Atlanta. On a sunny spring day, my husband Jim and I visited the Union Cemetery and found a marker with Uncle George's name on it.

A monument also stood nearby, one described in a family letter. It was rewarding to find landmarks mentioned in letters written 140 years ago.

Early Settlers in Providence, RI

Tracing the Mathewson family to their beginnings in this country, led me to Providence, RI. There we find a street called Mathewson Street and a theatre named after this family. I've walked along this street, trying to visualize it as the area might have looked when the early Mathewsons lived there.

Following the trail of your ancestors' lives can take you to many new areas of the country and to foreign countries. As you travel for genealogy purposes, you'll also discover other enjoyable aspects of these regions, including recipes.

Pioneer women kneaded dough for hard tack

Pioneer Recipes

Hard Tack was a standby for pioneers and Civil War soldiers.  It required very few ingredients, simply those they usually had handy.

Knead 4 to 5 cups flour, 2 pinches salt, and 2 cups water. Roll out and cut into   square pieces (15 to 20); pierce each with holes, similar to the pattern in a saltine cracker.

Bake on a greased baking sheet at 375 degrees F. for about 30 minutes; turn over and bake another 30  minutes.   (Some recipes call for baking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time until the hard tack is dry and hard.)  You can break the crackers easily when first baked; as they dry, they assume a brick like hardness.  So they carried well and lasted well.

Squaw Bread or Fried Bread was another pioneer food that we've enjoyed at western rendezvous gatherings simulating pioneer days. Mix together 4 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons sugar. Then stir in 1 1/3 cups warm water, enough to make a dough you can roll out.

Roll out the dough on floured board and cut into rectangles. Fry these in deep fat. They also can be cooked in a frying pan by spooning the hot fat over the bread.

 (c) Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen combines genealogy, scrapbooking, travel and cooking research.. She also teaches classes on family history, scrapbooking, and travel writing. Visit her blogs: http://meafamilyhistory.blogspot.com and http://trailsendquilters.blogspot.com . E-mail: me.allen@juno.com )