The Fannie W. Hutson Cookbooks are arranged chronologically.
Accession No. RARE.2026.0012: Cecilia McAdams, 2022 September
Cookbooks were donated by the Westminster Thurber Library Committee.
[identification of item], Fannie W. Hutson Cookbooks, SPEC.RARE.0375, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Allison McPherson, 2026 February; Finding aid written by: Allison McPherson, 2026 February
Francis “Fannie” Wheeler Hutson was a resident of Columbus, Ohio from her birth in 1865 until her death in 1932. She was married to Harry Gardner Hutson, a pharmacist who owned a drugstore in Columbus, Ohio called Hutson and Gardner Company.
Cookbooks are collections of recipes and information about the preparation of ingredients for specific dishes. Recipes and cookbooks have been used throughout history but became more popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, after the invention of the printing press. They have been written for many centuries for food dishes as well as cosmetics and medicinal cures.
The Fannie W. Hutson Cookbooks consist of two homemade cookbooks compiled by Francis "Fannie" Wheeler Hutson of Columbus, Ohio. The recipes included in the cookbooks contain both pasted in newspaper clippings and handwritten recipes for common Midwestern foods during this time like jellied salads, egg fu young, and ice box cake. There are also recipes for household cleaning solutions and medicinal recipes included. One cookbook has homemade tabs added onto the pages to separate out different recipe sections such as sandwiches, eggs, and candy. Some of the handwritten and clipped articles from magazines and newspapers were not adhered to the pages; these loose items have been removed and placed into a separate folder for each cookbook. Both cookbooks are in a fragile condition consistent with significant use, including separated spines and page, food stains, and notations where recipes were modified. The cookbooks are dated 1913 to 1920s.