Great Grandpa Wood's Receipts

My great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather), William S. Wood, was born at sea in 1850 and raised in Buffalo, NY. By the 1880s he had cut out a career for himself in the booming confectionery business in the city.

 

Because of Buffalo's location and the advent of the Erie Canal, the city was known for its confectioneries, with more than 126 retailers and 13 wholesalers by 1888. William S. Wood started at the bottom in the 1870s and worked his way into a factory management position at Sibley and Holmwood. 

One of my most treasured family possessions was the recipe (or receipt) book he had either penned or transcribed (there are two kinds of handwriting in the book and "Mr. Richardson" is credited for transcription. I'm guessing that's the lion's share of it, though it's clear the rest of the book is written in another hand). Was the book dictated TO my great grandfather or did he dictate TO Mr. Richardson?

 

The book includes the recipes he used in the candy making business and was dated 1878. It was without a cover and in three pieces.

 

For years this had been sitting in a ziplock bag, every time the book was opened, I risked more pages coming out. And so I decided to have it rebound.

 

Strong Bindery is located in the Shaker Square area of Shaker Heights, Ohio, tucked into the back of one of the most terrific used bookstores I've ever visited, Loganberry Books.

 

When we headed to the city for the wedding of my cousin's son in 2021, I decided to take the book with me and have it rebound by the shop's proprietor, Ellen Strong. 

 

The shop itself was fascinating, with books, paper, all kinds of covers. We spent a good deal of time deciding what we wanted and then left the original in her care. We knew that it would be at least a year before it was finished. (Covid had caused a very large back-up.) 

 

About another year later, we fetched it (not inexpensive) But it was so wonderful to see my great grandfather's book finally -- as a book. 

 

Now, I'm not planning on cooking from this book. In the first place, it was written for mass production and the quantities are enormous.  Plus, I think some of the ingredients (below) might be hard to find -- and harder still to figure out how to make the recipe in a non-wholesale size!

 

 But just in case you want to try, he does describe how to extract the opium!

 

Not all of the recipes are 'medicinal.' Here is one for nougat and another for Maple Italian Creme.

 

And just in case you'd prefer to make crackers for your next (big) do, you could try some of these!

 

You could even make your own Jordan almonds!

 

I also liked the list of goods required.

 

He also included, tucked in back, this breakdown of "labor for dipping."

 

William Wood met a young woman, Bessie Granger, probably through her twin brother who also worked at Sibley and Holmwood. At some point in the early 1900s, they moved to Lansing, Michigan, where their daughter, Minnie, met and married my grandfather. 

 

So, for me, this book is a treasure, taking me back to an industry I knew little about and a great grandfather about whom I knew only a small bit more. It filled in a lot of blanks.

Oh, I wish my mom could have seen this one!

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