1700 to 1800
“Day Book 1774 No. F.,” in the Cameron Family Papers #133, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Day Book 1774 No. F. from the Cameron Papers — “William Johnston’s and Richard Bennehan’s Day Book 1774 No. F contains a list of transactions from their store at Snowhill, a plantation in Orange County…While the area that will become Chapel Hill starts to grow and develop an identity, its broader connections to the Caribbean and the colonies as a whole highlights the interconnected identities of the area during the 18th century.”
“Section VII. Of the Dining Room” from Laws of the University of North-Carolina; Established by the Board of Trustees at Their Session in December, 1799 — “If any victuals shall be found on the table, against which a student shall think himself entitled to complain, and if he shall resolve to make complaint, he shall send the victuals to one of the Professors or Tutors present, who shall order them to be taken away from the tables, if they be not such as, in his opinion, they ought to be.”
Letter from John and Ebenezer Pettigrew to Charles Pettigrew, October 3, 1795 — “John and Ebenezer describe a repulsive atmosphere surrounding food at UNC Chapel Hill. In particular they declare the bread, milk, and tea as indescribably distasteful and the meat as having maggots in it.”
Invoice from James Gibson to Richard Bennehan and William Johnston, The Cameron Papers 1774 — “The business was prosperous and the store outsourced goods from merchants in the southeastern United States, including James Gibson in Suffolk. This particular object is a report of various goods for the store that includes several food items, including rum, tea, cream, vinegar, pepper, alum, goose and swan.”
Distilling Method for Corn Whiskey – Lenoir Papers (1790s) — “The actual process of brewing corn whiskey represents a union of cultural contributions from Native Americans, colonists, and more recent European immigrants; Lenoir delineates the use of “Indian corn meal” for this method, and the steps involved are a fusion between practices carried over from Europe and modified ones adapted to the new environment and resources of America.”
Newspaper Advertisement from The Pennsylvania Gazette (Dec 5, 1771)—“The advertisement highlights the land’s wheat producing ability as one of its main selling points and mentions the people of Orange county taking their flour, made from wheat, to merchant stores at Cross Creek.”
Accounting Record of Spice Purchases for the Household of William Lenoir (May 30, 1772) — “This accounting ledger indicates that the estate was purchasing sugar, ginger, garlic powder, and allspice, which were used both in the seasoning of foods as well as drinks such as mulled wine, ginger ales, and tea. ”
Lenoir Family Papers — Account of Corn, 1785 — “It cannot be understated how attractive it must have been to start life anew in a new land with this new crop that held so much promise and played such a central role in people’s new lives.”
Fiddle-Headed Teaspoon – Orange County – late 1700’s / early 1800’s – “This fiddle-headed teaspoon provides proof of high-class society in the Orange County area and gives insight into their daily instruments of use in regards to food.”
Sunflower Oil Recipe and Mangel-Wurzel Cultivation – “…a series of loose papers from the Stephen Moore papers that dates back to around the late 1700’s, and more specifically a recipe for sunflower oil and the instructions for cultivating mangel-wurzel, which is a scarce root vegetable.”
Map of Franklin Street in 1798 – “The map is supplemented with text from the author, Bernard Lee Bryant Jr., explaining the major construction that took place on Franklin Street during 1794-1798.”