"Our Ancestors of Albert County"

Chosen Family Favorites Recipes

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Chosen Family Favorites
A Collection of Recipes and Writings
from Albert County 
Submitted by: The Albert County Historical Society

Recipes and Writings
Submitted by: The Albert County Historical Society

Introduction
 

 

 

The recipes and writings in this book are presented to you by the Albert county Historical Society. We hope that they will provide you with the same amount of enjoyment that we had while compiling and editing them for you.

 

The families who contributed their recipes and their stories are a combination of the founding families of Albert County and those who chose at a latter date to call Albert County home. Their adventures and struggles are the history of Albert County.

 

Wholesome, fine cooking is a part of the Albert County tradition. Favorite recipes and the memories of these recipes were not hard to find.  The connections between the memories and the food included the cook, the occasion, the setting and the company.

 

The memories of picking blueberries to eat another day vividly includes the nutmeg smell of wonderful muffins that a mother used to bake for the children who were going to the blueberry field. The taste of a favorite jelly roll is still remembered by someone who felt very special as she sat at a favorite Sunday School teacher's dining room table.

 

Food not only comes from the hearth but from the heart as well. These recipes come from both and with the stories and the notes; they represent a part of Albert County that we would like to share. 

 

We have also included some historical information that was found in newspaper articles, documents and other writings. Families graciously allowed us to include original poems and essays that had been written by family members in days gone by. We hope that all of this will contribute to your enjoyment of these chosen Albert County favorites and will give you a glimpse of the people who also enjoyed them.

 

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this book in any way.  Copies are available from the Albert County Museum address below.

 

Ina Murray Milburn, Patricia Winans Orr --- The Editors --- July, 1994.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

I have chosen a few recipes and writings from this book to give you an idea

 what this book has to offer you.

 

  • Main Dishes & Vegetables

                           Hodge Podge or Albert County Goulash

 

10-12 medium-small, new potatoes (scrubbed)

3 c. snipped, new green beans

3-4 c. cereal or coffee cream

3 c. shelled, new peas

1/4 c. butter

 

Start potatoes boiling in salted water. In about 5 min. add green beans, then add new peas. Drain when potatoes are cooked. Melt butter over the vegetables and pour cream over all. You might want to add some milk. Let set for a few minutes before enjoying. I like to make a huge batch because the more times you reheat it, the better it tastes.

                                                     Submitted by Mary Long Tingley

 

This recipe came from a Tingley wife and mother. The Tingleys came from Massachusetts to the Sackville area and thence to Albert County. Daniel and his wife Abigail Oulton had fourteen children and lived where they died and are buried - on a farm on the Midway Road in Harvey Parish. The old cemetery still exists behind Don Keivers' barn, hidden by thorn bushes, but a memento to a strong, industrious Albert County family.      

                                                                             Dawn Kinnie


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Potato Soup

 

4 large potatoes                 3 c. milk

1 onion                              generous piece of butter

3/4 tsp. salt                        pepper

 

Pare and dice potatoes. Add chopped onion and salt. Barely cover vegetables with boiling water.  Cook until potatoes are done. Add milk, butter, season with a little pepper and more salt if necessary.  Mash with potato masher to a smooth consistency of soup. Heat until steaming but do not boil.

                                                                   Thelma Steeves Steeves

 

Cooking on a Wood Stove

 

"To get the fire going we used to use birch bark or paper. Birch bark was best but it made a lot of smoke. We didn't have as much extra paper as we do now, but if we had it, we did use it because it was cleaner. If you used birch bark you had to make sure that you got the stove lid on quick, to stop the smoke from going through the house. Dad cut the kindling by splitting up the regular wood quite fine. He used to also go over to the mill and get pieces of old mill wood that he would cut up. The wood we burned in the stove was just cut up in regular lengths to fit. If a piece was too long, we would saw it to make it fit. Once the fire was burning well, you'd close the front and top drafts. This was how you got the oven to heat up. There was a temperature dial on the oven door but it didn't always work. Once you got used to the stove and things cooked well, you could see what the dial had read and use that for a gauge from then on. We usually used 'slow, medium and hot' when we would talk about the temperature of the oven."    
                   Pauline Stewart Hueston

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  • Bread, Biscuits & Pancakes

Porridge Brown Bread

 

1 yeast cake                               1/2 c. molasses

2 Tbsp. sugar                              5-1/2 - 6 c. flour

1 c. rolled oats                           2 Tbsp. shortening

1 tsp. salt

 

Dissolve yeast in 2/3 c. warm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Let stand while mixing dough Place salt, sugar and molasses in 1 c. water.  Scald rolled oats in 1 c. boiling water and add shortening. Mix with half of the flour - then add yeast.  Mix in rest of flour. Let rise 1-1/2 hours in a bowl, covered with a cloth. Put in pans and bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.
 

                                             Submitted by Francis Garland Stewart

 

IN THE OLD DAYS -- Albert County ranked among the first in hay producing areas. The Shepody and Petitcodiac marshes alone consisted of 5,000 acres. Hay was shipped to England and as far away as South Africa. The Nursery of Tingley, McLean and Fillmore was claimed to be the largest in the Maritimes....raising all their own trees. Maple sugar was made in all parishes of the county, but Elgin parish did the main export business. In 1824, 6200 lbs. were manufactured but by 1906, 80,000 lbs. were shipped annually. Lumbering was the greatest source of wealth, the Alma Lumbering and Ship Building Co. alone was cutting 5,000,000 feet annually in the early 1900's. At West River, the Aptus Veneer Factory was the only factory of its kind in Canada. The veneer was made from birch and maple and shipped throughout all of Canada and even to England.  A basket factory at Albert was a side industry of the veneer factory and was the largest basket factory in Canada in the early 1900's.  Some 15,000 dozen baskets were made there annually.                                          

                                                                 From: Ina Murray Milburn

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In the middle 1800's four Fillmore brothers settled at Lower Turtle Creek.

   George A. Fillmore was on a fertile area on the road to Coverdale. Brother Rufus took an adjoining lot, with Asa on the lot below. All of these farms bordered on the Turtle Creek and John settled across the Creek within sight of his brothers.

   George A.'s daughter, Lucinda Fillmore married Miles Murray and they lived on her father's farm. Miles was a blacksmith and Lucinda was the postmistress. Their son, Timothy, my father, bought the farm after it had been out of the family for a few years and my brother Paul Murray farmed there until the City of Moncton built the reservoir.

   Rufus was a farmer and a miller. His mill was near the Fillmore Bridge which was built in 1912 as part of the new road through the settlement to Coverdale. Once abandoned, the grindstones were recovered by Paul Murray and are now at his home in Upper Coverdale.

   Asa farmed and assisted at the mill.

  John was an itinerant preacher, travelling and preaching the Gospel. The family were close knit and with three brothers near, his farm was never neglected.

                                                                                                                                                                         Ina Murray Milburn

 

Buckwheat Pancakes

 

2 c. buckwheat flour                1 tsp. soda

1 c. white flour                         1 tsp. salt

Buttermilk

 

Dissolve soda and salt in 1/2 c. hot water. Add enough buttermilk to flours, soda, salt and water to make a medium thin batter. If buttermilk is sour, more soda may be needed. Cook on a greased, hot, iron griddle. Turn only once.

 

                                          Submitted by Lucinda Fillmore Murray

 

 

   The flours used for these pancakes were ground at the local mill from the grains that the farmers grew themselves. No fat was added to the batter in those days. Today, some oil or melted shortening is often added, making them easier to turn. These were cooked on an iron griddle greased with fat, often a rind of pork. Many people cooked them thick, but most turned the griddle handle from side to side, making what we called 'lacy' edges.

                                                           

                                                                                                          Ina Murray Milburn

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  • Pickles, Relishes & Dressings

     

Sour Cream and Cucumbers

 

Slice 3 medium size cukes and 1 onion very thin. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Press with a heavy weight for about 2 hrs. Drain off brine.

 

Sauce:

 

4 tbsp. vinegar 

¾ c. thick sour cream

½ c. white sugar

Pepper

 

Mix sauce well with the drained cukes. More sugar or vinegar may be added to taste.

                                                                                                 Thelma Steeves Steeves

 

This is a good “ole” Albert County recipe.

                                                     Brenda Steeves Wilmot


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Indian Relish

 

6 green tomatoes                  1 c. white sugar

4 onions                               1 Tbs. salt

12 apples                             1 tsp. cinnamon

1 pint vinegar                        1 tsp. cloves

2 c. brown sugar                   1 tsp. ginger

 

Cut up vegetables and apples and boil in vinegar until soft. Add sugars, spices and salt. Simmer on back of stove. Bottle while hot.

                              Submitted by Jane Parlee Long

 

 

The Long Family

 

   William Long was born Nov. 10th, 1850 on a boar enroute to Canada from Ireland.  He and his family came to Kings Co., N.B. and the settlement was called "Long Settlement".  William had sister and brothers.  There are many descendants living in the Sussex area.

   William married Mary Jane Parlee, born July 24th, 1853. They had eight children, Thomas Rachel, Adeline, Mary, William, John, Crandall and Carry. John and Carry died in childhood.

   Farming conditions were very poor in the Long Settlement area. The land was rocky and the families were distant from other communities. Families began to move in hopes of finding a more prosperous farming area.

   William and Mary decided to move to Harvey Bank in Albert County. They moved in 1895.  Mary and some of her children no doubt drove the horses hauling their precious belongings.  They came by way of Shepody Road and New Ireland. William walked with his cattle. One son to walk the long journey with him was William. A hard journey for a boy who was only eleven years old at the time.

   William was to make the journey back by car about fifty three years later in 1948, accompanied by his wife, two sons, a daughter-in-law and his first grandchild, Ella.  They found the cellar hole where the old home had stood and also the little cemetery several yards up into the woods.  A white picket fence was still standing and a few tombstones and grave markers.  Names on the stones were of cousins.  It was evident that some of the family from Kings County had been tending the cemetery through the years. 

   William Jr. and his sisters and brothers settled at Harvey Bank. Rachel married Sam Wilbur, Mary married Harley Tingley, Crandall married Lena Smith and William married Mabel Bishop. At one time the brothers and sisters lived on adjoining farms. Today the original homestead is owned by a grand-daughter of Rachel and another by a daughter-in-law of Crandall.

   William Jr. married Mabel Bishop and their farm is the one now owned by Dr. Majka. They had two sons Charles and Arnold and later moved to Harvey Bank and took over the farm from Mabel's parents, Alfred and Rachel Stuart Bishop.

   Charles married Mabel Scullion who came from French Willage, Kings Co. to teach school in Harvey. They moved to Albert in 1942. Charles operated the Albert Dairy and later became the Post Master at Albert.  They had two children, Ella (Mrs. Carl Wright) and George William of Ottawa.  Arnold moved to Albert after the death of his father, in 1967 and worked for the N.B. Highway Dept.  He never married.  Charles predeceased his brother Arnold in 1990 by eleven months.

   Harvey Bank was a thriving community in the early 1900's.  The men could find work apart from farming.  Some went to the woods cutting logs and pulp.  Ship building was booming and ships from as far away as Norway came to be loaded with pulp wood.

   The dykes protected the farms and the marshes provided goose tongue and samphire greens in abundance. Every family gathered an ample supply to do the winter.

   A memorial window dedicated to the memory of William and Mary Jane Parlee Long was placed in St. Albans Anglican Church by their grandchildren Myrtle Long Secord and Charles Long.  Many descendants of William and Mary Jane Long are residing in Kings and Albert Counties.

                                                                  From Mabel Long (Mrs. Charles)

 

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  • Sweets, Treats & Desserts

 

                                    Blueberry Grunt

 

1 qt. wild blueberries     1/2 c. water     1/c c. sugar (or more)

Boil gently to get lots of juice.

 

Dumplings

2 c. flour      1/2 tsp. salt      4 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbs. butter         

1/4 - 1/2 c. milk

 

Mix these ingredients and drop by tablespoonfuls into boiling blueberry mixture. Cover pot closely and cook gently for 15 min. without lifting lid.  Serve dumplings with a generous serving of blueberry sauce. 
        

                                   Submitted by: Nettie Bishop Duffy Steeves

 

   Nettie Bishop Duffy Steeves was born Annetta Bishop on September 2, 1878 at Osborne Corner, N.B. She was the only daughter of a family of six children born to James and Margaret Bishop.  In her youth, many activities now regarded as leisure time hobbies  --  gardening, quilting, knitting, crocheting, rug hooking  --  were necessary accomplishments in keeping a family fed and clothed and she learned to do all of these things well. Nettie married Isaiah Duffy and moved to Shenstone where they raised their seven children.  Isaiah died in the early 1920's, leaving Nettie with the younger children still at home. During the next years, she carried on the usual tasks of a busy farm wife, as well as becoming the midwife for the area. She also raised mink. Long after her children were grown, Nettie married John Steeves and they lived for several years in Hopewell Cape.  In the early 1950's she returned to live with her son on the Duffy farm in Shenstone. Nettie Bishop Duffy Steeves was also a poet and many of her poems have been included in this book.

   Wild blueberries were always in abundance when they were in season and one special dish that Nettie made was Blueberry Grunt. She had a very tall, special pan that she used to make Blueberry Grunt and when she was asked why it was called Blueberry Grunt, she remarked that it was just so good, that everyone ate so much and got so full, that they just grunted  !                   
                                                                           The Family

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Doughnuts

 

The following recipe for doughnuts is a favorite treat for visitors at Broadleaf Farm. Every year, many tourists are entertained there, and enjoy the hospitality of our family.

 

1 c. sugar    

2 eggs

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy.

Add:  1/2 c. melted margarine. Beat again.

Add:  1 tsp. lemon flavoring      1 tsp. vanilla     1 tsp. nutmeg

             1 tsp. ginger                     1 tsp. salt

Add alternatively ......  
1 large c. milk and
1 c. flour sifted with 1-1/2 tsp. soda

3 tsp. cream of tartar

Add more flour until you can knead dough lightly. Roll and cut out doughnuts. Deep fry in hot grease that has had 2 tsp.  of ginger added.

As an extra, roll a small piece of date in the pieces of dough that have been the doughnut centres and deep fry in the hot grease. (Recipe can be doubled).

                                                                                            Submitted by Joyce Hudson

 

   Hopewell Parish was once one of the original parishes of Westmorland County.  In 1846, citizens of the area along with others from Hillsborough lobbied the New Brunswick government to form a new county on the south side of the Petitcodiac River and this is how Albert County came into being.

   The Hopewell Hill area of Albert County has had a long history.  Acadians farmed the marshes before and up to 1755.  Since then, others have used this fertile land for farming as well, especially the Hudson family who own Broadleaf Farm.

   Arthur Hudson was born in Birmingham, England in 1897. Orphaned at age 12, Arthur came to Canada in 1909 to live with a sponsor family at Baie Verte, Westmorland County. He returned to England during the war of 1914-1918 and then returned to New Brunswick where he bought a small farm.

   Arthur met and married a school teacher, Julia Dixon, and they raised their family of four children in Albert County.  Arthur and Julia now have thirty-eight descendants to carry on their family traditions.   

 

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When the Cows Come Home

 

With a tinkle, tankle, tinkle,

Through fern and periwinkle,

The cows are coming home;

A-loitering in the checkered stream,

Where the sun-rays glance and gleam,

Suzy, Apple Blossom, and Bessy Millie

Stand knee-deep in the creamy lilies,

In a drowsy dream;

To-link, to-lank, to-linkle-linkle,

O'er the banks with buttercups a-twinkle,

The cows come slowly home.

 

Anonymous

 

 

                

This book can be ordered from

 

Albert County Museum
12
Hopewell Cross Road
Hopewell Cape NB.
 E4H 3G9

cost $10.00

Telphone: (506) 734-2003

 

Fax: (506) 734-3291

 

albertcountymuseum@nb.aibn.com

 

 

                   

If you have something to share or post or ask a question please contact:
 
Genealogy with: Sheila Hannah Thank you for viewing Our Ancestors of Albert County Web Site.