General Meeting

Topic: Researching Women: Community Cookbooks and What They Tell Us About Our Ancestors

Speaker: Gena Philibert-Ortega

Description:

Community cookbooks, commonly known as fundraising cookbooks with the plastic comb binding, have been around since the Civil War. They serve as a “city directory” of women with everything from names, residences, and in some cases familial relationships and photos. Food is an important ingredient in every family’s history. Historical recipes and food traditions can offer insights into your ancestors’ everyday lives and clues to your family history. Learn more about community cookbooks and using them for your family history.

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, researcher, and instructor specializing in the use of social history and material culture to tell the story of historical women’s lives. She holds two Master’s degrees: one in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women’s Studies) and the other in Religion. Her published works include two books and numerous articles published in magazines and online. A highly sought-after instructor, Gena has taught material culture and social history at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and is a frequent presenter at seminars and conferences. Her current research includes women’s repatriation and citizenship in the 20th century, foodways and community in fundraising cookbooks, and women’s material culture.

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