What's the evidence?

COOKING IN THE YARD

Archeologists learned a lot about what the Williams family ate, how they stored and cooked their food, and how they served it. The team found fragments of the Williams' dishes, utensils, crocks, and pots used for storing food, cooking, and serving meals. They even uncovered the remains of some of the meals at the Williams farmstead, including the bones of pigs, cows, chickens, rabbits, and birds. Some of the bones had distinctive cutting, chopping, and sawing marks made by knives or other metal tools during butchering or before cooking.

Even though they raised animals for food, Ransom Williams and his sons also added to their family’s food supply by hunting. They probably supplied the family dinner table with rabbit, squirrel, possum, and turkey from the woods on their property, as well as doves and quail. Based on plant remains found at the site, the Williams girls may have gathered wild plants, such as onions, walnuts, and dewberries, and also served corn, sweet potatoes, and peaches from the garden at mealtimes.

Recipe for Rabbit Stew

Rabbit meat, cut into pieces (2 good-sized rabbits)
3 chopped onions
6 chopped potatoes
A large bunch of greens (wild or home-grown)
6 chopped carrots
Sprigs of herbs
Salt
Lard or other grease
Water


Animal bones found at the site include pig bones, at left, chicken bone, in center, and rabbit bone, at right. The black arrows point to cut marks on the chicken and rabbit bones, where the animal carcass was cut apart with a knife before cooking. Enlarge each photo to see close up.

Sarah and her girls used heavy cast iron pots for cooking, whether outside over an open fire or inside in the fireplace. The archeologists found dozens of rusted metal fragments that were the remains of pots called Dutch ovens. The pot shown here would have been about 3 inches deep and probably had a lid with an inch deep rim around it to hold coals on top of the dish. This variety had three long metal legs and was often called a spider oven. The legs let the cook place the pot directly into the coals. The thick walls of a Dutch oven make it easier to cook over an open fire without burning the food.

photo of rusty remnants are the remains of a Dutch oven, called a spider oven, found on the farm

These rusty remnants are the remains of a Dutch oven, called a spider oven. It was used for cooking foods either in the fireplace or in an open fire outside.

photo of a bone-handled knife found on the farm

This bone-handled knife was a fine piece of cutlery.

A variety of spoons, forks and knives were found at the Williams’ site. This bone-handled knife was probably considered a fine piece of cutlery. Notice the fancy detail in the metal strips that hold the blade to the bone handle.

Whether they cooked their meal indoors or outside in the yard, the Williams family could set a pretty fancy table, with dishes imported from England. The blue and white ceramic plate has a mark on the back indicating it was made by the English pottery, Alfred Meakin, between 1875 and 1897. The archeologists glued together dozens of china and glass pieces in order to see what the china patterns looked like and to read the makers' marks on the bottom.

photo of a few of the eating utensils and table ware found at the farm

These are just a few of the eating utensils and table ware found at the farm, including fragments of a fancy blue and white flowered dinner plate. Click to learn more.

photo of a rusty can, known as a hole-in-the-top can, found on the farm

This rusty can, known as a hole-in-the-top can, has a toxic history! Lead, which is poisonous, was used to seal the top. In some cases, this made the food inside very dangerous to eat. Click to learn more.

The rusted cans, such as the solder top can and a sardine can found at the site, tell us that the family bought some of their food from the store in town. Before canning methods were developed in the late 1700 and early 1800’s, there were just a few ways, such as drying, salting and smoking, that food could be safely preserved for very long. By the time the Williams family was living on their Texas homestead, many canned foods were available. Farming families sometimes used these foods to get through the winter months when their supplies ran low.

A variety of heavy stoneware crocks and jugs were found at the Williams farmstead. These usually had a lid and were used for storing food to keep it fresh. Other crocks had special wooden paddles inside. These were used to churn cream to make butter.

All in all, it appears that the Williams family had access to a variety of food and they prepared and served it in style.

photo of a large circular container found on the farm

Before there was Tupperware or other storage containers, people kept their food in stoneware crocks, such as this large circular container. The blue squiggly design indicates that it would hold 3 gallons of food.