Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
Julia Viets, Student Assistant
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Home Remedies Manual, Ms2010-073, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Home Remedies Manual was purchased by Special Collections in 2010.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Home Remedies Manual was completed in October 2010.
Biographical Note
Presumably, this manual was created by Samuel Hodgkins. Most likely, he was an aged farmer living in New York around the time the manual was written.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of a small handwritten manual. It is bound in a single sheet of newspaper from New York that dates to 1921; the outer cover contains advertisements for an Arabian horse, insurance, and a "Young Ladies Academy" and the inside covers contain court notices. The manual cover's title is, "Samuel Hodgkins Recipts." In the inside covers, this name is written several times in a hand that looks the same as the one that penned the manual's contents.
The manual's contents include recipes for illness remedies as well as those for household goods: Illness remedies for humans include those for sore eyes, dysentery, itching, feet corn, jaundice, and rheumatism. One Indian cure for "fever and ague" instructs how to boil various types of bark into a tea. For horse illnesses, home cures for such ailments as ringbone, blind staggers, strains, and yellow water are given. Household good recipes listed in this manual include those for making green paint, wood stain, and cherry varnish.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Folk, historical, and patent medicine
- History of Food and Drink
- Home economics
- Traditional medicine
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Home Remedies Manual by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).