The preface for the Melwood Cookbook gives a lofty -if somewhat bewildering- purpose for the book:
“This book is compiled and published as a means of raising money with which to build a club house, in order that the aims and purposes of [the Woman’s Club of Melwood District] shall be the more fully realized… for when we shall have a place of meeting, to which we shall feel free to invite others of like aim, we may find in the free discussion of existing conditions, a solution that shall result in the bettering of ourselves, our homes, and our neighborhood, known as it is as a ‘Pretty fine place to live in’.”
Although the book was compiled in 1920 by women from the Upper Marlboro area of Prince George’s County, the overall collection of recipes gives an impression similar to late 19th century cookbooks by Southern ladies like Jane Gilmor Howard and Marietta Gibson.
The Melwood Cookbook’s primary author, Mrs. Percy Duvall (nee Matilda Roome) was born in 1864 in New York, but she fancied herself a “Daughter of the South.” Her mother Catherine* Wilcox had been from Savannah Georgia, born to a family of tobacco merchants. When the family fled north during the Civil War, Catherine met and married William Oscar Roome – a Union Army Captain. After Matilda was born, the Roomes moved from New York to northern Virginia.
Young Matilda, according to her biography in “Littell’s Living Age,” suffered after her mother died and her father remarried. Her stepmother, a “Long Island Yankee,” made her do household chores in spite of the family having “black servants.” Woe is me, poor little Matilda. Matilda escaped her tragic homelife by taking art classes and learning to paint.
Tilly Roome with painting, “Littell’s Living Age”
Around 1890, Matilda married William Littell, a tennis friend of her brother. In an exciting scheme to support his new wife, Will Littell signed on with Dr. Frederick Cook aboard the Miranda – an expedition to the North Pole.
Meanwhile, Matilda put her art schooling to work. She went into business decorating lampshades and selling them to local shops in New York. The lampshades became so popular that they were shipped to stores all over the country. “Tillie” Roome Littell also began to contribute recipes and crafts to women’s magazines like “Table Talk” and “The Delineator.”
Unfortunately, the Miranda hit an iceberg and Will had to head home empty-handed and without glory. According to the story, he hitched a ride on a fishing boat, sleeping on a pile of fish.
Matilda wasn’t too happy with her husband arriving back in New York broke and smelling like fish. Nor was Will feeling too adequate in light of his wife’s financial success. The couple was divorced and Matilda went on to work as a secretary to stockbroker J. Edward Addicks, providing the man with real-estate advice that made him quite wealthy.
Mount Airy, 1936, John O. Brostrup, loc.gov
Eventually, Matilda invested in her own piece of real estate. Mount Airy, a Southern Maryland home built by the Calvert family, would finally allow her to live out her dreams of being the “mistress” of a Southern home. And she played the part – her biography talks of her managing sharecroppers who would be “dishonest if not supervised” … oh brother.
Matilda’s second marriage was to an Upper Marlboro neighbor, Percy Duvall, in 1908. It was during this marriage that she compiled the Melwood Cookbook.
Mrs. Duvall belonged to a large social network that allegedly included U.S. Presidents, diplomats, politicians, and businessmen. Duvall’s cooking was renowned. Recipes from the cookbook frequently appeared in The Prince George’s enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser. To bring in more income, Duvall began opening her home for meals to business travelers. She renamed the mansion Dower House to avoid confusion with Mt. Airy in Montgomery County. The popularity of Dower House led to a real-estate offer that the savvy businesswoman couldn’t refuse. She sold Dower House to newspaper editor Cissy Patterson in 1931. She forever regretted it.
Matilda’s prize-winning recipe in the Ryzon [Baking Powder] cookbook, 1917, MSU library digital collection.
This ice cream recipe states that “this is the way chocolate ice cream is made in France.” Matilda did indeed visit France in the early 1900′s, when she went to Paris to take operatic singing lessons. Despite the recipe containing a staggering cup of flour, I followed formula. The end result tasted like a chocolate frosty! This recipe is best served directly from ice cream maker as it will freeze quite hard.
Matilda’s second marriage eventually ended in divorce as well. A 1930 census lists the value of her estate as $40k and the value of Percy Duvall’s at $50 dollars. At the time of his death in 1958, he was residing with his twin sister.
I couldn’t figure out what became of Will Littell. There is still debate over whether the captain of the Miranda, Dr. Frederick Cook, ever actually reached the North Pole. To some, he is considered a bit of a charlatan, although he has his defenders.
Matilda died in 1964, just a few weeks shy of 100 years. Who knows whether the Melwood women ever did build their clubhouse.
Recipe:
1 Quart rich milk
1.5 Cup sugar
1 Cup flour
.25 can cocoa (an antique cocoa can of the era appears to be 8 oz)
vanilla extract
.5 Cup butter
1 Pint cream
1 additional Pint milk, added the last thing
Bring milk to a boil, but do not allow it to boil before adding sugar and flour mixed and smoothed with the cocoa. When this is smooth, stir in the scalded milk. Allow to boil a minute, or until the milk is thickened. Remove from the fire and add the butter. When this is melted, add the vanilla and cream. If this is not sweet enough, add additional sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the cream and the additional pint of milk just before freezing. This is the way chocolate ice cream is made in France.
*some accounts list Mrs. Roome’s first name as “Matilda O.” I was unable to verify the correct name.