Comments on: The Question: Something Smells Fishy

By: The Sweet Smell of a Mystery Solved « PastIsPresent.org

The Sweet Smell of a Mystery Solved « PastIsPresent.org — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:03:26 +0000

[...] is something fitting in one librarian coming to the aid of another. The mystery surrounding the New York Times 1964 claim that the Adams family celebrated July 4, 1776 with [...]

By: Jeremy B. Dibbell

Jeremy B. Dibbell — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:42:12 +0000

You’ve probably seen this, but here’s a 1989 NYT article
casting doubt on the whole question too
(http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/28/garden/de-gustibus-every-fourth-of-july-a-taste-of-1776.html?pagewanted=1).
The 1797 Abigail letter referred to in the American Heritage cookbook
seems to be the 23 June 1797 letter to her sister Mary where she talks
about 4 July being “tedious” in the capital because of all the
entertaining they had to do (published on p. 98 of “New Letters of
Abigail Adams” – Google Books link at
http://books.google.com/books?id=CBBbCwhQXjkC&lpg=PA88&dq=new%20letters%20of%20abigail%20adams%201797&pg=PA98#v=snippet&q=june%2023&f=false).

I think your commenter Beth Chamberlain is right. Where the American
Heritage Cookbook uses the AA letter as a sort of distinction (unlike
the Adamses having to worry about feeding all those people, their
neighbors back home just ate the “usual fare”), others have read that
as “this is what the Adamses served on 4 July,” and still others have
read it as “this is what they served on the very first 4 July” (when,
of course, the two of them weren’t together). Where the “first served
this dinner in 1773″ bit came from in the NYT article from 1964, I
have absolutely no idea.

And, sadly, we don’t know of an AA cookbook – but wouldn’t that be fun!

By: Beth Chamberlain

Beth Chamberlain — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:48:52 +0000

The root of this might be in sloppy or over interpretation of a passage in the “American Heritage Cookbook”. It was published in 1964 so it’s contemporary to the World’s Fair which was the focus of the NYT’s article. “American Heritage” magazine does not seem to have published any articles mentioning this. From the 1964 edition of the cookbook, p.406 (might be 203 in the 1982 edition), refereeing to a 1797 letter written by Abigail Adams: “The Adamses’ neighbors had no such problems on the 4th of July; they just served the traditional New England dinner of salmon with egg sauce, along with the first new potatoes, and early peas”. The make no aspersions that this was a traditional 4th of July dinner. As all of these would be seasonable foods in July in New England this is just a typical dinner. Their proposed dinner in honor of the 4th included apple pandowdy and used the comparatively modern description of “potatoes in jackets”, both of these seem to have stuck when this turned into a myth.
As far as apples being available – I have seen mid-19th century references to overwintering apples until the next season’s early crop is in. While considerably later than the dates the NYT’s article implies DeVoe’s 1868 “The Market Assistant” does list apples as being available in July in the New York markets: “Apples.–This excellent, healthy, and useful fruit is found usually in great abundance in our markets throughout the year. We have the early or summer apples from the South sometimes as early as the months of May and June; one month later, we obtain them from our own district…”

By: J. L. Bell

J. L. Bell — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:48:22 +0000

Abigail Adams served a 114-pound turtle at a dinner-party for diplomats while she and her husband were in London in late 1785. She wrote home to her sister Mary Cranch about this event on 1 October.

But as to the “very first Independence Day,” the Adamses were in separate states in July 1776. And July 1777. Charitably, the original write-up might have meant the first Independence Day the couple celebrated together, or as President and First Lady, or in the White House. But I haven’t found confirmation for any such menu on any day. Aside from the 114-pound turtle, of course.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:00:59 +0000

I’ve had salmon and peas for many years for the 4th of July. My mom said they did, too, growing up, and even had canned salmon for 4th of July during the Great Depression. It’s quite a tradition here, especially with egg sauce. I wonder if it’s because both salmon and peas are at their best harvest here in New England in early summer?

By: Mr_ Punch

Mr_ Punch — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:31:39 +0000

In any case, John Adams didn’t think of July 4, 1776, as a special occasion at the time — he expected that July 2 would be celebrated as Independence Day.