Abby Fisher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abby Fisher
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| Born |
Abby Clifton
1831 Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S.
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| Died | 9 Jan 1915, age 83 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Abby Clifton Fisher Abbie Clifton Fisher Abbie Fisher |
| Occupation | Cook, author |
| Known for | Writing the second cookbook penned by an African-American woman in the U.S. |
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Notable work
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What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881) |
Abby Fisher (1831 – 1915) was an amazing American woman. She was born in South Carolina at a time when many people were not free. Later, she moved to San Francisco and became a successful pickle maker. She is famous for writing one of the first cookbooks by a Black woman in the United States. Her book, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, came out in 1881. It was published by the Women's Cooperative Printing Office in San Francisco.
Abby Fisher's Early Life
Abby Clifton was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in June 1831. Her father was Andrew James, a farmer. Her mother was Abbie Clifton. Before 1860, Abby moved to Mobile, Alabama. She married Alexander C. Fisher around 1859.
In 1880, the San Francisco Census showed she was 48 years old. This matches her 1831 birth year. The census listed her job as "cook." Her husband, Alexander, was a "Pickle and Preserve Manfr." They had four children living with them: Benjamin, Eliza, Jennie, and Mary. Abby Fisher's cookbook mentions she had eleven children in total. She is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.
Her Amazing Career
Abby Fisher arrived in San Francisco after 1877. Her daughter Mary was born in Missouri in 1877. In San Francisco, Abby won many awards at local fairs. She earned two medals at the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute Fair in 1880. She also got a diploma at the Sacramento State Fair in 1879.
Abby made a big impression on important people in San Francisco. They asked her to write a book about her Southern cooking. In her book's "Preface and Apology," she explained something important. She could not read or write because she never went to school. So, she dictated her recipes to friends. These friends included some of San Francisco's most important citizens.
By 1882, Abby was listed as a pickle maker on her own. Her husband worked as a porter. Fisher's business kept going until 1890. It was still listed in the San Francisco City Directory. By then, her business had moved to Noe Valley.
Her Lasting Legacy
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, Abby Fisher's book was hard to find. But in 1984, a copy appeared at an auction. The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library at Harvard University bought it. Then, Applewood Books reprinted it in 1985.
At first, people thought Abby Fisher wrote the very first African-American cookbook. But later, Malinda Russell's older cookbook was found. Culinary historian Karen Hess added historical notes for a second reprint in 1995.
See also
