Lettice Pierce Bryan (1805–1877) was an American author, who wrote ''The Kentucky Housewife'', a

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

originally published in 1839.

Life

Lettice Pierce was born in central Kentucky, probably near Danville, to James A. Pierce and Elizabeth Crow Pierce, one of three children. In 1823, she married Virginia-born Edmond Bryan. When Bryan was writing her cookbook, she lived in

Monticello, Kentucky Monticello is city in Wayne County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,188 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. Monticello claims to be "The Houseboat Capital of the World" as there are numerous ...

; her husband was studying at the Medical College of Ohio and the couple had nine young children. After the cookbook was published, the family moved twice - to Washington County and then to

Grayson County, Kentucky Grayson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,420. Its county seat is Leitchfield. The county was formed in 1810 and named for William Grayson (1740-1790), a Revolutionary War ...

. Bryan had 14 children. Bryan died at age 72, in 1877, in

Macoupin County, Illinois Macoupin County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 47,765. The county seat is Carlinville. The primary industry is agriculture, consisting of crops of corn (maize), soybeans, and so ...

, at the home of her son-in-law C. F. Burnett. She is buried at

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buria ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. Her husband pre-deceased her, dying in 1863.1850, 1860 U. S. Census, Ancestry.com.

References

External links

Full text of ''The Kentucky Housewife''
at Library of Congress, 1841 edition
Full text of ''The Kentucky Housewife''
at Hathi Trust Digital Library, 1839 edition * 1805 births 1877 deaths 19th-century American women writers Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Kentucky women writers American cookbook writers Women cookbook writers {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub