IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
PHILLIPS AND TARBELL
FAMILIES
PAPERS, 1999
|
ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no.
656) were donated by Olive Jean Phillips Tarbell in 1999. |
|
ACCESS: |
The papers are open
for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
.Doris Malkmus, 1999. |
Biography
Mildred Horstman was born on a farm in Appanoose
County, Iowa on May 17, 1912. She had
only one sibling, a sister, who survived childhood. Horstman attended rural schools, working on the family farm until
she married neighboring farmer Keith Phillips in 1930. Keith Phillips soon constructed a new home
for their family of five and gradually increased the acreage of their
farm. Their new farm house had a
generator for electricity, but cooking was done on a wood stove until the 1940s
when their township was electrified.
Many of the over 5,000 blue ribbons that Mildred Phillips won were for
baking and canning done on a wood stove.
Phillips won awards from the Meredith Corporation, Pillsbury Company,
Iowa Lard Association, Betty Crocker Company, Better Homes and Gardens, and the
Iowa Honey Association. Mildred
Phillips’ mother, Eva Will Horstman, also won numerous blue ribbons in county
fairs. Phillips’ daughter, Olive
Phillips Tarbell, and her granddaughter, Robin Tarbell-Thomas, have each won
over 2,000 ribbons for their baked and canned goods. Robin’s daughter, Molly, age five, has already won three blue
ribbons from the Iowa State Fair in the culinary department, making five
generations of women noted for their prize-winning baked and canned goods.
Scope and
Content Note
The Phillips and Tarbell papers consist of an essay and newspaper
articles from 1999 and measure one linear inch. A five-page essay written by Olive Phillips Tarbell in 1999
describes a number of culinary contests won by Mildred Phillips from the 1930s
to the 1990s. This essay also describes
the various contests won by five generations of men and women in this family,
as well as the family’s enjoyment of camping and competing at the Iowa State
Fair.
The collection also includes
newspaper and magazine articles written in 1999. These articles describe Robin Tarbell-Thomas, who was chosen to
represent Gedney Pickles in 1999, Molly Tarbell-Thomas’ blue ribbon at the 1999
Iowa State Fair, and the generation of Phillips and Tarbells who have excelled
at canning and baking.
Box no. Description
SCVF