Antedating "Virginia ham" to 1795 & 1803 (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

There is a restaurant at Mt Vernon, George Washington's home, which
purports to serve food as George would have served his guests.  I
believe Virginia Ham is often on the menu, so there may be a reference
to it in his papers.

Or maybe he just slaughtered pigs, and the 20th/21st century
menu-writers decided it should be called "Virginia Ham".

First in War, First in Peace, and First in Marketing to the Historical
Tourist Trade.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Joel S. Berson
> Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 10:33 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Antedating "Virginia ham" to 1795 & 1803
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Antedating "Virginia ham" to 1795 & 1803
>
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> --------
>
> The OED's earliest quotation for "Virginia ham" is 1833, as
> "Virginny".       But we knew how to spell it in 1795.
>
> (1)  An advertisement.
>
> 1795 May18:  Daily Advertiser [New York]; Volume: XI; Issue: 32[0]0;
> Page: [2], col. 1.  [Courtesy EAN]
>
> FOR SALE, 20 hhds best Richmond Tobacco [etc.] to be landed on board
> the sloop Fanny from Richmond. 13000 lb prime Virginia HAMS.
>
> [This is presumably the first appearance of this ad, as it contains
> the date "may18".]
>
> (2)  In a sentence.
>
> 1803.  John Davis. _Travels of four years and a half in the United
> States of America, during 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, and 1802_.  London:
> Sold ... for R. Edwards.  Page 230.  [Courtesy Google Books]
>
> An exquisite Virginia ham smoked on the board, and two damsels
> supplied the guests with boiled Indian corn, which they had gathered
> with their own hands.
>
> Joel
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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