Ancestry of
Fannie Farmer

Author of original Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Fannie Merritt Farmer

View famous kin of Fannie Merritt Farmer

• • 1st Generation
  • Ahnentafel No:
  • 1 
  • Father:
  • John Franklin Farmer 
  • Mother:
  • Mary Watson Merritt   
  • Birth Date:
  • 23 Mar 1857 
  • Birth Location:
  • Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts 
  • Christening Date:
  •  
  • Christening Location:
  •  
  • Death Date:
  • 16 Jan 1915 
  • Death Location:
  • Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts 
  • Burial Date:
  •  
  • Burial Location:
  • Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts 
  • Notes: 

  • Author of the landmark Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, later known simply as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

    Who was Fannie Farmer?

    Fannie Merritt Farmer was a pioneering American culinary expert best known for authoring the landmark Boston Cooking-School Cook Book in 1896, later known simply as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. A revolutionary in the field of domestic science, Farmer introduced precise measurements and scientific principles to home cooking, helping to standardize recipes for the American household. Her cookbook became a staple in kitchens nationwide and has remained in print for over a century through many revised editions.

    Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Farmer was largely self-educated after a paralytic stroke at age 16 interrupted her formal schooling. She later attended the Boston Cooking School and eventually became its principal. Beyond her influential cookbook, Farmer lectured extensively on nutrition and cooking for invalids, contributing to early understandings of therapeutic diets in medicine.

    Farmer’s impact extended far beyond her writing; she laid the foundation for modern recipe formatting and played a major role in legitimizing domestic science as a field. Though she never married, her legacy influenced generations of cooks and dietitians. Today, Fannie Farmer is recognized as one of the most important figures in the history of American culinary arts.