active 1855 Mary Hodgson

Very little biographical information appears to survive about this author beyond her being listed as active in 1855. She is known for The Philadelphia Housewife; or, Family Receipt Book, published in Philadelphia by J. B. Lippincott in 1855.

The book gathers recipes and household guidance aimed at home cooks, covering food preparation, selection of ingredients, and practical kitchen management. Today, it stands as a useful snapshot of mid-19th-century domestic life and American culinary habits.

Because so little has been firmly documented about her life, her reputation rests mainly on this single published work and the window it gives modern readers into the routines and tastes of its time.