Perhaps the soap recipes in my book called "Colonial Virginia's Cooking
Dynasty" will prove helpful.  Page 148 under the recipe for yeast cake
is a reference to a toilet soap in the manuscript by an unknown author.
In Jane (Bolling) Randolph's manuscript, page 374 has directions on how
to make "lie of Pot Ashes" in connection with soap-making while page 376
has recipes for hard soap, to clear soap, and liquid soap. The hard soap
included ashes and lime while the liquid soap had brandy and spices
among the ingredients.

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Henry Wiencek
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 8:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Jefferson's soap

And now for something completely different:

I see a reference in Jefferson's accounts in 1773 to buying soap from a
slave. Apparently the slave was making the soap, so I am asking if
anyone can point me to  a source that would explain how 18th-century
farming folk made their soap. Nothing to get lathered up about.

Henry Wiencek