7. The Davis Mills changed their name in 1914
The success of Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Flour created a market for four different grains processed by the Davis Mills. Wheat (originally hard winter wheat), corn, rye, and rice flours, combined with corn sugar, salt, powdered milk, and baking soda comprised Aunt Jemima’s “secret recipe”. The demand for the pancake mix grew to the point that all of the Davis Mills capacity went to producing it. In 1914, recognizing the value of the name on any products they produced, Davis Mills changed their name to Aunt Jemima Mills. They advertised extensively in the popular magazines of the day and offered merchandise to increase their widening popularity. Ragdolls evolved, with different images for each of the characters as time went on.
The dolls evolved into rags to riches characters, signifying the improving fortunes of the family. The earliest versions appeared as the cutouts on the boxes and were identified as “before the receipt was sold” (receipt was an early version of recipe). Gradually the cutout dolls, and the later rag dolls, appeared better dressed, with happier facial expressions, though still plainly stereotypes of the so-called “Happy South” presented by the Lost Cause advocates. Like nearly everything else, they became collectibles late in the 20th century. Those considered most valuable bear the name, The Davis Milling Company, indicating they were produced before the name changed in 1914. Aunt Jemima and family dolls were produced at sporadic times well into the 1950s.
