Our Family Sourdough Starter

The Story Behind Our Sourdough: An Unbroken American Timeline

At The Lazy Antelope, our baking is driven by an extraordinary piece of living history. Every sourdough loaf we craft is leavened by a family culture that has been meticulously fed, protected, and passed down through generations for nearly four centuries.

A sourdough starter is not a static heirloom locked away in a box; it is a dynamic, living ecosystem. Through an unbroken chain of daily feedings and cellular division, the wild yeasts and bacteria in our culture have traveled across generations—surviving migrations, wars, and changing climates. While the microscopic community naturally breathes, adapts, and evolves to reflect the kitchens of its caretakers, its biological lineage remains directly connected to its 1630 colonial roots. Our family sourdough culture is not for sale; it will continue to be passed down through our family as a beautiful, living tradition.

 

The Salem & Colonial Era (1630–1748)

1630 — The Arrival & Foundation: Our story begins at the very dawn of the colonial era in Salem, Massachusetts, with Governor John Endicott. The living yeast culture was established here and subsequently maintained at the family's Salem estate by his son, Dr. Zerubbabel Endecott. Zerubbabel's wife, Mary Smith Endecott, acted as the primary caretaker of the household kitchen, keeping the culture alive until her death in 1677.

1698 — The Quaker Migration: Leaving behind his grandfather's fierce anti-Quaker legacy, Zerubbabel’s son, Joseph Endecott (born c. 1672), converted to Quakerism. Seeking religious freedom, he made the journey from Salem to Northampton in Burlington County, New Jersey, where he married Hannah Gossling in 1698. They successfully established the family starter in the Mid-Atlantic.

1711–1748 — Colonial Stability: The precious baking crock was passed to Joseph and Hannah's son, Joseph Endecott Jr. (born c. 1715). Alongside his wife, Ann Gillam (married c. 1736), they managed to preserve the family yeast through the early expansions of the American colonies, sustaining it even after Joseph Jr.'s untimely passing in July 1748.

The Post-Revolutionary & Victorian Eras (1759–1913)

1759–1831 — Revolutionary Survival: The starter shifted to Joseph Jr. and Ann's son, Thomas Endicott Sr. (born c. 1745), and his wife, Sarah Welsh. Sarah became the ultimate guardian of the ecosystem, carefully feeding and protecting the yeast through the entire disruption of the American Revolutionary War and keeping it safe until Thomas's passing in 1831.

1831–1870 — Industrialization & Civil War Era: Remaining deep within Burlington County, New Jersey, the sourdough lineage was handed down to Thomas and Sarah's son, Barzillai Endicott (born c. 1780), and his wife, Mary. As the family grew, it was inherited by their son, John Nelson Endicott (born c. 1815), and his wife, Ann, who kept the baking crock actively bubbling through the turbulent years of the Civil War.

1870–1913 — Turn of the Century: John Nelson's son, Nelson Endicott (born c. 1850), and his wife, Mary Ellen "Molly" Green, took charge of the family homestead. Molly carefully managed the starter through the turn of the century, keeping the ancient tradition alive before passing the historic crock down to their son, John Nelson Endicott Jr. (born c. 1885).

The Mid-Century Migrations & Modern Era (1913–Present)

1913–1938 — The Windish Alliance: John Nelson Endicott Jr. and his wife, Lucretia Post Allen (bringing in a deep maternal line stretching back to Jeanette R. Lyon), welcomed their daughter, Agnes Mae Endicott, in 1913. Raised to care for the starter in Burlington County, New Jersey, Agnes married William Samuel Windish in 1938. This union merged the Endicott yeast with the household baking traditions of William’s mother, Jeanette Lillian Baugh.

Mid-20th Century — The Southern Journey: The lineage moved into a new chapter when the culture was inherited by Agnes and William's daughter, Jeanette Lulu Windish, who married into the Johnson family to become Jeanette Lulu Johnson. She carefully packed up the active family crock and migrated the ancestral yeast ecosystem down south to Lexington, North Carolina.

1968 — Destination California: The cross-country journey continued when Jeanette's daughter, Diane Ellen Coker, took over stewardship of the heirloom starter. In 1968, she brought the living culture all the way to Riverside, California, keeping it thriving through decades of modern baking.

The Des Moines Era — Lisa Wertz: The historic lineage ultimately traveled from California to its current home in Des Moines, Iowa, under the care of Diane’s daughter, Lisa Ann Wertz. Today, Lisa serves as the proud guardian of this 400-year-old biological treasure.