Family Bible Records, 1747-2001

Access and use

Location of collection:
Handley Regional Library
Stewart Bell Jr. Archives Room
The Handley Regional Library
Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society
P.O. Box 58
Winchester, VA 22604
100 W. Piccadilly Street
Winchester, VA 22601
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lorna M. Loring
Phone: (540) 662-9041 ext. 17

Summary

Extent:
1.04 linear feet, plus 10 complete family Bibles
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The practice of recording family information in a Bible has a long history, but became increasingly common as printing technology improved and Bible became cheaper to purchase. In the late 1700s a printer in Massachusetts became the first to offer a Bible for sale with a section for recording births, deaths, and marriages. Bibles with these blank register pages were popular during the nineteenth century and often given as gifts to newly married couples.

For family history researchers these family Bible records are important sources of genealogical information, especially where vital statistics do not exist. Virginia did not begin to record vital statistics until 1853, and even then the information was not conistently reported to the state. Bible records may help uncover family information when the record of vital statistics is absent or imcomplete.

Researchers should pay close attention to the date of publication of the Bible and the penmanship of the entries. In some cases people copied information into a Bible record from another source or from memory well after an event had occurred and the information may be inaccurate.

Biographical / historical:

The Family Bible Records collection contains a number of miscellaneous files with manuscript and photocopy excerpts from family Bibles belonging to individuals and families from the Winchester-Frederick County area. The excerpts generally record birth, death, and marriage dates and sometimes other personal and family information. In some cases the family Bible records include newspaper clippings, obituaries, funeral cards, and other ephemera which was originally held between the pages of the Bible. The collection also includes complete Bibles. The family record information from these Bibles has been photocopied.

Acquisition information:
Acquired as a gift
Physical description:
.