FAMILY BIBLES

Family bibles were really popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and many families continued the tradition. It means that there may be more than one bible in the family although many were handed down the generations and often contain information on more than one generation. Some families still keep them today and continue to update them, primarily because of tradition. Most family bibles originate as the standard Christian bible which has pages in them specifically for recording family information in a set form often illuminated with decorative borders and sections. These record pages can be found at the front, in the middle between the Old and New Testaments or even at the end of the bible - it all  depended on the publisher.

You may discover previously unknown information about family members from the dates and names in family bibles. For example, you might find the names of any children in a family who died in infancy, who married and who remained single. They are particularly useful when all the information you may be able to find took place between the censuses. Children might have been missed if they were born and died between the census years because obvious clues evade research. Where family bibles were passed down from one generation to another, you will obviously see different handwriting styles which can help identify each family group.

If your family does not have a family bible then it is worth trying to locate one. Bibles often appear in second-hand bookshops particularly in places like Hay-on-Wye, famous for its variety of bookshops, or through some of the specialist collectors' websites. You may even be lucky enough to find one being sold on eBay or at antique fairs and car boot sales. Sometimes contacting distant relatives with a common ancestor can also be a good way to find the family bible.

You are unlikely to know who in a family inherited the bible unless you can establish a hierarchal tradition. Locating a family bible is not always something you do at the start of your journey. It is worthwhile to keep looking though because you never know what will turn up. Even if you cannot physically obtain the bible, you may be able to get a scanned or photographed image of the relevant pages.

If you are the custodian of a family bible, you must remember that it is a valuable genealogical resource and precious family object  that warrants preservation for the benefit of future generations. It may be the only record of events.

Wash your hands! Always a good idea when handling archive material. Dust and body oils can leave permanent damage.

It is a good idea to carry the book with both hands.

Keep it supported; rest an open book on a cushioned surface to support the spine and covers.

Store the bible in archive quality box or a suitable cover so it is not adversely affected by light.

Look for additions within the pages. Newspaper clippings may have been kept in the bible relative to some of the events, notes or other paper mementoes may have tucked away in the bible. Because newsprint particularly can migrate onto the printed pages, remove the newspaper cuttings out as soon as you find them and store them in an archival plastic sleeve. You can then reinsert them if you want to keep the information within the bible. Don’t attempt to correct and earlier damage to the bible pages.

Preserve loose bible pages in an acid-free archival folder, envelope or sleeve.

Keep a separate record showing the provenance and history of the bible including a description of it, who owned it before you and a transcription of the record pages.

Using the scraps of information in a family bible you can make inroads on a family tree. It should be fairly easy to establish relationships from generation to generation which is a vital start to genealogy. You will still have to undertake further research to find birth, marriage and death certificates and entries in parish registers and many other documents but that is the thrill of family history.