Family Records: Between the Pages of The Bible

THROWBACK THURSDAY/ AUGUST 6TH, 2020

Today we are going to look at a practice of record keeping that was very common in the early settler days.

Pictured on the right is an inside page of the family Bible that belonged to James O’Hara Jr. This page featured a family record. When each member of the family was born their name and date of birth and sometimes location was recorded in the left column. When that family member died their death information was then recorded in the right hand column.

This practice was of great importance for keeping family genealogy records. The Bible would be passed down through the family as a way for future generations to know their family genealogy.

It was also a way to keep record of births and deaths when there may not have been an official in the community who could sign off on it. Marriages and baptisms were often also recorded in the Bible. In the very early days of settlement when there were very few church officials around, births and deaths would be recorded in the Bible and then made official when an official was available to recognize it.

This practice is one that allows many to discover when their ancestors were born long ago and in communities with few community record systems.