Genealogy 101: #4 The Family Bible

Introduction: In this article – part of an ongoing “Introduction to Genealogy” series – Gena Philibert-Ortega discusses how helpful family Bibles can be for your family history research, and suggests places where family Bibles can be found. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.

The family Bible: it can be the holy grail of family history research, but its promise of information isn’t always what it seems to be. Why are Bible records so sought after? What do they tell us? And if you weren’t lucky enough to inherit the family Bible, is there any hope for finding it?

Photo: family Bible in the possession of the author
Photo: family Bible in the possession of the author. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.

Family Bibles

Some of the first facts family historians try to find are the date and place for their ancestor’s birth, marriage, and death. In previous generations, old family Bibles were used to record vital record events in the life of a family. They were also used by families to “prove” these events in trying to secure benefits like military pensions. For the years before vital records registration was mandatory nationwide, the family Bible can be one of the few sources for information on these events.

Photo: family records entered into a Bible
Photo: family records entered into a Bible in the possession of the author. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.

Prior to the 20th century, Bibles were important gifts for newly married couples. Family Bibles allowed a couple to document their marriage, births of children, family deaths, and family history information for posterity, and to use as proof when needed. Eventually, the recording of family history information in old family Bibles was superseded by mandatory vital record registration nationwide, as mentioned in this 1911 newspaper article about the growingly obsolete family Bible.

An article about family Bibles, Idaho Statesman newspaper article 7 January 1911
Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho), 7 January 1911, page 4

Evaluate the Evidence

Perhaps you are lucky enough to have the coveted family Bible. So, you have everything you need about your ancestor’s birth, marriage, and death, right?

Although it can seem like a slam dunk when you find an entry for your ancestor in a family Bible, it’s important to remember to evaluate the evidence. Family Bible documentation may not be accurate. For example, information on a birth may have been written years after the event occurred, making it prone to error. So, if you’re lucky enough to find a family Bible, consider the following points in evaluating the accuracy of its information:

  • Does the date of the vital record event occur before the publication date of the Bible? A birth date for 1880 in a Bible with a publication date of 1920 means that the birth wasn’t entered for at least 40 years, meaning it could contain errors.
  • Is all the information written in different inks and handwriting – or does it look like everything was written at the same time? If someone took a few minutes to “catch-up” their Bible entries, that indicates that they weren’t recorded at the time of the events. The information should be verified with other records.
  • Whose Bible is it? Was it grandma’s Bible, and she listed all her children’s births as they occurred? Or was it her out-of-state brother’s Bible who was notified of the births via a letter? Did the person who entered the information have first-hand knowledge of the events? In some cases, you may not know whose hand penned the entries and how they knew about the events they recorded.

We should never assume a Bible record is absolutely correct. We need to evaluate what it is telling us and, if possible, seek out additional documentation.

Who Has the Family Bible?

What if you didn’t inherit the family Bible? Don’t worry; many of us are not that lucky. While some Bibles are passed down through the generations, others get sold off or given to non-family members. So even though family Bibles are considered a home source for genealogy, they may not be in your home. When searching for possible family Bibles remember that they can end up in archival collections – as well as for sale on auction websites like eBay. It’s important to be on the lookout for what may be available.

If you are searching for a family Bible, first do the obvious thing and ask family members. The family Bible may be with a family member who has it stored in their closet or under the bed. You can also find possible cousins who have that Bible by posting a family tree online through a free or paid subscription genealogy website, or by creating a blog or family website, so that potential cousins can find you. You can also use social media websites to find others and leave a trail back to you.

Large family Bible collections are one place to search. One example is found on the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) website, which has an online index of more than 60,000 family Bible records. You can search this Bible Records and Transcriptions database on the DAR website. You may believe that searching for one of your family surnames is a long-shot – but when I looked, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pertinent result for a family Bible record pages for my paternal side that I had no idea existed. Once you find a name you’re interested in you’ll need to contact the DAR Library for assistance retrieving additional information.

A source for Virginia family Bibles is the Library of Virginia, which has over 6,800 original or photocopied Bibles. For additional nationwide digitized family Bible records, see the Digital Public Library of America website.

eBay is a great place to find old family Bibles as they’re often resold after being purchased at an estate sale or thrift store.

Lastly, don’t forget about old newspapers when searching for possible Bible records, such as GenealogyBank’s online Historical Newspaper Archives.

For example, this 1982 Texas newspaper column provides transcriptions of information from the family Bibles of readers.

An article about family Bibles, Dallas Morning News newspaper article 22 July 1982
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 22 July 1982, page 34

To get more ideas for finding family Bibles online, see the Family Bibles page on Cyndi’s List.

Your Family Bible

Are you lucky enough to have a copy of the ancestral family Bible? How have you made those family history pages available to others? How has that record helped you? Please let us know in the comments section below.

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9 thoughts on “Genealogy 101: #4 The Family Bible

    1. Hi

      I found on your list the family bible George Stuppel that had been inherited by Wiedermann Family. His Great nephew is still alive in Ontario, Canada at the age of ninety and would like to understand where the Bible might be at given this post happened in early 2000. Any help would be appreciated or suggestions.

      Thank you

      Tracey

  1. I am looking for our family’s Bibles from England: Sutton – Snewin – Strickett – Calver, etc. Any ideas how to proceed?

    1. Cynthia, make sure to check eBay. Also, you may want to create an alert so that you can automate your search. I would also check local family history societies. The link I provided in the article for Cyndi’s List might also be beneficial. Good luck!–Gena

  2. Does anybody have any creative ideas of what to do with a cumbersome family Bible without desecrating it? I can think of some theoretical ideas such as incorporating it into the construction of a useful side table or something, but I am stumped when it comes to execution. Any wide-ranging thoughts are most welcome!

    1. Typically you would want to preserve the Bible since handling it and exposure to light, etc., can cause damage. There are archival-safe boxes you can buy from archival and library stores that will help. You could digitize the pages you want to display or frame and then preserve the Bible by storing it.

  3. FAMILY BIBLE (Jackson, MI)
    FOR SEVERAL YEARS I HAVE CALLED THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH TO FIND MY GRAMMA GOLDA (GOLDY) ANN CLICK WOLLET’S FAMILY BIBLE. MY DAD, LEO DOYLE, GAVE THE BIBLE TO HER JUST BEFORE SHE DIED FROM CANCER. SHE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO LAST LONG, AS THEY DIDN’T IN THE 1950S. BUT SHE MUST HAVE BEEN VERY STRONG SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO HANG AROUND TO HOLD ME! I WAS BORN IN 1958. SHE PASSED WHEN I WAS 3 MONTHS OLD. THE BIBLE RIGHTFULLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DAD’S, THEN MINE. I DO GENEALOGY, HAVE SINCE 1994. BUT MY AUNT CECILE, FOR SOME REASON, GAVE IT TO THAT CHURCH. THE 1ST TIME I CALLED, THEY SAID IT WAS IN THE NURSERY. THE 2ND TIME THEY SAID IT WAS PROPPING UP A CRIB WITH A KID IN IT!!!! THAT IS NO WAY TO TREAT THE LORD’S BIBLE!!!!!! THE 3RD TIME I CALLED, THEY HAD GIVEN IT AWAY!!!!! I AM JUST HEARTBROKEN!!! MY MIDDLE NAME IS ANN, AFTER HER. AND AT A FAMILY REUNION, EVERYONE WAS STARING AT ME! I FOUND OUT LATER THAT ONE OF THE PEOPLE SAID EXCEPT FOR MY BLOND HAIR, I LOOKED JUST LIKE GOLDY COMING ACROSS THE LAWN. THAT WAS THE BEST COMPLIMENT I COULD HAVE EVER GOTTEN. PLEASE, IF SOMEONE KNOWS WHERE THE BIBLE IS AT, I WOULD LOVE TO BUY IT FROM THEM.

  4. trying to get Hiram H Hutchinson 1831- 1916 Family Bible back to Family Lived in Columbia County and Hazelton Pa

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