August 21, 2019
Have you rescued a Family Bible?
When Mrs. George Widener’s apartment was on fire in 1922, she sprang into action and called upon Fire Chief Myers – who rescued her 125-year-old Family Bible.
If you have rescued an old Family Bible – did you take the next steps and put the information recorded in it online?
Tell us what you have accomplished.
Here are some steps you can take:
- Scan each page with family information, including title pages (both sides)
- Combine JPEGs into one combined PDF file
- Upload both the individual JPEGs and the PDF file to online family tree sites like FamilySearch.org
- Transcribe family information in the Bible to online family tree sites
See example here: https://bit.ly/2NI1z7W
Here is the cover of a Batchelder Family Bible.
Notice the spelling of Dr. Nathan Bachelder’s surname on the cover of the Bible, and the handwritten family register pages inside.
Over the years the surname was given as Bacheller and Bachelder. Contemporary sources use the more standard Batchelder.
Genealogy Tip: Be flexible in the spelling of your ancestors’ names when searching record sources. Use clues in the Family Bible and other sources to document your family.
There are actually two title pages in this Bible: one from 1816 and the other from 1821. The Old and New Testaments were published separately and bound together in one volume. This tells us that the Bible was purchased in 1821 or later.
Urgent: Rescue Family Bibles – each one is unique.
Digitize the data and preserve it online for the benefit of the extended family.
