Family Bibles are priceless treasures

I was talking on the phone to another new cousin the other night and she happened to ask if I had ever found all of the Rev. Leroy McWhorter's children.

I told her that yes, I did, because I found his Bible records. Then, I clarified my statement by saying I didn't have the actual Bible records but had found a book at the library in Carrollton which gave Bible records for many Southern families.

She seemed unaware of this resource and I thought many of you might not know of it either.

The book is "Old Southern Bible Records," by Memory Aldridge Lester. It may be available in your library or genealogy repository also. This book gives Bible records for hundreds of families who lived in the South from the 1700s on. My thanks to Joe Baggett for bringing the book to my attention.

The McWhorter Bible records include those for Leroy McWhorter, Allen Marlin McWhorter, Dr. Abbott Milton McWhorter (Allen Marlin's son), John McWhorter (Allen Marlin's half brother and Leroy's uncle), and David McWhorter who married Mary Poston. Explanatory notes from the submitter of the records tell of this family's migration from Lancaster Co., Pa., through Virginia and North Carolina, into South Carolina and on into Georgia.

Many continued westward. Dr. Abbott Milton McWhorter ended up in California. The McWhorter information was submitted in 1932 by Davis McWhorter, a noted McWhorter researcher, who had copies of the Bible pages he had received from McWhorter family members when he was doing his research. There are hundreds more family surnames in this little jewel. What a resource, huh?

Long before we had birth and death certificates, families kept all their records in the family Bible. Births, marriages, deaths ... all were kept there. Most families were church-centered and every family had a Bible. It was the most precious family possession and the logical place to keep important family information. Many fathers felt it was such a valuable item that they sometimes bequeathed, or made provisions for, preservation of the family Bible in their wills. I have been told of one father who not only bequeathed the family Bible to all his children, but dictated which child was to receive it when, and even told them how long they could keep it before it was passed to the next child. Sure sounds like a precious heirloom to me!

The Bible's importance is in evidence with the Daughters of the American Revolution, which is meticulously discriminating as to the information it accepts as valid proof of family heritage. Properly certified (notarized) family Bibles are perfectly acceptable proof of descendancy. "Certified" simply means that you have sworn on an oath before a notary public that, to the best of your knowledge, this is actually your family Bible and that it contains accurate family information.

My mother was fortunate to have come into the possession of one of these old treasures. She calls it simply, "Uncle Lum's Bible," because we are still not sure if it belonged to one family or many families. I call it the Boyd-Payne Bible because it has many family records in it from the Boyds, Paynes and Slones (Sloans). Uncle Lum (Christopher Columbus Boyd) was born in 1847, so you know it is old.

The entire front of the Bible is missing, including the chapter of Genesis and part of Exodus. The front is important because it gives the publisher and the date of printing, thereby validating the authenticity of the book's age. However, in going over it with a fine-toothed comb, I came across some information in the center ... well, actually just before the New testament begins ... that gives me a clue as to when it was printed.

A chronological index, "... of the Years and Times from Adam unto Christ, proved by the Scriptures, from the collation of divers (sic) Authors..." begins with Adam, continues through the flood, all the kings, through the birth of Christ, to (what was then) the present. The last paragraph says, "Then the whole sum and number of years, from the beginning of the world unto the end of the year of our Lord God, 1850, are 5,824 years, 6 months, and the said odd ten days." I think this is proof the Bible was printed in 1850 and, in lieu of having the front pages, will suffice as to its authenticity.

There are specific pages provided for births, deaths and marriages, but this family did not keep the information on the proper pages. The information, however, is all there, the most valuable being marriage records for Uncle Lum and his wife, and my great grandparents, which we have not been able to find in official court records as yet.

The first entry in the Bible is for my great-grandfather, Joseph Joshua Payne, who was born "January the 20th 1854." That leads me to believe that it was once owned by him and his wife, Louisa Elizabeth Boyd Payne. However, other notations give the birth dates for all Louisa's siblings (including Christopher Columbus, who was her brother), all of Louisa and Joseph's children, some of Uncle Lum's children, and the death of Louisa's mother, Sarah Ann LeGuin. I can only speculate, but I believe that following Joseph's death in 1891, the Bible somehow fell into the hands of Uncle Lum, was later passed to Louisa's daughter, Milie Ann Payne White (pronounced "my-lee"), and, following Milie's death, came into the hands of my mother, who was Milie's niece.

In a taped interview in 1975, Milie, then in her 90s, stated that her children were "not interested" in the family information and she wanted my mother and her sister to have the Bible. Milie also said that much of the writing in the Bible is in her father's hand. Clues, clues, clues ... but ho hard proof as to who the Bible belonged to. Frankly, I'm just happy to have the information.

Often, antique stores will have old books and family Bibles for sale. If you see these, grab them! They could be the missing link somebody out there is looking for. I see messages all the time on the Roots-L lists where people have found family Bibles and are trying to connect them with the families who originally owned them. They are usually available for only the cost (most always minimal) and the postage. What treasures!

If you're looking for your Georgia ancestors, have a genealogy tip, or want to share your family history, write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

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