The written record endures in many forms.
Letters and personal accounts of events or eras are highly
valued for the information they contain; but it is the
family Bible that most often becomes the object of
diligent searching.
Should you be fortunate enough to possess a family Bible,
the following techniques might help you to evaluate its
usefulness as a source of information. First, note the date
of its publication. Match the publication date against the
span of events written upon the page for family history. If
the handwritten entries predate the publication, it is clear
indication that they were recorded not as they occurred but
at a later date. Next, examine the handwriting used for each
entry. Is it all in the same script, indicating that they
were written by the same person? Are the entries in the same
ink, suggesting that all were made at one sitting? Is there
an inscription?
Check each page of a Bible or inherited book for
notations or enclosures. Some owners recorded the dates of
events, such as memorial services, weddings, and
christenings, in the margin adjacent to the Bible
text used for the occasion. Others used favorite books to
hold prayer cards, obituaries from newspapers, significant
scraps of church bulletins, and handwritten notes. Such a
note enclosed in one book contained, in German script, the
full name and birth date of each child born to the finder's
great-grandparents.
Source:
Szucs and Luebking, The Source: A Guidebook of American
Genealogy, p.11
Purchase:
Ancestry Reference Library (Arl) 2000 (Windows)
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Ashley County
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James Henry Sawyer (hosted at Ashley County USGenWeb Archives )
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Benton County (hosted at Benton County USGenWeb Archives )
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Conway County (hosted at Conway County USGenWeb Archives )
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Howard County (hosted at Howard County USGenWeb Archives )
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Jackson County (hosted at Jackson County USGenWeb Archives )
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Pope County (hosted at Pope County USGenWeb Archives )
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White County (hosted at White County USGenWeb Archives )
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VanBuren County (hosted at VanBuren County USGenWeb Archives )
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Washington County (hosted at Washington County USGenWeb Archives )