In 2019, I acquired the James Franklin and Elvira T. (Perry) family bible, a family heirloom that had been stored in an attic for several years, protected from dampness by the dry West Texas climate. Despite this safeguard, the Bible bears the marks of time, with a worn cover and loose pages, particularly the family record section. Enclosed are photos of these pages, revealing invaluable information within.

Title Page

The title page, though tattered shows signs of perhaps someone practicing their handwriting, as well as calculating the age of Elvira, the mother, at the time of her death.

Births

Births page 1 –  Initials were initially recorded for given names, later supplemented with full names.

Births page 2 – Unfortunately, this page is not intact, which likely prompted someone to reenter the births on  the back of the title page, as shown below.

Births page 3 – A couple of the birth years were mistakenly recorded and corrected, evident that these were entered at a later date and not soon after the births occurred.

Marriages

Interestingly these marriage records include the officiant who united the couples and were recorded in the order they occurred, except for the only surviving son, Alvin, whose marriage is written in the margin at a later date and appears to be Clydine’s handwriting.

Deaths

The deaths shown here on back of the torn birth page, though consists of only four deaths, speak volumes. Showing us the young sons that died early, children that are often missed in a family group.

The next two pages were folded and inserted between the pages of the Bible and re-record the birth and death dates of the parents, Elvira and Frank, and list their surviving children giving their birth and marriage dates only. Then the grandchildren’s given names are listed, grouped somewhat chronologically. Lastly, two great-grandchildren are listed with their birthdates.

The  following record that was not found in the family Bible, but was written by Clydine, includes more death dates for her siblings.

Within the pages of the Bible were evidence of two flowers that were pressed between the pages and a few other items that I thought were interesting to photograph and include.

India Linon was French linen, a fine, light weight fabric often used for kerchiefs. Fabric, Elvira may have used as a seamstress. Cures kept handy in case needed. Wondered if the the red McLaughlin clipping was merely a bookmark.

I presume this well used family Bible remained with my great-grandmother, Elvira, until her passing in 1917, while she resided with her eldest daughter, Annie, in Roswell, New Mexico. Annie likely kept it until her own death in 1958, while living with her daughter, Elsie, in Los Angeles, California. Elsie’s aunt, Clydine, cared for her a few months until she passed away from cancer in 1960. Clydine was the youngest and last of her immediate family to possess the family Bible. My father, Francis Stickney, assisted in settling Clydine’s estate after she passed in late 1989 and became the next custodian of the Bible. Now in my possession, I share its contents hoping to keep the memory of this family alive.