Myers Family Bible

Back in February, I posted two letters written in 1898 to my grandfather, Dan Myers, by his older brother Gene. I mentioned in passing that the letters had come to me along with copies of family history pages from the Myers family bible. I guess it is about time I posted some of those images.

The original owner of the bible was my third great-grandfather, Lawrence Myers (1794-1829). The leaf showing its ownership and purchase date is in poor condition.That price of $4.25 must have been a hefty chunk of change in 1827. This particular Lawrence Myers was the son of Philip Myers and Martha Bennett Myers. He was born in the Wyoming valley of Pennsylvania, and as a young man, moved west to found the town of Sunbury, Ohio, together with his brother William.

The vital statistics pages are in better condition. Here are some excerpts; direct ancestors of mine are highlighted.So you can keep them straight; Henry B. Myers is the son of Lawrence and Eliza; and Stephen Bennett Myers is Henry’s son.

Dan Dean Myers, son of Stephen and Helen, is my grandfather. The writer had to make a correction; “Dan” is correct, not “Daniel.” Finally my mother, recorded in a different hand, her name badly misspelled, and precise birth date missing (May 23).

The several different handwritings are interesting, but Neither Gail nor I can even guess whose they are, except for the original Lawrence himself, who must have inscribed the ownership page. Since the bible passed from one Lawrence to the next (whether it was a son or a nephew of the previous Lawrence), we can only speculate that it was in most cases one of those Lawrence’s or his spouse.

Skipping over the death records, here are the marriages of four generations of ancestors, all on one page: my grandparents, great, great-great, and third great-grandparents.Once again, a million thanks to Gail Myers and to his brother Lawrence, the current custodian (of course) of the Lawrence Myers bible.