In a post on the Newspapers.com Fishwrap blog, Jenny Ashcraft reveals some remarkable finds from family bibles. “Family bibles are a treasure for genealogists and often recorded important events like births, deaths, and marriages,” Ashcraft says. “Family bibles often contain meticulous records and can reveal lost family members or previously unknown details about a family.”
In the early 1900s, a Delaware family found their family bible in a Philadelphia museum. The information in it helped him and his relatives claim a $2 million family fortune. In the 1930s, a Detroit man found a note in his family’s bible that named him the recipient of an inheritance, which was later upheld in court. During World War 1, a Canadian soldier stationed in Dublin found a family bible with military certificates belonging to his 2nd great grandfather and containing the signature of King George II.
What might your characters find in their family bible? What secrets might be revealed or family lore substantiated? What jealousies might arise? What happens next?
