The Bible

The Family Bible

I grew up listening to my father tell family stories. While I did not always pay attention some have stayed with me over the years as I now approach 70 years of age. Before my father was born he had a brother by the name of Benjamin Thomas Stephenson (Benny). Benny was born in 1907 and died in 1913 of Diphtheria. The family was afraid of the disease as there were no antibiotics available in those days. In order to get rid of the disease and not have other members of the family infected, my grandparents burned many of their belongings. As I understand it, most of their belongings were burned, including bedding and clothing—almost all of the things they owned. However, one thing was not burned—the family Bible. The family Bible was wrapped in newspaper and buried in the ground, where it lay for at least two years. When my grandparents decided to move to Texas in about 1915, my grandmother could not leave the Bible behind so she dug it up from the ground and brought it to Texas with her. The outer binding of the Bible had rotted but still slightly attached. The inside of the Bible was fully intact. My father, Walter James (Jim) Stephenson gave me the Bible in the late 1980s and it is still in my possession. In the middle of the Bible are several pages listing names, births, and deaths. I used all of that information to continue my family genealogy research. I only wish my father were alive today to know how far I’ve been able to trace his family roots. He would be surprised and very interested, I think. As I write this today, February 7, 2015, it was about 100 years ago. It is just so amazing to me that I can hold that same Bible in my hands and I hope my son and daughter will value it as much as I do.

The Bible

The Family Bible from the 1800s Front side which was wrapped in Newspaper	Sideways view	Backside of the Bible
The Bible end	Marriage of my great grandfather	Births
Births	Marriages	Deaths
According to the probate of Benjamin Thomas Stephenson's will, his death is before June 1917 so his death date could be January 19, 1917

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