#26-2020. Middle. of the Family Bible

#26-2020.   Family Bible

What is in the middle of a Family Bible?

Many people have heard of a “Family Bible”, but many have never seen one or knew they exist.  

 “Family Bibles” were an important part of our ancestors life.  It is where they recorded the births, deaths & marriages of a family.  A "Family Bible" was a cherished possession in a family and passed down through the generations.  They are a treasure for a genealogist!

John M. Shaffner was my great grandfather. John M. Shaffner married Elizabeth Deborah Fletcher on 16 September 1880.  Their first son, Willard Fletcher Shaffner, was born on 10 July 1881.  I would presume that is when they began recording their family information.  A Family Bible could have been given as a gift.

The Shaffner Family Bible held by my father, Don Shaffner

In the middle of the “Family Bible”, are pages to record births, deaths and marriages in the family.  Many times these births were home births and or the vital records were not kept by a city/county/state office.  

John M. Shaffner wrote the information on his first marriage.  His wife died in 1899 and he remarried.  He wrote about that too.  

Often there are other gems of information in the middle of the Bible pertaining to family history.

The Shaffner Family Bible had loose pages of information about family.  The handwriting indicates an older style of cursive.  These are in archival protection so  hard to photograph.   Most of the information is about my 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner's family!  Interesting there is not much information on her husband, my 3rd great grandfather, Gabriel Shaffner.  The information is birth dates, complete with time of both.  There are also marriage recorded with dates!  Since it was before civil registrations, these are the best records available for a genealogist. 

Does your family have a "Family Bible"?  

Keep looking and asking; you might be surprised what you find in the "middle"!

#2-2020. Favorite Photo. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#2-2020. Favorite Photo.  52 Ancestors in a Year

As the recipient & keeper of many, if not hundreds of family photos, it was very hard to choose just one favorite photo.  So I chose 2 related photos.

Yes, I really do have lots of family photos and luckily most are identified.  Thanks to my grandfather, John F. Shaffner and my cousin, Donnee Shaffner Stibal, most are identified in the Shaffner family line. 

My mother, Helen Lloyd's family also had many family pictures and most are labeled.  In both sets of inherited collections there those unlabeled ones that I am always looking for clues on.

This is picture is favorite because it is the only picture I have of my great great grandmother, Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner.  The plus to the picture is her holding Walter Ruskin Shaffner, the youngest brother of my grandfather.   

Margaret was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1820 and died 10 November 1903 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 83 years of age.  

Walter Ruskin Shaffner was born 7 September 1899 and his mother died 17 November, 1899.

I believe the picture would have been taken about 1900-1902.  

Margaret Maria Fetter Shaffner, daughter of Jacob George Fetter III & Margaret Maria Ernest (or Ermet) married Gabriel Shaffner in 1845 in Pennsylvania.  Their son, John Martin Shaffner, born 15 July 1855 married Elizabeth Deborah Fletcher in 16 September 1880 in Whitesville, New York.

I suspect that Margaret helped out raising Walter Ruskin until his father remarried.  

John M. Shaffner married Emma Reamer, but she did not like his children.  The younger children all went to live with older siblings. 

Walter Ruskin Shaffner went to live with his sister, Cecelia and her husband, Richard Daggett in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.  He died December 1916 at the age of 16.  Probably from appendicitis, but the death certificate said acute indigestion.   

His older brother, John F. Shaffner, intended to bring him to Montana. He always regretted that and named his 2nd son, Walter.

This is the Shaffner Family Bible that my grandfather, John F. Shaffner,  took from his Pennsylvania home after his mother died.  Emma was not happy about that according to Grandpa.  But what a treasure it is.  

Included in the Bible was Margaret's family history which I believe are in her handwriting due to the old style of cursive script.

Don Shaffner, my father, holding the Shaffner Family Bible