Three Bible Records: Jefferson B. Nones Family Bible

Three Bible Records: Jefferson B. Nones Family Bible Contributed by R. BENTLEY JAMES Jefferson B. Nones was the son of Benjamin Nones, a native of Bordeaux, France, born 1757, who emigrated to Philadelphia about 1777 and fought on behalf of the Colonies in the Revolutionary War. After the war, Benjamin returned to Philadelphia, became a partner of Haym Solomon, was elected President of the Mikveh Israel Congregation, and was prominent as a Mason. Details of his dis• tinguished war service are given in an unidentified newspaper account and in a copy of a letter from Captain Verdier of General Pulaski's Legion, both now in the GSP Collection. Benjamin married 2 May 1782 Miriam Marks (1764-1822), daughter of Levy and Rachel Marks, and died in 1826. Further information on the family is given in Malcolm H. Stern, Americans of Jewish Descent (Cincinnati, 1960), 132, 168. The thirteenth and youngest child of Benjamin and Miriam Nones was Jefferson, whose physical description is given in his passport, 13 Oct 1825: Mouth common Age 20 years Stature 5 feet 6./s inches Chin round common Hair dark brown Forehead grey Complexion fair Eyes smooth stout Face Nose The original manuscript entries here transcribed were removed from the family Bible at an undetermined date and placed in the miscellaneous manuscripts, Manuscript Department, The Filson Club, Louisville, Kentucky. MARRIAGES Jefferson B. Nones unto Georgiana Diblin at the City of New York on the 20th day of February 1832. Son of Benjamin Nones of the City of Bordeaux in France and Miriam Nones of the City of Philadelphia, Georgiana daughter of Sarah Diblin of New Jersey, Monmouth County and John Diblin of the City of Philadelphia Jefferson B. Nones unto Mary L. Marshall at the City of New Haven on the 25th December 1833. Mary the daughter of Lucy & Oliver C. Marshall of Avon Count. 133 134 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine BIRTHS Sarah Ann Nones, daughter of Jefferson & Georgi [ana] Nones, born in the City of New York on the 14th day [of] July 1833 at 4 O'clock P.M. Lucelia Nones, daughter of Jefferson & Mary Nones, born in the city of New York, on the 20th day of September 1834 Ye past 8 o'clock A.M. Thos Jefferson Nones, son of Jefferson & Mary Nones, was born in the City of New York, on the 2nd of March 1836 at 2 O'clock P.M. Anna Victorine Nones daughter of Jefferson & Mary Nones, born in the City of New York, on the 20th day of September 1838 at 3 O'clock P.M . Marshall Nones Son of Jeffn & Mary Nones born in the city of New York 14th day November 1839 at 1/, past 5 O'clock P.M. James Creighton Nones Son of Mary & Jefferson B. Nones, born in the City of New York on the 26th July 1941 at 3 °elk. P.M. William Carrier Nones Son of Mary & Jefferson B. Nones, born in the City of Hartford, Conn Sunday morning at 7 O'clk on the 22d. day of June 1845. Mary Nones Daughter of Mary & Jefferson B. Nones born in the city of Philada. on the 23rd July 1848. Isabel DeLeon Nones Daughter of Mary and Jefferson B. Nones born in the city of Philada on the 29th day June 1851 (my own birthday) Celestine Nones daughter of Mary & Jefferson B. Nones born in Philada. on the 13th of July 1854 DEATHS Georgiana Nones in childbed, mother of Sarah Ann Nones on the 14th day of July 1833. i/4 past 4 O'clock P.M. after a labour of 14 hours; which she bore with resignation and fortitude in the 20th year of her age. Anna Victorine, daughter of Jefferson & Mary Nones; with Infiamation of the chest, aged 4 week s & 1 day, at 20 minutes past 12 P.M. on the 19th October 1838. Marshall Nones Son of Jefferson B. Nones & Mary L. Nones, with inflamation of the Brain, aged 10 months & 10 days, at 8 O'clk P.M. on the 25th day September 1840. Jefferson B. Nones departed this life on the 20th day of July 1869 at quarter past Eight oclock P.M. after an illness of about 2 weeks caused by a general breaking up of his system—[Erysipelas?] being particularly marked. His last hours were happy and he gently expired trusting in Jesus & a Merciful God. His age was 63 years & 22 days having been born June 29th 1806. Mary L. Nones, widow of Jefferson B. Nones, departed this life at 10 oclock P.M. December 21st 1898, in the 83rd year of her age. Would have lived the full 83 years by March 1899. After a lingering illness from heat prostration, due to feebleness of old age, she finally succumbed to paralysis of bowels. In Christian faith she trusted to have the eternal life. Garton Family Bible Contributed by SHIRLEY GARTON STRANEY This record is taken verbatim and literatim from The Holy Bible . . Printed and Published by Mathew Carey, 122 Market Street, Philadelphia, 1811, now in the possession of F. Joseph Garton, of Philadelphia. A relatively small volume, about 8" by 111/s", the Bible is in excellent condition and the family record perfectly legible, with all entries in brown ink, except for the birth of Mary Jane in 1828, in blue ink. An inexplicable hole occurs in the page just where the month of Charles's death would be in 1809. The first six births, the first marriage and the first three deaths are in the same hand, suggesting that the Bible was purchased soon after publication and that these events were entered at one time. Beginning with the birth of Rebecca in 1813, the entries are written so differently that they were probably entered as they occured. These facts, together with the inclusion of the Cowgills, suggest that Jane Cowgill Garton kept the record; significantly, Jane's death is not recorded, nor any subsequent events. FAMILY RECORD MARRIAGES Mark Garton was married the 5th day of November to Jane Cowgill 1808 William Murphy and Lydia Ann Garton was Married June 20th 1833 William C. Garton Was Married April 20th 1839 to Mariah Rimly Samuel Sabins And Matilda Garton Was Married october 26th 1840 BIRTHS William Cowgill son of Thomas Cowgill and Elisabeth his wife was born the 17th day of July 1749 And Lydia Dawson daughter of Richard Dawson and Lydia his wife was born the 24th day of March 1750 Jane Cowgill Daughter of William Cowgill and Lydia His wife was born the 3rd day of November 1750 Mark Garton was born March the 6th 1784 Charles Garton son of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born [hole] the 23rd 1809 Lydiaan Garton daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born April 4, 1811 135 136 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Rebecca Garton daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was bons August 13th A.D. 1813 Ann Garton daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born September 30th A.D. 1815 William Cowgill Garton Son of Mark Garton and Jane his wife Was born February the 16th 1818 Jane Garton Daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born Febry 10 1820 Matilda Garton Daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born May 8th A.D. 1821 Hiram Garton Son of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born Novr 7th A.D. 1823 Eliza Garton daughter of Mark Garton and Jane his wife was born May 5th A.D. 1826 Mary Jane Daughter of Mark and Jane Garton was born August 30th 1828 DEATHS William Cowgill departed this Life the 18th day of May in the year of our Lord 1807 Aged 57 years 10 Months Lydia Dawson departed her Life the 10th day of November Anno domino 1809 Aged 59 years 7 Months and 17 days Charles Garton son of Mark Garton and Jane his wife departed his life the 2nd day of September 1810 Mark Garton departed this life April 17th 1854 in the year of our Lord aged 70 years. Ann Lawson departed this life [Oct] 7th 1861 aged 47 years A Weber -Weaver Family Bible Documentation of Early Weberthal Mennonites Contributed by WILLIAM WHYS WEAVER An important Mennonite Bible has recently come to light at Blue Ball in Lancaster County, where it has remained in the hands of descendants of the original owner, Georg Weber (d. 1772), the youngest son of Johann Anton and Maria Margarethe Weber who fled Switzerland in 1711.' Georg Weber was one of four brothers (all settlers in Lancaster County) who have left a numerous progeny in Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Mid-West and Canada.' Weber-Wearer Family Bible 137 Georg's Bible, which has passed from youngest son to youngest son after German custom, was published at Basel in 1736:' Biblia, das ist: die game Heilige Schrifft Alten und Neuen Testaments, verteutschet durch Doct. Martin Luther. Anjetc fiber die alten Summarien/ Concardantzen/ Zeit--Lehr---Historien=und Namen= Regester, mit Nutzlichen1 einem jeden Vers. beygefiigten1 Ausslegungenl . . . herausgegeben diirch M. Friedrich Battier und M. Theodor Cernler1 weiland Dienere am Heil. Evangelic, in der kirche zu Basel. Bawl, Bey und in Verlag Emanuel und Johann Rudolph Thurneysenl Gebriidern1 Im Jahr Christi MDCCX XXVI The Bible, in generally good repair, is bound in contemporary calf decorated with copious blind stamped designs and embossed, brass corner pieces which match the clasps. The title page is printed in red and black. Two separate inscriptions, each of a paragraph in length, appear inside the back cover. Both are written in a hand strikingly different from Georg Weber's meticulous script. The second entry is dated 5 March 1741, and would seem to have been written very near the time when Georg acquired the volume, though no direct reference to the purchase of the book is made. Aside from the two inscriptions. which will be published later in full, the Bible contains numerous loose sheets of genealogical data; a perfect 1781 Vorschrift; and a part of an unbound signature (pages 371-374) from the 1748/49 Ephrata edition of the Martyrer Spiegel! Since pages 371-374 deal with specific Anabaptist martyrs, there may be a genealogical connection between the Weber family and one or more of these individuals.' The oldest sheet of genealogical data is recorded in the elegant script of Georg Weber. It catalogues the births of his children, and may be translated from the German as follows: Today, on the 13th of January, under the sign of the fish, Anno 1727, a daughter with the name Magdalena Weberin was born to me, Georg Weber. Today, on the 10th of February, under the sign of the crab, Anno 1728, a son with the name Johannes Weber was born to me, Georg Weber. Today, on the 31st of April, under the sign of the scorpion, Anno 1729, a daughter with the name Anna Weberin was born to me, Georg Weber. Today, on the 30th of December, under the sign of the bull, Anno 1730, a daughter with the name Marey Weberin was born to me, Georg Weber.' Today, on the 8th of August, under the sign of the archer, Anno 1732, a son with the name Samuel Weber was born to me, Georg Weber. Today, on the Ilth of March, under the sign of the crab, Anno 1734, a daughter with the name Barbara Weberin was born to me, Georg Weber. 138 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Today, on the 20th of October, under the sign of the balance, Anno 1738, a son with the name Heinrich Weber was born to me, Georg Weber. It should be noted that the signs of the zodiac mentioned in each of these entries refer to the hour of birth. Each hour of the day is ruled by a planet which can be equated with one of the twelve zodiac signs. The second page of births is recorded in the handwriting of Georg's youngest son, Heinrich (20 October 1738-12 September 1787), who inherited the Bible. The entries record the births of Heinrich's children.' Today, on the 28th of March, under the sign of the balance, Anno 1763, a son with the name Jacob Weber was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 24th of April, under the sign of the twins, Anno 1765, a son with the namt Heinrich Weber was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 21st of October, under the sign of the twins, Anno 1766, a son with the name Christian Weber was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 28th of August, under the sign of the archer, Anno 1770, a son with the name Beniamin Weber was born to me, Heinrich Weber.' Today, on the 21st of May, under the sign of the goat, Anno 1772, a son with the name Beniamin Weber was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 4th of March, under the sign of the virgin, Anno 1776, a daughter with the name Maria Weberin was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 28th of January, under the sign of the water bearer, Anno 1778, a daughter with the name of Elizabeth Weberin was born to me, Heinrich Weber. Today, on the 7th of January, under the sign of the twins, Anno 1781, a daughter with the name Anna Weberin was born to me, Heinrich Weber. A third sheet of genealogical data is recorded in the hand of Benjamin Webe (22 May 1772-24 April 1857), Heinrich's youngest son, and author of the 178 VorsChrift already mentioned. Benjamin's genealogical record is actually a larg sheet of paper folded in folio fashion with entries concerning the births of hi children written on both side of the first page Today, on the 9th of Horning (February), under the sign of the ram, Anno 1799, a daughter with the name Elizabeth Weberin was born to we, Benjamin Weber. Today, on the 17th of July, under the sign of the twins, Anno 1800, a son with the name Johannes Weber was born to me, Benjamin Weber. Today, on the 25th of October, under the sign of the balance, Anno .1802, a daughter with the name Anna Weberin was born to me, Benjamin Weber. Weber-Weaver Family Bible 139 Today, on the 25th of April, under the sign of the fish, Anno 1805, a son with the name Heinrich Weber was born to me, Benjamin Weber. [CHILDREN BY MARIA SHIRK SENSENIG (1787-1873)] Today, on the 31st of December, under the sign of the twins, Anno 1808, a daughter with the name Barbar a Weberin, was born to me, Benjamin. Weber. Today, on the 26th of April, under the sign of the water bearer, Anon 1810, a daughter with the name Maria Weberin was born to me, Benjamin Weber. Today, on the 13th of April, under the sign of the bull, Anno 1812, a son with the name Michael Weber was born to me, Benjamin Weber. Today, on the 24th of May, under the sign of the lion, Anno 1814, a son with the name Moses Weber was born to me, Benjamin Weber.' Today, on the 16th of February, under the sign of the lion, Anno 1821, a son with the name Isaac Weber was born to me, Benjamin Weber. Noma I. The Bible is now in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. H. Lester Weaver of Blue Ball, Pennsylvania. Details regarding Georg's father, Johann Anton Weber, may be found William Woys Weaver, "Johann Anton Weber and His Family: Swiss Colonists," Mennonite Research Journal, XIV (1973), 1 and 11; and William Woys Weaver,"The Estate Papers of Johann Anton Weber," Mennonite Research Journal, XIV 73), 19 22-23. 2. For information on the settlement of Weberthal, refer to Martin G. Weaver, Weaverland: Settlement-Settlers-Graveyard and Its Four Plantations (New Holland, Pa., 1933). It should be noted, however, that M. G. Weaver incorrectly assigned one of th plantations to Johannes (Hans) Weber, when in fact, the Hans in question was Johann Anton Weber (also called Hans) who died 17 December 1724. Just recently, I discovered that Johann Anton and his wife, Maria Margarethe, are buried in the old section of Weaverland Cemetery. The graves are the same es those numbered 54 and 55 in Eli D. Wenger and George G. Sander, The Weaverland Mennonites (Adamstown, Pa. 1968), 232. 3. This second Thurneysen edition is not the oldest Weber family Bible to survive from the colonial period. A 1673 German Bible (without genealogical inscriptions) has been preserved at Ephrata by descendants of another Weaver line; and a Froschauer Bible (Zurich, 1536) is known to have once existed in private hands in the Lancaster area. Its location is now unknown. 4. The "artist" was nine year old Benjamin Weaver (22 May 1772-24 April 1857) of Earl Township. The Vorschrift is signed: "Beniamin Weber sere Screib Buch Ed Taunschip 1781." 5. Thieleman Jars van Braght (1625-1664), Der 'Mugge Schau-Plat., oder Martyrer Spiegel der Tau& Gesinten oder Wehrlosen-Christen . . . (Ephrata in Pensylvanien: Drunks send Verlags der Brudenchafft, 1748-1749). 140 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 6. The possibility cannot be ignored since Georg Weber (d. 1639), a martyr from Kyburg near Winterthur, is mentioned in another section of the Martyrer Spiegel. He Ii both Georg Weber's ancestor and namesake. 7. Marry is also written Maria. Her full name was Maria Barbara Weberin. She married Peter Stauffer (d. 20 November 1787) of Goodville (Lancaster County) where she died 30 July 1791. 8. Needless to say, Heinrich's wife, Elizabeth, had some part in the matter. She was born 26 August 1742 and died 22 June 1815, according to her gravestone in the Old Weaver. land Mennonite burial ground. 9. This Benjamin died young. The exact date of his death remains unknown. 10. These children were the product of two marriages, first to Maria Weber Shirk (1778.9 February 1806), and then to Maria Shirk Sensenig (2 September 1787-11 November 1873). Both women are buried in the Old Weaverland Mennonite burial ground. II. Moses is actually written "Mode" in the original German. Being the only surviving male, he inherited the Georg Weber farmstead which passed from Georg to Heinrich, from Heinrich to Benjamin, and from Benjamin to Moses. HELP PRESERVE RECORDS FROM FAMILY BIBLES Many bibles containing valuable genealogical material have been fondlytucked away in attics and storage areas long forgotten and considered of no use to anyone. Sometimes bibles are inherited by members of families that do not appreciate the wealth of family information that has been recorded within the aging pages by generations past. In many cases these old treasures are discarded, end up in antique stores and flea markets or worse, they are destroril by fire. The Accessions Committee is requesting that copies of family data recorded in bibles be sent to the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania to become a permanent part of its collection, thereby making the information available to researchers and insuring against loss. Xerox copies are preferable but hand or typewritten copies would be welcome. Please be certain to include a copy of the title page of the bible which usually indicates the year the bible was printed and the name of the printer. In lieu of xerox, handwritten or typewritten copies of the family records the society would also be pleased to accept the original title page and pages on which family data is recorded. Due to lack of storage space we cannot retain the entire bible. The family history you help preserve for both present and future generations will be appreciated by those who share your ancestry.