Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge: B is for [Family] Bible
I’ve decided to take up the challenge set by Gould Genealogy to blog about the ‘Family History Through the Alphabet’, at least for some letters.
For this challenge geneabloggers are asked to write about someone or something connected to their family history, that starts with the letter of the week. This week’s letter is B.
B is for [Family] Bible
For the letter ‘B’ I have chosen the to highlight the Bible. But not just ANY Bible, this is the Randell Family Bible. And while my dad is the current keeper of it, I do hope that it is one of the many family heirlooms he’s saved that I’ll inherit some day.
So on recent visits to my parents place, it was a fabulous opportunity to bring out the old bible to photograph and scan it.
But first things first … to put things in perspective, I am connected to the Randell’s through my maternal grandma (Evelyn Phebe HANNAFORD nee RANDELL).
While my Randell ancestry does go back to Devon, England, this story begins with John Beavis RANDELL who was born in South Australia in 1877. His parents (William Beavis RANDELL and Phebe ROBBINS) were both emigrants from England.
Now back to the bible …Â the bible originally belonged to my great grandparents, John Beavis RANDELL and Ella Alice SINKINSON. The birth, death and marriage inscriptions all start with them.
Family bibles are a real treasure if they are used as intended. If you’re lucky enough to have one, you’re likely to find a whole bunch of family inscriptions, and if you’re really, really lucky a bunch of photos as well. I gotta say I’m one of those really, really lucky ones. 🙂
Here’s a few photos I’ve taken of the Randell Family Bible.
Births in the Randell Family Bible
Marriages in the Randell Family Bible
Deaths in the Randell Family Bible
A few photos in the Randell Family Bible
10 Responses to “Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge: B is for [Family] Bible”
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How wonderful to have a family bible. Unfortunately none of the family bibles came down my “branch” of the “tree”. Recently I visited my cousin who has inherited a family bible and while delicately searching through it, I came across some letters written to family in Scotland in the late 1800’s that no one had previously realised were there. It was like winning tattslotto (small things are valuable to researchers). Can you imagine my surprise and emotion as I realised there were letters written by my great great grandmother telling family back home in Scotland about the death of my great great grandfather and her heartache. It was so heartfelt and emotional. The mystery is how the letters came to be back in Australia. Were they ever sent? Or was the bible sent from Scotland to Australia after the death of my Great Great Great Grandfather? We shall never know.
What a family treasure Alona! Great that you’ve preserved the information digitially but I do hope you also get the bible itself one day.
How wonderful, and such lovely handwriting and photographs. Whereabouts in Devon were your ancestors?
Julie, my RANDELL family seems to be from around the Berry Pomeroy area of Devon, while I do have also have HANNAFORD’s from Rattery, and ELLIOTT’s from Totness. 🙂
Hi Alona, I am related to the Sinkinson/Hooper side of the family and would love for you to make contact with me. Regards, Deb.
Hello Alona,
What a surprise to see a SINKINSON pop up – Ella Alice who marr. John Beavis RANDELL. I see a page of photos above and was wondering if there is any chance that one of them might be Ella SINKINSON. If it is, I am more than happy to pay for a copy. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers
Maree
Deb – I haven’t done any research on the Sinkinson side of the family as yet – so I really don’t know where to Hooper’s even fit in.
Maree – The page showing the births was obviously written by someone who wrote the names as they were known as then (ie. Ella Allice Randell, and John Beavis Randell) and their children, rather than writing it ‘genealogy-style’ using Ella’s maiden name. But yes, it’s Ella Alice Randell (nee Sinkinson).
Hi Alona,
Thank you for your reply – I have also seen the Sinkinson/Hooper bible and it is written the same, they didn’t think to put maiden names in LOL. Is there any chance that you might have a photo of Ella Alice, as I said earlier, I am more than happy to pay for a copy.
If I can help you in any way, just holler.
Cheers
Maree
Alona, Maree and I are both descended from your Great-grandmother Ella’s Aunt, Hannah Sinkinson who married Charles Hooper. We are 4th cousins! We would love to swap Sinkinson info one day when you get into that side of your Family History. Regards, Deb.