Would a notarized copy of a page from an old family bible have any special value?

Question

A cousin recently gave me a copy of a page from an old family bible that lists the full names and birth dates of several family ancestors. Her copy of the page has a notary's seal and a signed and dated statement on the back saying that the notary has examined the actual bible and certifies “that the reverse side hereof is a true photostatic copy of the birth records contained therein.” The birth dates listed are in the 1880s and 1890s, the notarization is dated 1940, and there are some other sources that support the birth dates shown.

I read this as saying yes, this is a copy of an actual bible page, but not as certification that any of the data is correct. I have not seen this done before, and I'm wondering if notarization of the copy adds any particular stature or value? Should I add a copy of the page and of the notary's statement as images to the applicable profiles?  We do not know whose bible it was, who wrote the entries or when (there are at least two different handwriting styles), or where the bible is now, if it still exists.

Answer 1

Presumably the record in the family bible was a contemporaneous record (updated on the occasion of a birth, marriage or death).  In that way it is a valuable resource and would be included as a source.  Sometimes such events weren't recorded with the state authority, so this could be the only contemporary source.  

Does it have more research value that it is notarized?  Probably not, except that you know there wasn't a transcription mistake from the original.  (Every time a human is involved, there is the possibility of an error creeping in.)

Putting an image on a freespace page and linking to the profiles would preserve the information for the future.  Less likely that it will be lost when your descendants (who may be as uninterested in genealogy as the rest of my family) pitch the document after your passing.  In fact, I would probably put a copy on FamilySearch and/or FindAGrave as well.  Again, hedging my bets against loss.

Comments

Thanks for responding.  I have used entries from family bibles as sources before.  But nobody has ever questioned the existence or the legitimacy of a bible, and I have not seen a notarized page before.  My first reaction to the notarization was "so what?" but apparently somebody in the family thought it was worth the trouble to have that done.  I thought perhaps someone would know of a reason or a convention for doing that back in 1940, but maybe my case is just a fluke.

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Dennis,

It could be that the notarization was done if a family member was trying to use that data in order to join some society that required proof of lineage.

The question I would have is when was the bible published? I'd want to see the publication page as well.  The publication date/year plus the dates entered by hand contribute to the understanding of the dating of entries.

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I just don't have that data, Jillaine.  As I implied in the question, I've never seen the actual bible myself and don't know where it would be or if it still exists.  The cousin doesn't have it, and there's no data on the page that would indicate when the entries were made, so I can't really tell how much time elapsed between the actual births and the recording of data.  As I look again more closely, I think all the entries are probably in the same handwriting, but done at two different times with two different writing implements.  But that info doesn't help much.

I do get your point, and I'm filing away a mental note about publication date in case I ever get a shot at another family bible at some point.  Thanks.

Answer 2

Someone may have needed the certified copy to prove parents or DOB for legal reasons

Comments

Yes, for example, many people, especially back in 1940, may not have a birth certificate. Social Security would accept Bible records as proof of date of birth. Perhaps they required it to be notarized as proof that the Bible record wasn't fabricated after the fact.

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Hmmm, yes, I guess those could be possible reasons.  But this particular page doesn't name the parents, and wouldn't it seem that if Social Security or some legal authority required it, you would see a lot of these?  Perhaps it would be used only if there were no other record of birth?  Anyway, good thoughts, and thanks for the additional ideas.

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I transcribed many records for Family Search for delayed birth records in Virginia--some delayed as long as 40-50 years.  The proof given for the date very often was a family Bible.

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Ah, the timing of this notarization (1940) with the introduction of Social Security makes me think that Nelda has nailed a very likely reason for the notarization. Good catch.

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I had the very same thought when I first saw Nelda's post, and I almost asked her to covert it to an answer and earn a star.  But then when I looked at the entries on the bible page, the oldest person listed would have turned 60 in 1940, and he didn't live anywhere near where the notarization was done.  The others would have been in their late 40s and 50s, or deceased, so it just doesn't seem likely that anyone would have been applying for social security.  But somebody had a reason ????

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You're right, Dennis, it could have been another reason. I was just throwing that out there as a possibility. Even if they were younger than 65, they could have been using it to apply for their first Social Security number in preparation for the time they would eventually be eligible for benefits. Though Social Security was put into law in 1935, it may have taken a while for some people to actually make application to become part of the system. My Granddaddy Gilchrist applied for his in 1937 when he was age 44. Your ancestor may have needed the notarized copy as documentation for a legal case, such as proving they were related to someone as an heir, but that doesn't seem likely since you said the page doesn't show the parents. You definitely have an interesting document and it is fun to speculate. Hopefully, someday, you'll solve the mystery. When you do, I hope you'll let us know!

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Those are also great points!  I hadn't thought about the possibility of applying for a SSN, and I have no idea how that process worked back in the beginning.  It makes sense, and if I ever find out, I'll report here, but I expect it's going to remain a mystery.  And I still can't think of any reason why that page notarization would have much value today (except maybe as a discussion topic for genealogy hobbyists!).

Answer 3

Remember Images can be deleted, links can die. Transcriptions are always on on WikiTree in the changes fields. So what you put in the bio are yours forever and a day!