Date:
[unknown]
[unknown]
Location:
[unknown]
Surname/tag:
McCool
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Researchers have been well aware of the Adam McCool (1766-1835) Bible for many years. It was published in 1792 in Edinburgh and measures 4.125” x 6.76” x 2.5”. According to the inscriptions, Adam purchased it in 1793 from John Reag[h?] for 5/6 {units uncertain}.
Transcripts of the Bible inscriptions have been available online for decades, but we now have sets of photos of key pages of the Bible itself.
Bible Provenance
B T Shannon, the current (as of 2023) steward of her fifth-great-grandfather's Bible, writes that it was left to her by her mother - and to her by her mother Louise Adair (Potter) Duke (1904-1999) "in whose possession I saw it when I was young."
Family tradition: This was the family Bible of our ancestor Adam McCool (1766-1835) and his wife Jane (Ryan) McCool (1768-1839) of Warren County, Kentucky. Louise Potter Duke had it from her grandmother, Margaret Tranquelia (Holland) Potter (1845-1921) of Warren County, who had it from her mother, Elizabeth Louise (Harpole) Lively (1817-1890), daughter of Margaret (McCool) Harpole and granddaughter of Adam McCool and Jane Ryan. Margaret McCool married John Leisher Harpole.
The Bible, bound plainly and in fragile condition, contains on blank pages in its front, back, and the page dividing the Old from New Testament, the names, birthdates and marriage date of Adam McCool and Jane (Ryan) McCool, and seven names and birthdates here identified as those of their children. All of this information is duplicated on three different pages, one in careful calligraphy with a decorative border. The ink is now brown with age. An additional loose page, also yellowed and fragile and the ink also brown with age, records the names and birthdates of the family of Elizabeth Louise (Harpole) Holland Lively and her first husband, George Harris Holland (1801-1847). This page has damage that looks to be burn holes, but all names and dates are legible.
Bible Exterior and Front Matter
Unsurprisingly, the bible, almost as old as America, is fragile and worn. Some pages contain duplicate text, perhaps as handwriting exercises.
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| Front Cover
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| Spine
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| Adam McCool Bible title page
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| Adam McCool Bible front matter 1
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| Adam McCool Bible front matter 2
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| Adam McCool Bible front matter 3
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| Adam McCool Bible top margin
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Bible Dates
The Bible gives Adam's birthdate as 10 Mar 1766. It states that his wife, Jane Ryan, was born on 25 Oct 1768, and that they married on 23 Apr 1792. It lists their children, with birthdates - all believed to be born in Rockbridge County, Virginia.
- Margaret (McCool) Harpole (1793-abt.1875)
- Joseph McCool (1794-1844)
- Elizabeth (McCool) Morris (1796-abt.1834)
- Thomas McCool (1797-1867)
- Adam McCool Jr (1800-abt.1831)
- James Geddis McCool (1802-abt.1850)
- Martin Ryan McCool (1805-abt.1851)
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| Adam McCool Bible dates
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| Adam McCool Bible calligraphy
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| Adam McCool Bible back matter 2
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Bible Loose Pages
The additional loose page records the names and birthdates of the family of Elizabeth Louise (Harpole) Holland Lively and her children with first husband, George Harris Holland:
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| Adam McCool Bible back matter 3
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| Adam McCool Bible Holland page
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