QUARTO BIBLE DATED 1846 PART II

Good Morning to you,

As promised, I am sharing the second part of Robert Haynes family story, which was recorded in his family Bible.

Do you remember, last Sunday,  I wrote about how Lucy Haynes, Robert's second wife,  had died. Lucy died on 23rd October 1872. 

The moment that Lucy died, the clocks would have been stopped, the curtains drawn and all mirrors in the house would have been covered.

 

During the Victorian times, poems, like the one I am going to share with you, were written to represent the  inevitability of death.

In the middle of the Family Register, Robert had included this poem. I hope you can read it, as the handwriting you see overlaying the poem, is Robert's handwriting.  He had written on the previous page and did not let the ink dry, consequently it marked this page.

 

As you read the poem, the first line may not make sense to you.  What looks like an over extended "f" is actually an "s".  So the first two lines read,

 "She is dead!" they said to him.
"Come away; Kiss her! and leave her!
- thy love is clay."

On this page, the first two lines read,
 

"He and She; and yet she would not smile,

Though he called her  the name she loved, erewhile."

The first two lines of the final page read,

"I would say, though the angel of death

 had laid his sword on my lips

 to keep it unsaid."

Robert's daughters both married. Interestingly the youngest daughter Mabel Kate was married first. Mabel married William Ernest Boden of Birmingham, on November 15th, 1888. They were married by the Reverend V.G. Waggett.

 

Robert's eldest daughter, Lily married Ralph Thicknifse, oldest son of the Bishop of Leicester on November 16th 1889. They were married by the Reverend Pigott.

In this page Robert talks about being familiar with the Bible, and if you are, you can draw all things from it. He also writes that, "He who begins to study the Bible late in life must, indeed devote himself to it night and day, and with a humble and contrite heart, as well as an awakened and soaring spirit."

There are two torn pages at the back of the bible which sadly were like this when I bought the book.  These two pages, I feel, hold the key to the family in later years.

 

One note of interest is James Sydney Haynes married Elvira M. Koons on 21st June 1844 at Columbus, Luzerne Co, PA, U.S.A. 

 

The children of James and Elvira are listed, so you never know, someone, might know someone who knows a member of this family and the Bible can be returned to it's rightful owners. This would make me so happy, as I know I would love to own a hand written  history of my family, especially if it had been recorded by one of my ancestors.

 

This is the final page in the Bible which is also torn.  It shows the name Valentine and also Mary Stevens who lived at 3 Dovecote Villas, Woodgreen.

 

It's such a shame as these last two pages would of held so much information about the family coming into the 1900's.

 

I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek into Robert's life.  Because he had taken the time to write about his family, we have had the pleasure of reading about him. We also know the name of a person who lived his life, so many years before we were born.

 

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

 

Best Wishes

 

 

Daphne xxx