The Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room at the Transylvania County Library is celebrating National Family History Month in October by launching the latest local history and genealogy exhibit on the second floor of the Library. October is an ideal time to discover, document and preserve the stories and life details of ancestors during the autumnal change of seasons, a natural moment of reflection on endings when some cultural traditions honor loved ones who have passed away.

The display highlights a collection of bibles, photographs, documents, and artifacts related to the early religious practices of Transylvania County.  An accompanying flipbook with closeup images of the inside of the bibles with context and details provides an interactive experience for viewers.

Family Bible Information

Family bibles are a potential treasure trove for information about family history and the everyday lives of those who came before us. As early as the 18th century, bibles were used to collect family records, such as births, deaths, and marriages. The practice became so popular that by the 19th century, bibles were being published with blank pages intended for record keeping, with some even including photo pages. Personal mementos, such as locks of hair, swatches of fabric, pressed flowers, favorite poems, and newspaper clippings may have also been kept between the pages for preservation.

Family bibles can provide biographical and personal information, such as birth, marriage and death dates; records of stillborn children or those who died in infancy; church and religious affiliation; family connections and friendships; the personality of the deceased through mementos, notes and keepsakes; and the greater community of the deceased through event programs, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia.

Cagle Family Bible

One highlight of the display is the Cagle Family Bible. This, along with the Strawbridge Young Bible, was acquired when a prominent local genealogist and researcher, Mary Ann Daniels Galyon, passed away and bequeathed her extensive research collection to the NC Room. Her family connects to Cagles, Youngs, Morrises and so many more. The Cagle Bible is what is known as an enhanced bible. Some specialty bibles included not only the standard religious texts, but also additional scholarly information and illustrations. Examples of bonus information in the Cagle Bible include the Apocrypha, marginal notes, pictorial history, encyclopedia of Christian denominations, picture dictionary, maps, plants and animals of Bible lands, and profiles of the apostles. Personal items on display that were found in the Cagle Bible include a ration certificate, hand tracings with names and ages of the Cagle family, a certificate for completing a course on Honor Bible study, and several locks of hair.

Hawkins Pocket Bible and Prayer Book

Two items that once belonged to Margaret “Kathleen” Poor Hawkins (1914-2000) are part of the display: a pocket Bible and personal prayer book. The prayer book, highlighted throughout with favorite phrases, features a brass corner bookmark engraved with Kathleen’s formal initials, MPH, and a handwritten note inside stating, “I joined Davidson River Pres. Ch. Oct. 14, 1928.”

The pocket Bible seems to have been a gift to a friend that was returned to Kathleen after the friend passed away. It has an inscription on the inside cover “To Miss Sue Hazeltine Siniard, from her devoted friend, M.P.H.” that is dated 1877. Two clippings are pasted inside: Sue’s wedding announcement and her later obituary. These mementos tell a story of friendship, faith, and devotion – all through collecting and  noticing the small details.

Strawbridge Young Bible
Those avid enthusiasts of Transylvania History will be interested in the bible belonging to early prominent Transylvanian Strawbridge Young (1797-1874) who donated land where the “English Chapel” stone church was first built. The bible itself is in tatters, held together with twine and missing entire sections; however, what remains is a veritable pressbook of ephemera—the tiny, random pieces of paper that show how everyday life was lived so long ago. A sampling is scattered in the display – advertisements with Bible verses scrawled on the back, religious tracts, greeting cards with heartfelt wishes, a handmade craft with a child’s name carefully inscribed on back, collectible silver paper doilies, and a scrap of fabric almost certainly imbued with loving emotion but which, like its keeper, whose story has been lost to time. This same tattered bible is a surprising container for oneof the most vibrant color biblical illustrations in the collection, a copy of which is also on display.

J.H. Mull Bible

Although only a simple, hand-sized brown leather Bible, the J.H. Mull Bible is one of the most interesting on display because of the family history contained inside. Joseph Harrison Mull (1840-1930) owned a personal bible with a publication date of 1829 and his property tax receipt pasted inside date 1927, a few years prior to his death. The century old personal Bible has several handwritten pages at the end with family history dates.

Not only did Mull notate births and deaths of family members, but also when they made large residential moves. Some family members had very similar names, and so determining family relationships is aided by a copy of family connections for both Joseph and his wife Annah at the end of the flip book on display. Deciphering his scrawling handwriting was a challenge for staff, and there are still a few words not yet transcribed marked with bright yellow flags. Patrons are welcome to attempt to solve the mystery of these unrecognizable words and inform staff of their best guesses.

Gash Bibles

Two Gash Bibles are on display: one belonging to Robert Lenoir Gash, a prominent lawyer, that was given to him as a prize for memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism; the other belonged to his ancestor, Leander Sams Gash (1813-1872) and is on display in a lighted vertical cabinet to show more information about Leander and feature interior contents of the bible. It is in excellent shape for its age and boasts a fine leather binding with “L.S. Gash” gilded on the spine. The keepsake edition has many fine illustrations and numerous pages of handwritten family history records.

Church History Highlights

A highlight on a handful of the oldest church congregations and buildings in Transylvania County is also part of the display, honoring St. Philips Episcopal Church, Little River Baptist Church, Davidson River Presbyterian Church, Bethel Baptist Church, McGaha Chapel, and Oak Grove Methodist Church.

The Family Bibles for Genealogy Display with church history highlights is on exhibit now through Spring 2026 on the second floor of the Transylvania County Library during standard operational hours.

Photos and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Laura Sperry, Local History Librarian. Sources available upon request.