Description:
Small English Bible, made up of three section bound in one volume, with "9." in ink on the remains of a white label on the spine: the title page to the Old Testament is missing; the New Testament title page indicates that it was printed in Oxford in 1739 by John Baskett, Printer to the University; and the 18th edition of "The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testament, Faithfully Translated into English Metre For the Use, Education, and Comfort of the Saints in Publick and Private, Especially in New England." was printed in London in 1741 for J. Osborn and T. Longman. The inside back cover is inscribed in ink, "[?] B Williams" and "Elizabeth Williams" is inscribed in pencil on the top of the New Testament title page. "Elizabeth Williams" might be Elizabeth Williams (1741-1804), the daughter of Dr. Thomas Williams (1718-1775) of Deerfield; Elizabeth married Lemuel Barnard (1735-1817) in 1764. The donor, Captain Edgar Miller Williams (1889-1986), was the son of Admiral Clarence Stewart Williams (1863-1951) who married Anna M. Miller (1860-1955), the daughter of Dr. J. M. Miller of Springfield, Ohio, in 1888; his grandfather was Orson Bennet Williams (1834-1912), who was born in Ashfield and married Pamelia L. Floyd of Springfield, Ohio, in 1862; his great-grandfather was Samuel Barnard Williams (1803-1884) of Deerfield who married Mary A. Bennet (d.1839) of Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 1834, and Caroline Johnson (d.1885) in 1844; his great-great grandfather was Elijah Williams (1767-1832) who married Hannah Barnard (1772-1853), daughter of Samuel Barnard (1721-1788) of Deerfield, in 1803; and his great-great-great grandfather was Dr. Thomas Williams (1718-1775) of Deerfield. This branch of the Williams family is also related to Elizabeth Williams Champney (1850-1922), a well-known writer of her period, who was the half-sister of Orson Bennet Williams and the wife of the artist, James Wells Champney (1843-1903).
Label Text:
Along with hornbooks (a printed alphabet mounted on a paddle and covered with a protective layer of horn) and primers, the Bible was a standard reading text in early New England. Books for reading instruction proved inexpensive and easy to obtain from British and American printers. Reading instruction, typically the province of women both at home and at school, was emphasized as it gave children access to the Christian Scriptures. Most children learned to read between the ages of four and seven, primarily through rote memorization. This Bible was owned by Elizabeth Williams (1741-1804), the daughter of Dr. Thomas Williams (1718-1775) of Deerfield.
Subjects:
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