Are family Bibles ever wrong?

[ruthruss]

Hello there. I have been tracing my Norfolk ancestors for several years and felt I was making good progress using official records and triple checking my facts. However I recently came into contact with a distant family member from Wales who said that according to an old family Bible, my gggg-grandfather Dennis Allen (b 1790) was the son of John Allen. I had believed he was the son of a Thomas Allen, as yhere are no baptism records for a Dennis Allen born to a John Allen.

Now I wonder, is it more likely that the baptism record is simply missing or that the family Bible (which is in VERY poor condition) is incorrect?

Many thanks,
Ruth

[majm]

Yes, the entries in a Family Bible can include mistakes, and sometimes the person reading the entries can mis-read.   Jn^o and Th^os. may be so poorly written or faded or ink bleeds that perhaps what has been read as John is actually Thomas or vice versa.   

JM

[Rosinish]

There's also the case of the 4 'W's...Who Wrote What When?

Notes/Additions could have been made by anyone at anytime & no-one was/is infallible (sadly) 

Annie

[wivenhoe]

It would be useful to see an image of the whole page in the bible.

It might be an old bible but the information might be written many years later ie. a later researchers work.

The presentation of the information might suggest when it was written.....an isolated notation or part of a greater amount of detail....contemporary with the event........ or retrospective details by a later recorder / researcher.

The handwriting, and colour of the ink might be a clue to what was written...and when....

[Rosinish]

Wivenhoe,

Glad you could elaborate on what I mentioned as it would be extremely useful to Ruth & of course others for future.

Annie

[ruthruss]

It would be useful to see an image of the whole page in the bible.

It might be an old bible but the information might be written many years later ie. a later researchers work.

Unfortunately when I asked for a photo of the Bible to confirm his claim, he told me it was with other family members in the dark depths of Pembrokeshire. He was not very forthcoming with their contact details sadly.

[Rosinish]

Hmm...not so good & may well be exactly as JM pointed out?

Sometimes others don't like when possible errors are pointed out & if the person who had the bible wasn't aware of the knowledge of JM then this may be a stumbling block...not open to question?

It may be worth asking again for a copy?

Annie

[wivenhoe]

If distant family member is not able to confirm information from another source, it is of little use to you, or anyone.

Continue with what you are doing. Your later research might give you cause to consider  the Dennis / Thomas possibility, at which point you could return to the matter of the bible.

But do not give greater weight to unconfirmed information.

[Mowsehowse]

I'm thinking that often family members are known by 2nd, middle, nick or pet names which bear no resemblance to their actual official given name.  (Viz King Edward Vll was actually Albert/Bertie.)

As such, a family bible might say different to registration documentation perhaps?