Mystery of the Bible: Historians hope to return it to rightful owner

Historians hope to return it to rightful owner

This Bible, printed in the 1950s, has little monetary value but lots of family history. The family names on these pages include Plaster, Griffiths and Barnes. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Lynn Atkins)
This Bible, printed in the 1950s, has little monetary value but lots of family history. The family names on these pages include Plaster, Griffiths and Barnes. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Lynn Atkins)

There's a bit of detective in every historian. The volunteer staff at the Bella Vista History Museum is no different. Recently, the staff has been working on the case of the misplaced Bible.

Historical Society Co-President Dale Phillips was at the museum when the Bible arrived. It was brought in by a woman who currently lives in Bentonville and wants to remain anonymous. It wasn't really a donation. She wants the Bible to go back to the family that lost it. But it isn't that easy.

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Call Dale Phillips at (812) 899-2049 if you can help identify the families mentioned in this Bible.

The Bible had been "found" by the Bentonville woman's son in one of the old Bella Vista "cabins." The son is now deceased, and the woman didn't have any other information about why he had the Bible. She is very interested in seeing it returned to its family, Phillips says.

The Bible itself has no real value, Phillips says. It was produced in the 1950s.

Xyta Lucas, the other co-president of the Historical Society, wonders if the Bible had belonged to a farm family. It was found in a cabin and not in one of the resort cottages that were built near Lake Bella Vista in the 1920s and '30s. But they don't know where the "cabin" was actually located.

The title page indicates it was presented to Hattie Plaster by her husband Tom Plaster on Christmas 1952. But there is no record of a Plaster family living in Bella Vista.

Inside the Bible are a number of family documents, including pages listing births and deaths that appear to have been taken out of other Bibles.

There is a marriage certificate for Thomas Plaster and Hattie Barnes. They were married in Carroll County, Mo., in 1903.

Another marriage certificate shows that Virgil Griffith married Iva Francis Plaster in Chillicothe, Mo., in 1924.

Family records recorded on pages of the Bible list births: Thomas Plaster in 1882, Hattie Plaster in 1887, Ivah Francis Plaster in 1906, Wayne Lloyd Griffiths in 1936, Hattie Lavone Griffiths in 1931.

The facing page, headed with "Plaster Family" lists names with birth and death dates that range from 1856 to 1973. The list begins with Elisha Plaster who married Sara Dod Sperry in 1873.

Sarah's parents were Daniel Sperry, 1829-1907, and Sarah (Sally) Bunch, 1830-1914.

The entry goes on to list seven children born between 1873 and 1898. Tom Plaster, probably the same one who purchased the Bible for his wife, was one of them. He died in 1954.

The Bible might have been passed on to Tom and Hattie's daughter, Ivah. Hattie Plaster's death was recorded in 1960. The only other death recorded on that page was Ivah Plaster Griffiths, but the date says Nov. 4, 19.

The most recent date was the death of Carrie, Tom's sister, who was born in 1884 and died in 1973.

Yellowed newspaper clippings concern the Griffiths family. Virgil and Ivah celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1974 in Garland, Texas. They had a son living in Dallas, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Another clipping is about Emma Griffiths celebrating her 93 birthday in 1966. Virgil Griffiths was her son. Her obituary is also folded inside the Bible. She died in 1971 when she was 97 years old. According to the clipping, she came to Livingston County in a covered wagon when she was 8 years old. She married David Griffiths, who was from Wales.

His obituary is there too. He died at 85 years old, in 1961. He was a farmer.

There are also several pages that were removed from a different Bible. One lists the children of Virgil and Iva and three grandchildren -- Deborah Ann Griffiths, born in 1950; Baby Griffiths, born in 1953; and Greg Wayne Griffiths, born in 1955.

Another page headed "Deaths" records John Barnes who died in 1910; Morris Barnes in 1929; Martha Barnes, in 1887; and Charles Barnes in 1931. Barnes was Hattie Plaster's maiden name.

Phillips will keep the Bible at the museum until someone claims it.

NAN Religion on 04/04/2020

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