How do I store it ?

Chimp

Chimp

Moderator & Cheeky Human IMP
Staff member
Long storey NOT cut short.

Way back in the annuls of time I was researching my great great great grandfather. Edward Drayton who married Elizabeth Simmons back in 1787 in St. Peter, Bottesford, Lincolnshire.

I then went on to trace my great great grandfather, yet another Edward Drayton born in 1804. Son of the above, he was one of 15.

One of his brothers, William born 1798 married an Ann (never did get her full name) They had 11 children, one of them a son, Samuel born 1837.

I had posted a query on another forum asking for children of Samuel and his wife Mary Fowler.

I was amazed at the help I received. I managed to find all the children.

Back to modern times. Even though I have long left the other site I still get notifications of replies to my posts and also any private messages are sent to my email.

Last Monday I had such an email. It was a private message off a lady saying she had found a book on the Drayton family that I may be interested in. I had found the email on my smart phone as I was at work at the time. I intended to contact the lady when I got home.

At 9 am, while still at work, one of the office girls came to me with a message. They had received a call from a lady for me, concerning a book. 2 + 2 and all that I knew what this was about but was amazed that she had contacted me at work as I had never mentioned where I worked on the other forum. She had left a number for me to contact her.

I duly rang.

Turns out the lady was a music teacher at a school. They had bought in an assignment of old books. One of the books turned out to be an old family Bible with names in it. The main name was Samuel Drayton born 1837.

The lady having done some family research herself, took down the details and when she got home that evening had googled it. The first hit that came up was my post asking for info on Samuel and his family. She joined the other forum and sent me the private message. Of course with me being at work and not replying she had decided to see if I was on Facebook. She found me. In my 'About Me' I have given the place where I work. She looked for the telephone number and called.

She is in the process of finding the cost of having the Bible couriered to me. I will pay her through paypal. I have asked how much the Bible cost but she has told me that the School just want to get it back to a family member and it is free.

Some dear friends and I have done a little research on the descendants of Samuel and have found a likely lady on Facebook. Have also found her son. As they have their pages as private I can not post a message on their walls. If I send a private message it will go into their 'other' folder and Facebook doesn't tell you that you have a message when it goes in there.

I have sent friends requests to both Mother and Son but obviously they don't know me so have ignored the requests.

So I will keep the Bible when it arrives.

It would appear that the Bible was given to Samuel and his wife as a wedding present on their marriage in 1860. The Bible is old and is starting to fall to pieces.

What I would like are some suggestions on how I should store it.
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Chimp I really have no idea. I believe you can buy acid free paper and storage boxes and I am sure more learned members will be able to give advice.

I just want to say how wonderful to have such a possession.
 
The oldest book that I have is a Book of Common Prayer, dated 1757. I must admit that I just have it sitting on a bookshelf, but away from any light.

As Stafford has said, there is acid free paper and also storage boxes that are available to buy, but I am one of those people who would rather have easy access to the book and, as long as it is handled carefully, should last for many more years.
 
What a fantastic tale :)

It does look a tad frayed around the edges to say the least, so if you want advice, why not ask your local Record Office? I'm sure they would give you ideas about the various options open to you.

Ann
 
Oh you lucky Chimp - bet every one of us on here are green with envy. I cannot add more to the above ideas on how to store it, but do remember to support the front cover and pages when you open it so as not to put more stress on the spine
 
Lovely!

There are certainly acid-free storage options. I have my grandmother's Bible wrapped in an acid-free cover and then inside a metal box. I'm not sure that is the best way of preserving it - I only ever intended it as a temporary measure.

I'd be reluctant to handle such a fragile item unless absolutely necessary.

What a super effort from someone with an interest in genealogy wanting to see the book returned to its rightful family. I hope you can make contact.
 
How absolutely amazing, Chimp, and how lovely.

My grandmother's nephew has a bible which came to him via our common great grandparents. He sent me some photos which I treasure, but I am sorely tempted to sneak into his property and steal it. Even more so since I discovered it's wrapped in plastic and kept in the garage. Other "cousins" who have seen both it and its storage are furious particularly as he told me it's being carefully looked after. The entries are made by my great-grandfather, they are far from accurate (one in particular is a downright fib), but they are a record in his own writing and make the bible a special something which should be cared for properly. How I wish I could lay my hands on something like that. Our little flat is too tiny for words and I don't know how or where I'd store it, but my goodness I'd find a way.
 
What a fantastic find. I would go with AnneB's suggestion in post #4 -- contact the local record office for advice.

If it was mine, I would consider having the cover professionally restored no matter what the cost -- the local record office should be able to give you a list of people they use. I once visited the Nottingham Record Office (I worked in Nottingham at the time) and they gave me the name of the bookbinder who restored and bound their volumes.

Just for the record, I recently had a book bound using a bookbinder in Lincoln I found on the internet. Knowing the quality of what I'd had before, I was disappointed with the end result so I took it back to Nottingham and had it re-done.

Hope this helps.
 
After copying it in a loving & careful manner, go with the senses. Ask those most professional.
Can you go to that other forum & reply to their P.M.?

Never forget past friends & forums & friendly spiders. ;)
 
Chimp said:
Thank you all very much for your replies. I will ring our local archives and see what they suggest.

Thank you all again.
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Want me to ask a friend (Dorothy Kew) who is a librarian and genealogist how she would store it? As she is also from Jamaica, she would know how NOT to store a book. Unfortunately, our family bible like yours is in a mouldy place in Jamaica and I doubt it is in good shape.
 
Hi Chimp and Heather:
Others on this forum have given you excellent advice, particularly to use an acid-free archival box in which to store it. However, what I would suggest as well is to take it to a reputable archival restorer to see if it can be properly restored. I would also seek guidance from an archive where you live for advice about storing it, but if it's damaged I would really advise spending the money to have it archivally restored. Where I work in a Local History Collection, we did that with some of our rare books which were falling apart and it's made a tremendous difference to their longevity.

Hope that helps!

Dorothy
 
Thank you very much indeed Dorothy for your expert advice.

I'm not sure my pocket will reach to having it professionally restored at the moment that is why I asked how best to store it. The restoration will have to wait but I'm hoping that storing it correctly will at the very least slow down any further decay.

Thank you again.
 
My daughter is a conservator Chimp. I will ask her. I know acid-free is essential and there are storage boxes. (I am sick of hearing it!) Part of her job is creating storage so with the correct equipment you could create your own box if you can't find one that fits it well enough. I suspect that the freezer may be part of the final solution! Freezing things kills all sorts of things if it has bugs. You are one lucky bloke! Love the bible. And I'd agree with Dorothy about restoration. But ensure that they are truly experienced in this work. My daughter is a conservator but wasn't experienced enough with paper to take this on (until she spent 6 months in Kew. She's now focussing on bottled beasts. Eww! And if you google thylacine and NMA and conservation and go to images you should see her in green - and also blue - rubber gloves and mask working on a body - proud mother moment.)
Jane
 
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You have every right to be a proud Mum Spison, but what they are working with in the image is gross. :)
 
That's a close encounter she can have on her own. She must love her work though and I admire her.
What a fascinating place to work.
My cousin used to work at NSW Museum in Sydney and as a child I always remember it as having a very musty odour. But that was a long time ago and things have improved there I believe.

Lucky boy Chimp. A case of right place at the right time. Wonderful antiquity to own.
 
Isn't it marvellous that people like that lady exist? You are so very lucky, Chimp! And the Bible is not only back in the family, but will be cared for lovingly - what a fantastic story.
 
You are one very lucky Chimp, totally envious here, we have nothing like that in our family. I agree with the others acid free storage and possibly restoration of some kind (wonder if that would work on me!!!). Bet you can't wait for it to arrive, enjoy reading through it
 
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