- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
New Testament Bible Containing Wills Family Genealogical Records, 1812-1864
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Scope and Contents
Consists of a bible given by John Paxton (1784-1868) and John Paton of the Norfolk Bible Society of Virginia to the Wills family in Amelia, Virginia, in the early 19th century. The Wills family were enslavers, and they used the beginning and end of the bible to extensively document the births of white family members as well as the Black people they enslaved. It is also possible that some of those described in the bible were the children of John Wills and women whom he enslaved.
As noted in the genealogical information recorded in the bible, John and Cary Wills were married in 1815. The first person the bible lists as their child was Washington Fayette Wills, who was born in 1816; however, Washington Fayette Wills was likely the child of an enslaved woman and John Wills, as his name is not listed in the family's census records but he does appear in Virginia census, marriage, and death records as "mulatto" or "Black." Similarly documented are two people named Isaac, one born in 1814 and another born in 1849, both of whom are listed in census records as "mulatto" and with the surname Wills. The names of other children whose births are listed with the Wills surname include Berthier Coleman (born 1818), Anderson Morgan (born 1819), John T. (born 1822), Frances Ridley (born 1823), Richard Daniel (born 1826), Martha Betsey (born 1827), George Henry (born 1829), and Harriett Hannah (born 1832). A separate list of enslaved children who are recorded without surnames include Anney (born 1829), Tom (born 1834), Jack (born 1838), Daphney (born 1842), Jim (born 1844), Moriah (born 1846), Isaac (born 1849), and Charley (born 1862).
The bible is titled "The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" and was stereotyped by the Bible Society at Philadelphia by T. Rutt in 1812. It contains a bookplate from the Norfolk Bible Society, an organization whose mission included both evangelizing Christianity and promoting emancipation. The bible given to the Wills family was one of hundreds that the Society distributed to families in rural Virginia during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. There are also a few pieces of religious ephemera and clippings tucked into it.
- Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator or by the date of acquisition.
Collection History
- Acquisition:
Purchased from Whitmore Rare Books in 2022 (AM 2022-120).
- Appraisal
No material was separated during processing.
- Processing Information
This material was processed and described by Kelly Bolding in May 2022, incorporating some description provided by the dealer and information found in U.S. census records.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
New Testament Bible Containing Wills Family Genealogical Records; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (mss): Box B-001872
Find More
- Existence and Location of Copies
Parts of this collection are available on microfilm, cataloged separately as RCPXM-7497696.
- Subject Terms:
- African Americans -- Virginia -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Second Great Awakening
Slavery -- Virginia -- History -- 19th century -- Sources - Genre Terms:
- Bibles -- 19th century
Genealogies (histories) -- 19th century
