Johnson Family Bible, 1710
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Johnson Family Bible, 1710 |
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 This 3 volume German Bible, showing five parallel columns, printed in five German dialects, was the Johnson (Janssen) family Bible. Volume 1 (Genesis to Job) has been missing since J.L. Holtzman loaned it. The Bibles were passed from Gerhard Johnson to son Henry Johnson to daughter Zwaantje Johnson Holtzman to daughter Ruth Holtzman Hey to daughter Janna Hey Dean to son Steve Dean. (The earliest inscription: "Gerhard Janssen, 1823, Leer" (that is, Leer, Germany, the family home) A paper written by Grandma Holtzman (and found in the Bibles) reads: "These precious Bibles were passed down to me by our forefathers the Janssen family. Sent to us from Germany in 1910 to father Henrich (Henry) Johnson after his father passed away... It was a new thing to me when I spent the summer at grandfather and grandmother's in 1898 to see the 5 religious beliefs in one binding. We spent many precious hours reading them. We treasure them highly." The handkerchief belonged to J.L. Holtzman, who used the Bibles. At one point Great-grandpa Holtzman preached 4 times each Sunday to 3 congregations of different ethnicity: first in English, then in German, next in French, and finishing in English with the first congregation. His daughter, Grandma Hey recalls learning all 3 languages at an early age in the home. However, her parents, afraid she would pick up an accent, quit speaking French and German at home. |