The Eby Family Bible
ReadThe Eby Family Bible was printed by Mathias Harnisch in 1596 in Newstadt an der Hardt in Germany. Theodorus "Durst" Eby brought this
Bible when he and his family came to Lancaster County in 1715.
Eby Family Bible, Cover (1596) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
Theodorus "Durst" Eby was born in 1663 to a Swiss Mennonite family, who later fled Switzerland due to religious persecution. The family lived temporarily in the German Palatinate before immigrating to Lancaster County and settling in Mill Creek in 1715.
The Bible was passed down through the family, and its German biblical text is supplemented by handwritten genealogy, found mostly at the end of the book. This genealogy includes the male family members who inherited the Bible from Durst—Christian, Andreas, Johannes, and Andreas—and their marriages and families. The records span five generations after Durst Eby’s arrival. The latest records in the Eby Family Bible are the birthdates of Andreas Eby’s children, born between 1819 and 1838; the final record is Susanna Eby’s death in 1842.
Title Page of the Eby Family Bible (1596) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
On the title page of the Eby Family Bible, the German reads, "The Bible, that is: the complete Holy Scripture" as translated by "Doct. Martin Luther." Note that the printer’s marking below the block of text has not completely survived.
Title Page for The Prophets in the Eby Family Bible (1596)LancasterHistory
On this title page for Prophets, found partway through the Bible's text, the printer’s seal is much clearer than on the Bible’s title page. The seal has Mathias Harnisch’s name as well as the phrase “Ditat Servata Fides."
Above the seal, the title reads, “The Prophets, as they were translated into the German by Doctor Martin Luther. Newstatt. Anno MDXCVI.”
Colophon in the Eby Family Bible (1596)LancasterHistory
This colophon, found at the end of the biblical text, reads that the book was printed in the Electoral Palatinate of Newstadt on the Hardt by Mattheus Harnisch in the year 1596. Look closely in the bottom left to see someone’s calculation subtracting 1596 from 1853.
George Eby (1714) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
Family Records in the Eby Family Bible
Included in the Eby Family Bible are handwritten records of family marriages, births, and deaths, helping us to understand the genealogy of the family.
This page was written by Georg Eby in 1714 as an introductory page for the records that follow. There are differing translations of this page. In one translation, the writer put, “These writings record Marriages, Deaths, and Births. The beginning and the end. Oh Lord, to the best new beginning. Georg Eby, Dated 24 January 1714.”
Another translates the page, “Grant, Lord God, that beginning and end, Of all my affairs to my welfare may tend.”
Marriage Record in the Eby Family Bible (1730/1772) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
This page, which follows the end of the books of the Old Testament, reads: "The 26 April in the year 1730 have I Christian Eby been united in marriage with Elisabeth Mayerin. That me and that which is my progeny should praise him, the Lord, wide and far for ever and ever."
The next section, written more faintly, states, "The 26 January in the year 1772 have I Andreas Eby been united in marriage with Barbara Hünstickerin."
Family Records in the Eby Family Bible (1806) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
On the left page, the text reads, “This Bible belongs to [me,] Andreas Eby and I have inherited it from my father Christian Eby, who inherited it from his father Durst Eby who was born in Switzerland and died in Pennsylvania in the year 1727 in his 63rd year, and his son Christian Eby, who died Sept. 15, 1756 in his 52nd year.”
Andreas then outlines the dates of his marriage and his children’s births. Click here to read a transcription of Andreas' children's names and births.
The page on the right records the dates for the family of Johannes Eby, Andreas' son, and his wife Eva Bixler. Click here to read a transcription of the names and dates of Johannes and Eva's children.
Andreas Eby and Susanna Vogt Records in Eby Family Bible (1833) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
Andreas Eby, son of Johannes, and Susanna Vogt were married September 17, 1818.
Their children’s birthdates are as follows:
Daughter Lydia was born September 9, 1819; son Noah was born May 28, 1821; another son Israel was born July 6, 1823; daughter Anna Maria was born September 29, 1824; daughter Susanna was born April 23, 1826; daughter Magdalena was born April 3, 1829; on April 22, 1833 their son Andreas was born.
Eby and Vogt Records in Eby Family Bible (1842) by Photography Credit Larry Lefever PhotographyLancasterHistory
Andreas Eby certifies that he inherited the Bible from his father Johannes, and follows the chain of inheritance back up the family tree to Durst. The records on this page are almost identical to those on the previous page of Andreas’ family, with the addition of their daughter Sarah born August 15 1835, as well as Louisa born December 18, 1838. Andreas died June 20, 1834. Susanna died February 27, 1842.
These are the latest Eby family records in the Bible.
This exhibit was created by Allison Schmitt, in fulfillment of her LancasterHistory NEH Summer Internship Program project, in July 2020. To view the Eby Family Bible in-person during a private viewing, please contact LancasterHistory.
