The Mather Bible: Answers and Questions
Printed in Edinburgh in 1793 by Mark and Charles Kerr, the Mather Bible is a revered item in the Homestead archives. The Kerrs served as His Majesty’s Printers during the late 1780s and 1790s. Other Kerr bibles are in the Concord Museum and the Mary Baker Eddy Library.
As with many family bibles, the Mather Bible holds a record of births, marriages, and deaths.
The Mather Bible includes vital records for Moses Mather, his wives, and their children, as well as the vital records for Deacon Mather, Sarah Scott, and their children.
Although the Bible was not published until 1793, records begin with Moses Mather’s birth in 1715. The final birth is that of Phebe Mather
in 1798. Interestingly, the one birth recorded twice is that of Deacon Mather on July 21, 1753. He is listed as one of Moses’ children and
then again prior to the listing of his own wife and children.
The dates given for the Deacon’s children all match independent documents. However, for Moses and his immediate family there are a number of minor discrepancies. This may be because they were transcribed from older documents, because in 1752 the British Empire and American colonies shifted from Julian to Gregorian calendars, or simply because of listing errors. [E.g. Most sources would indicate that Moses’ first daughter Hannah was born January 6, 1749 and died the following day; the Bible puts the latter date at June 7, 1749.]
At the back of the bible, a biblical dictionary ends with the letter “U.” Subsequent pages are missing. Instead, a small four-page tract, “Temperance and the Children” has been glued in. The tract was published by the National Temperance Society—an organization not founded until 1865. Who added the tract—and why—is unanswered.
Finally, it was assumed that the signature on the flyleaf of the bible was the Deacon’s. How-ever, it does not match the birth entries. Based on a deed signed by the Deacon, it appears that he made those entries. Whose is the cover signature? The Deacon’s son? Grandson?
