A Piece of Local History Finds Its Way Home

The story of a 19th-century Pictorial Family Bible, a local church, and an unexpected return

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Every once in a while, an item donated to the ReStore turns out to have a story that reaches much further than our own doors.

That happened when an old Pictorial Family Bible was donated to the ReStore.

At first, we didn't know much about the Bible or where it had come from. Its elaborate illustrations and large format immediately set it apart from an ordinary Bible, but the story behind it wasn't immediately clear. We began looking into the book and searching for clues that might help us determine where it belonged.

Dated 10 July, 1884

The Bible itself is part of a tradition of elaborately illustrated family Bibles that became popular during the 19th century. These large volumes were more than religious texts. Many included hundreds of illustrations, maps, biblical references, historical information and dedicated pages where families could record births, marriages and deaths. Contemporary advertisements for Pictorial Family Bibles even promoted them as substantial family reference books, rather than simply Bibles for Sunday worship.

But this particular Bible had a more local story.

Through our research, we eventually discovered its connection to a nearby church with more than 150 years of history in our community.

The Bible had once been kept on display at the church, preserved as part of its history. Somehow, it had made its way out of the church and was unintentionally included in a donation to the ReStore. For a time, we weren't sure where the Bible belonged. Once we were able to identify the church, we reached out and began the process of returning it.

Returning a piece of the past

"We are very grateful to have our Bible return home" - Pastor Aaron | Church on Main

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the church ourselves. Walking through the historic church and hearing more about its history gave us a better understanding of why the Bible mattered. What had initially arrived at the ReStore as an unidentified antique was, in fact, a small piece of the church's own story.

The church was grateful to have the Bible returned, and we were grateful to be able to help reconnect it with the place where it had been kept and remembered.

It's easy to think of the items that come through a ReStore simply as things that have been donated, purchased, reused or repurposed. But sometimes, an item arrives carrying a history of its own.

A Bible published in 1884 passed through generations of use before finding its way into a church display case — and, eventually, into a ReStore donation. But its story wasn't over yet.

This time, that chapter was about finding its way home.

We're thankful we had the opportunity to help return this piece of local history to the church where it belonged.