I inherited this bible from my great aunt LaRue (Lawson) Neff following the death of her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Louise (Lawson) Shaw on January 17 1994. Their brother, Walter David Lawson, or "David" as he was called, was my grandfather. They were the children of Walter Lee Lawson (1/2/1888-2/27/1973) and Beulah Belle Flick (7/26/1890-9/30/197?). Walter L. Lawson, or "Lee" as he was called, was born as one of several children to Samuel Neal Lawson (5/12/1843-4/11/1902) and Sarah Isabelle "Belle" (Bales) Lawson (9/28/1845-3/11/1908) who were the owners of this family bible.

The bible was delivered to me in a box with its front and back covers of heavy cardboard removed and the contents rebound with leather. On the original cover of the bible is inscribed "S.N. & S.B. Lawson", an obvious reference to the owners, Samuel Neal and Sarah Belle or Sarah Bales Lawson. Among the first few pages of the bible are lists of births, marriages, and deaths, with the parents of the family listed as "Neal Lawson" and Sarah I. Lawson".

The book title is "The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments, translated out of the Original Tongues, with Cruden's Complete Concordance, embracing every passage of scripture in the largest editions." (should I have cut that title off somewhere sooner?) ;) It was published in 1882 with the following listed as publishers:

Bradley, Garretson & Co.
Philadelphia, 66 N. Fourth St.
Brantford, Ontario

Wm. Garretson & Co.
Columbus, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.; Nashville, Tenn,; St. Louis, Mo.; San Francisco, Cal.

You will notice in the listing below that I have put a couple words in brackets []. This indicates that someone penciled-in the information in brackets at a later date than that of the original ink writing.

You will also notice in the Marriages section that the wife of Gilbert A. Lawson has an interesting nickname. I assume "Olie" is a nickname for Viola Jenevieve Johnson, since the Eccles-Lesher Memorial Library's transcription of names of people buried in cemeteries in Rimersburg township (http://www.csonline.net/ecclesh/l.html) lists "Gilbert A. Lawson's" wife as "Viola Johnson". In fact, Viola shows up as a separate entry in the same transcription as "Viola J. Lawson".

Not all entries were written by the same hand, although most of it was. I don't know who's hands were involved in the writing.

Lawsonham is a settlement in Clarion County, PA.

The first few pages read as follows:

______
BIRTHS

Neal Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___May 12, 1843.
Sarah I. Lawson___Shelocta, PA___August 28, 1845.
___Children to Neal and Sarah I. Lawson.
Burgess Camden Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Feb. 2, 1864.
Anna Maud Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Sept. 15, 1869.
Mary Edith Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Dec. 24, 1870.
John Thomas Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___July 30, 1872.
Sallie Brown Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___March 27, 1874.
Charles Herbert Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Dec. 27, 1875.
Ursula Norman Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Sept. 19, 1877.
Joseph Harry Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Sept. 3, 1879.
Nellie Gertrude Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___May 21, 1881.
Gilbert Alexander Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___June 12, 1883.
Helen Belle Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___July 12, 1885.
Walter Lee Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Jan. 12, 1888.
James Neal Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___Nov. 6, 1893.

______
DEATHS

Neal Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___April 11, 1902.
Sarah I. Lawson___Lawsonham, PA___March 11, 1908.
___Children of Neal and Sarah I. Lawson.
John Thomas Lawson___Columbus, OH___May 4, 1892.
Ursula Norman Lawson___Rimersburg, PA___Oct. 19, 1914.
Sallie Brown Lawson___Pittsburgh, PA___Dec. 12, 1955.
Charles Herbert Lawson___East Brady, PA___1957 [July 29].
Mary Edith Lawson Hosey___Dayton, OH___Aug. 15, 1960.
Nellie Gertrude Lawson Immler___Canton, OH___July 9, 1972.
Walter Lee Lawson___Vandergrift, PA___Feb. 27, 1973.

_________
MARRIAGES

Mary Edith Lawson to Jerome Bently Hosey___Sept. 23, 1895.
Burgess Camden Lawson to Annie Lucinda Hill___June 22, 1898.
Anna Maud Lawson to John Knox Robb___Oct. 17, 1900.
Helen Belle Lawson to Joseph Marion Somerville___Oct 8, 1908.
Charlie Herbert Lawson to Cora May Hilliard___Nov. 16, 1908.
Gilbert Alexander Lawson to Olie Jenevieve Johnson___June 1, 1910.
Nellie Gertrude Lawson to Joseph Bernard Immler___Sept. 12, 1911.
Walter Lee Lawson to Beulah [Belle] Flick___Sept. 13, 1911.