The Guy Family Bible
- Page 1 of 8
NO. 19780406-1
Sometimes I wonder whether or not my Great-grandmother MARGARET ELIZABETH (AYRES) GUY was aware of just how much value her efforts were to be to me and to the later generations of her family. She began the Bible entries and they were carried on for other generations after her death. This work is humbly dedicated to her for her foresight and thoroughness.
Now, since the ink is fading, I am copying every note to further preserve these records for her and my descendants. These descendants are massive in number since Margaret had seventeen children, but her husband fathered thirty children by his three wives. (Yes! You read it right - thirty children!)
The Bible is in poor condition. The cover and the first few pages, including the publishing date, are missing. A section titled Religious Denominations refers to 1873 and so we know that the entries were started after that date. Margaret's first entries were made all at once and one can detect where she stopped that first time. After the entry of the birth of RUBIE E. GUY, the ink value and the slight change of the handwriting and format may lead us to believe that the Bible was given to Margaret about 1878, the year of Rubie's birth. That would make the Bible about one hundred years old.
Various other people have made entries. It looks like a child
entered the birth of SUSIE E. GUY, but more on that later. This writer,
WILLIAM A. CORE, entered the two missing names of EUNICE V. GUY and UNICE
VEDA GUY. Their birthdates were copied from their tombstones at the GUY
Burial Ground near Melfa, Va.
April 6, 1978 William A. Core
6564 W. 80th Place Los Angeles, California 90045
Page 2 of 8
Note: This is the only record of this marriage that we have been able to find. We cannot determine the name of the church where it occurred, but it is said they were married at "the marrying tree".
The spelling of "Twelth" is Margaret's spelling. This is really the only error we could find. Her handwriting is clear and quite beautifully executed.
Page 3 of 8
JOHN W. GUY was born April 6, 1833.
MARY A. GUY his first wife ---
MARGARET E. GUY his second wife Octo. 18, 1849.
LOUIS F. GUY was born October 5, 1856.
GEORGE W. GUY was born Sept. 15, 1858.
REBECCA S. GUY was born October 22, 1860.
JOHN R. GUY was born May 17, 1862.
MARY A. GUY was born -----
NATHANIEL GUY was born -----
WM. H. GUY was born Dec. 25, 1865.
MARY ANN GUY was born March 26, 1867.
EDWARD T. GUY was born August 20, 1869.
OTHER S. GUY was born Jan. 12, 1871.
MATTIE F. GUY was born January 17, 1872.
MARGARET S. GUY was born Feb. 12, 1873.
CHARLES J. GUY was born May 7th, 1875.
OLEVIA J. GUY was born August 2, 1876.
RUBIE E. GUY was born January 20, 1878.
ERNEST C. GUY - Sept. 30, 1879.
ERNEST CHAPLIN GUY - Aug. 10, 1880.
WALTER B. GUY - Feb. 15, 1882.
LENARD F. GUY - Aug. 4, 1883.
BESSIE P. GUY - Mar. 31, 1885.
UPSHER C. GUY - Oct. 14, 1886.
EMMA C. GUY, Nov. 14, 1888
(End of first page)
Page 4 of 8
BIRTHS (continued)
JAMES H. GUY, Nov. 29, 1889.
HAROLD B. GUY, Oct. 15, 1893.
CLARANCE LYNN GUY, Aug. 27, 1898.
SUSIE E. GUY, Feb. 19, 1911. (NOTE: Actually 1912.)
PERCY E. GUY, March 10, 1903.
LELA F. GUY, Mar. 1, 1891.
EUNICE V. GUY, 14 Feb. 1901.
UNICE VEDA GUY, 27 June 1909.
NOTE: As you can see, the last five names were not entered in proper order, but we're thankful they were entered! The above represents the children of JOHN W. GUY and his three wives. The first two entered are, of course John himself and his first wife. The third is Margaret, his second wife. Margaret entered all three of these names and underlined the words "first" and "second".
MANIE B. and ANNA M., Daughters of BUREN CROCKETT were born Jan.
10, 1919.
EWELL T. STEVENS, April 20, 1896, son of OLIVIA and TOM STEVENS.
ALICE STEVENS, Aug. 29th, 1897 - died July 11, 1898.
HELEN BEATRICE STEVENS, born July 13, 1900.
Children
[ JAMES MACK AUSTIN - Oct. 4, 1920.
of Helen B. -- [ HELEN ANNETTE AUSTIN - Feb. 11,
1922.
& James S. [ MARION JANE
AUSTIN - May 5, 1923.
Austin
AMY DIANE AUSTIN born Sept. 21, 1944 daughter of FAY & MACK AUSTIN.
EULA G. CROCKETT, Daughter of WILLIAM H. and MATTIE F. CROCKETT his wife, born May 3, 1906
THIS ENDS THE BIRTH ENTRIES IN THE GUY FAMILY BIBLE.
Page 5 of 8
LOUIS GUY & Miss MARY S. POWELL - Feb. 33, 1877.
GEORGE W. GUY and CARRIE HARGIS - Nov. 24, 1880.
PETER EAST and REBECCA S. GUY - Dec. 5, 1881.
WM. H. GUY & JULIA A. GUARDNER - Jan. 23d, 1889.
CHARLIE J. GUY and ANNIE M. MOZINGO - March 6, 1911.
OLEVIA J. GUY & THOMAS L. STEVENS - Jan. 6, 1895.
FRANK F. BEASLEY - EMMA C. GUY - June 28, 1905.
UPSHUR C. GUY - 1904 - CORA Z. CROCKETT.
WILLIAM CORE - LELA F. GUY.
BESSIE P. GUY - WILFRED LEWIS.
WALTER B. GUY - MAGGIE PHILLIPS.
RUBIE E. GUY - GEORGE THOMAS CORE - Dec. 12, 1900.
HELEN B. STEVENS & JAMES STERLING AUSTIN - Feb. 19, 1918.
JAMES M. AUSTIN & FAY NEAL - Oct. 10, 1942.
HELEN A. AUSTIN and OTIS HURST married Feb. 26, 1919.
THIS ENDS THE MARRIAGE ENTRIES IN THE GUY FAMILY BIBLE.
Page 6 of 8
ERNEST C. GUY - Oct. 11, 1879.
JAMES H. GUY - Nov. 24, 1890.
MARGARET E. GUY - April 29, 1895.
BESSIE P. GUY died Aug. 5, 1918.
PERCY E. GUY died Oct. 13, 1918.
JOHN W. GUY - Dec. 23, 1911.
THIS ENDS THE DEATH ENTRIES IN THE GUY FAMILY BIBLE.
While thumbing through the pages of the Bible, I found other interesting items which help us to better understand the people who owned it.
Within the family section was a newspaper clipping which eulogizes ADDIE NORTHAM, "who died December 9th, (aged) 12 years." The article is authored "By her parents Mr. and Mrs. THOS. NORTHAM." No year is indicated.
There were several remnants of crushed blossoms and flower stems, several pieces of ribbon and three hair clippings. On page 271 is a small clump of soft brown hair. On page 301 were found two tufts. One is another soft brown of a different texture than the earlier-mentioned brown hair. It is tied with a laced white ribbon. The second on this page is a tuft of yellow-golden hair, tied with a pale green bow.
Within the family pages, there was also found a small brown envelope bearing a 1 1/2 cents stamp (Martha Washington stamp) and addressed to "Mrs. R. L. EVANS, Onancock, Va., R.F.D. #1, Box 61." The return address reads "Marshall's Studio, Pocomoke, Md." It is, of course , cancelled "Pocomoke City, Maryland." Inside the envelope is a completely faded "proof" of a photograph. It is impossible to determine what the subject of the photo was.
Another item of great interest is a MEMORIAL RECORD within pages
430 and 431 of the Bible. It is from the death of my paternal grandmother
RUBIE E. (GUY) CORE. It reads as follows on the next page:
Page 7 of 8
At the service; held in Wachapreague Methodist Church on June
6th, 1943, at 5 o'clock (p.m.); two hymns were sung by the choir which
was assisted by MRS. JOHN TOM MAPP and MRS. JOHN TURLINGTON. Pall Bearers
were:
JOHNNIE GUY
DEWEY GUY
ADOLPH GUY
CARROL GUY
MILTON BEASLEY
REGIONALD EVANS
Interment was at Mt. Holly in Onancock on June 6th, 1943. On a page for Floral Offerings are listed the following names:
Mrs. LELIA CORE
Mr. & Mrs. RANDOLPH TYNDALL Mr. &
Mrs. JAMES EVANS
Mr. & Mrs. FRANK BEASLEY
Mrs. OLEVIA STEVENS WATKINSON Mr. & Mrs.
RAY (or ROY) BEASLEY Mr. & Mrs. FRANK BEASLEY Jr. Mr. & Mrs. REGIONAL
WALLACE Mrs. LOTTIE GUY
Mr. & Mrs. JOHNNIE GUY
MILTON BEASLEY
Coast Guard League, Mechanical Engineers, Sunday
School Class, and Several Organizations.
END OF MEMORIAL RECORD.
Page 8 of 8
On page 649 of the GUY Bible, someone has written the following:
"SUSIE E. GUY was born 1911"
This looks like the handwriting of a child and is in the same
handwriting that entered Susie's birth among the other births in the family
section of the Bible. I suspect both were written by Aunt SUSIE (GUY) SWAIN
herself when she may have noticed it was missing. In all probability, little
Susie was looking through the Bible, long after her father's death (he
died before she was born) and noticed her birthday was not recorded. Knowing
she was born about the time of her father's death, she probably assumed
she was born the same year as his death - 1911. Thus, the error in her
birth year among the birth records in the Bible. She was actually born
in 1912, three months after JOHN W. GUY died. It didn't end there. An analysis
of the entry for JOHN W. GUY's death indicates Susie may have written this,
too.
It is amazing how much one can find in an old family Bible. Those
of us who have been lucky enough one owe it to the rest of the family to
share all they find. So, I hope this small donation to the family history
will be of some value to the rest of the family now and in the future.
.......................................................................
END OF DOCUMENT
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