~Our Sacred Heritage~

"There was no doubt then, and there is no doubt now,
that the Bible originally belonged to Benjamin and
Mary Hoodenpyl Marbury."

~This is the ORIGINAL Bible~

To View Bible Pages,
Click Each Page Separately

 Searching Out This Wondrous Heirloom

In 1982, I set out to find Marbury relatives who I hoped could enlighten me
in regard to my heritage.  The road led to Arkadelphia, Clark County
Arkansas, the place of my birth.  I called a cousin, Juanita White, and
told her I was searching for a large Marbury book I had seen  as a young
adult when my mother and I visited in the home of cousin Nell Marbury, and
that I remembered thumbing through the huge book and its pages.  Nell had
told us that it contained Marbury names that had been recorded for over
400 years.  In my memory, I can still see the book and would recognize it
  immediately if the opportunity should present itself.

 Juanita couldn't recall having seen the large book and Lady Luck has
not been kind, for I've searched in vain for it these eighteen years.
 But, something marvelous did come out of our phone conversation.
She told me of the existence of a Marbury Family Bible and
provided names to contact.  I tracked down James Harold 'Jimmy'
Marbury in Texas who had borrowed the Bible from his oldest brother.
 Jimmy recited names and dates from the Bible Registry and my heart
almost stopped beating!  I couldn't grasp the meaning of such a find and
told him I wished I could see it.  He immediately extended an invitation.  

Simple words are not adequate to express my feelings when I held the
Bible for the first time and viewed the Family Registry.  The pages were
loose but most every entry still readable.
 There was no doubt then, and there is no doubt now, that the Bible
originally belonged to Benjamin and Mary Hoodenpyl Marbury.
 And, I still can scarcely believe that this sacred book
still exists among our kin.

 Jimmy had copies of the family pages waiting when I arrived and my
daughter, Tammy, took excellent photos of the original pages.
 I've shared these copies with cousins and researchers all over
the country and am now putting pictures of the original pages on the
Internet for those who long to know their heritage.  I do hope that 
 all of you reading this, and those to come later, will appreciate the
  worth of these pages.  We are a fortunate family, indeed, to have
this wondrous heirloom among us that connects us to our ancestors.

Bible Presentation Page

Col. Phillip Gave The Bible To His Nephew!

The Bible has been in the family and descendants of John P. & Minerva Ann
Wicker Marbury since 1890 when it was given by Phillip Hoodenpyle Marbury,
son of Benjamin & Mary, to his nephew John P. (Jr.), son of John P. & Minerva.
 It has been passed down each generation to the oldest son.  I think the key
words in the presentation note are "the old family bible." This seem to imply
that the Bible did not originate with Phillip, but was from an earlier time
period.  Who else but his parents, Benjamin and Mary?  

We'll always ponder where and how Phillip obtained the Bible?  Was it
before or after Mary died in 1873?  Human curiosity makes us wonder!

Phillip Hoodenpyl Marbury

  "Phillip H. Marbury, planter, was born in Buncombe County, N. C. April 24, 1810.
 He is the son of Benjamin and Mary (Hoodenpyl) Marbury, of English and Dutch
descent respectively.  The father was born in North Carolina in 1784 and died of
smallpox in Arkansas in 1836; (Date in error - 1838) the mother was born in
Warm Springs, N. C., in 1795, died in Arkansas about 1840.
(Death date in error - 1873)  They were married in Grenville, Tenn., about 1808.  
The father, a successful farmer, and Democrat was a personal friend of
Andrew Jackson.  Both parents were Baptists."
                                                              ~Goodspeed History of Warren Co. TN, p. 903

Open View of the Marbury Family Bible

1815 - The Chronology Date Page

John P. Marbury (Jr.), Bible Recipient

John P. Marbury (Jr.),  was the third son of John P., Sr. & Minerva Ann
Wicker Marbury, and was a brother of my grandmother, Martha Jane.  He was
born 6 Sep 1858 in Hempstead Co. AR and died 31 Mar 1927 Clark Co. AR,
buried Shiloh Cemetery.  He married Alice Hill 17 Oct 1880 in Clark Co.  They
had 4 children: Thomas Holden b 13 Jun 1887, Clyde, Louella, & Mary Marbury.
 Thomas Holden Marbury married Mattie Estes 5 Aug 1911 Clark Co. AR.   Being
the oldest son, Thomas Holden was the Bible recipient and passed it on to his oldest son.

When I found the Bible in 1982, I knew I had to share it with my 'cousins'
and immediately wrote Esther Clem Greene, another dedicated Marbury
researcher, and sent copies.  She sent them to the Arkansas Family
Historian, a genealogy magazine, where they were first published.
 And now we have this fascinating world called the Internet, which has
opened 'a world of doors' to reach those we couldn't have found
any other way.  
I trust each of you will enjoy seeing this sacred heritage!

Many thanks to James Harold "Jimmy" Marbury, and to all of those
wonderful Marbury's who have preserved the Bible and passed it on.

This site created and maintained by Aletha Summerhill Rogers.   Any published
or commercial  use of the information on this site is strictly prohibited without prior permission.

You are visitor to this site since January 27, 1999

Midi Music: "Amazing Grace"
Written 1779 by: John Newton
(James...this one's for you. Thanks!)