In the past we’ve talked about family records that had been taken out of the Bibles where they were written down, making it difficult to tell when the records were begun.

Let’s look at a portion of the Hart-Roberts family record of Dexter, which is intact in the Bible. The only marriage listed is for the presumed original owners of the Bible:

Alfred Hart, born May 23, 1841, Trowbridge, Eng. Olive A. Nason, born Jan. 7, 1841, Sangerville, Me. Married April 30th 1859 in Corinth, Me., by Rev. Mr. Mariner.

This is written in the oldest handwriting in the document, as is the list of their children: Hattie A. Hart, born May 10, 1860. Sarah E. Hart, born Feb. 27, 1862. Infant Son, born Nov. 27, 1863. Henry D. Hart, born Jan. 15, 1965. Edie May Hart, born Sept. 8, 1866. Alfred S. Hart, born Oct. 8, 1868. William P. Hart, born Oct. 16, 1870. Bertha G. Hart, born Aug. 14, 1874 – all children born in Dexter.

The question is, are these records “contemporary?” Were they recorded as they happened, one at a time? It appears that most of them were not.

The first clue – and the reason that genealogists are so keen on finding records with an intact Bible, is the title page, which tells us the volume was printed in 1871. So, the events that took place before that year could not have been recorded as they happened.

The marriage and the births of seven children appear to have been recorded all at once, in the same black ink. Thus, they were not contemporary.

The birth of the eighth child, Bertha, was written in a reddish ink. She’s the only child born after the publication date, so I’ll guess that the record was started in the early 1870s.

Hattie’s own family is not listed. Most of the rest of the record was in the handwriting of my grandmother, Edith Roberts Steeves – a granddaughter to Hattie Hart, who married William Otis Roberts.

It includes the family of Hattie’s oldest child, Stanley W. Roberts; the families of two of his children, Herbert Roberts and Edith Roberts Steeves; and the family of Edith’s child, Joyce Steeves Moore – my mother.

The only other family listed is that of one of Hattie’s other children, Ida Roberts Garbarino, and I’m guessing that it’s in Ida’s handwriting.

The latest birth in the record was written by my grandmother in 1960; the latest death in 1967. It appears that she recorded more than 80 years of vital records at one time.

Alfred Hart, who served in the Civil War, and wife Olive are buried in Elmwood Cemetery on Liberty Street in Dexter. He died Jan. 27, 1890, and she died Sept. 1, 1875. Four of the children died young.

The Bible is owned by the Dexter Historical Society.

Gee whiz, we had a grand time at Abbot’s centeseptquinary – its 175th anniversary. The Abbot Historical Society did a fabulous job organizing the July 27-28 event, and members of Abbot Evangelical Free Church were among the organizations that offered a lot of assistance during the day. The Big Pine Riders Snowmobile Club can barbecue chicken for me any day.

The Roberts Family Reunion, for descendants of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Webb) Roberts, will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 18 at the Grange Hall in South Sangerville. Bring place settings, plus casserole, salad or dessert for the 12:30 p.m. potluck lunch. Updates needed on family genealogy – bring them or send to Ruby McTague, RR3 Box 520, Holden, ME 04429. This reunion includes the William Otis Roberts branch.

The Harriman Family Reunion will be held 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sept. 14, at the historical museum at Windsor Fairgrounds. Activities include a guided tour. Bring a lunch or use local restaurants. The Harriman Family Association is collecting photographs of Harriman gravestones, especially those from before 1900. The Web site for HFA is http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~harrimanfamassoc.

The Shorey Family Reunion will be held Aug. 11 at the Ammadamast Grange Hall, Route 188, Enfield. A bean-hole bean lunch will be served at noon. Bring a covered dish, salad or dessert, and genealogical information on your family.

Descendants of Edwin H. and Mary A. Lumbert will hold a reunion at 11 a.m. Aug. 10 at the Guilford Masonic Hall on Hudson Avenue, Guilford. For information, call 285-3546.

Laurel Gabel of Cape Cod will give a slide presentation, “Understanding New England Gravestones and the Stories They Tell,” at 3 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Wilson Museum in Castine. Gabel is a researcher, author and AGS Forbes Award winner in gravestone studies. The Wilson Museum is open 2-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

3194. POMEROY-REED. Seeking info on John Pomeroy and wife Lizzie (Reed) Pomeroy. They had daughter, Theodora Pomeroy, b. April 1894, Wilton. Her marriage record listed John as from Trenton, Lizzie from Wisconsin. Char Paul, 45 Riverside Drive, Big Cove, New Brunswick, Canada E4W 2Y6; or e-mail geni@nbnet.nb.ca.

Send queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; e-mail familyti@bangordailynews.net.