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Offered is an original1857 American Bible Society Holy Biblewith an unusually well-documented handwritten presentation fromMason, Michigan, dated August 24, 1863.
The Bible was presented byRev. Oscar F. Chase, a Methodist Episcopal minister serving at Mason, to a youngOscar C. Dubois, whom Chase identifies in the inscription as:
“my Namesake”
A second handwritten dedication from Chase to Oscar asks that when the child is old enough to understand the gift, he remember the person who prayed for his protection and guidance.
The dedication closes with the particularly poignant hope:
“that we may both meet in Heaven”
Historical research provides remarkable context for the inscription.
Rev. Oscar F. Chase is documented in the 1864 Minutes of the Michigan Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. After serving at Mason, Chase received an appointment to St. Johns in 1863.
He never reached his new appointment.
Chase became ill with lung fever and died onOctober 17, 1863, at age 38.
This Bible was presented onAugust 24, 1863 — only 54 days before Chase\'s death.
The recipient can also be traced historically.
Contemporary records identifyOscar C. Dubois as the son of Jacob and Sophia Dubois. A history of Methodism in Mason identifies Jacob Dubois among the trustees associated with the early Methodist Episcopal church there.
A Mason-area newspaper later recorded the death of Oscar C. Dubois in1876 at only 13 years of age, consistent with Oscar having been an infant or very young child when Chase presented this Bible to his namesake in 1863.
The wording of Chase\'s dedication — hoping that someday Oscar would understand the remembrance and that the two would ultimately “meet in Heaven” — therefore has an unusual historical context.
Bible
The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments
American Bible Society
New York
1857
Printed contents page identifies the issue as the13th Edition.
Original decorative blind-stamped leather binding.
Condition
This is an approximately 169-year-old Bible and shows substantial age and use.
The leather binding has wear, rubbing, deterioration and losses, particularly along the spine and edges. Interior pages show expected age toning, spotting, staining and wear. The handwritten presentation and dedication pages remain clearly visible.
Please examine all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
No cleaning or restoration has been attempted.
Provenance
The historical identification is supported by surviving Michigan Methodist, Mason-area and contemporary newspaper records.
A provenance/research summary documenting the historical connections accompanies the Bible.
This is being offered primarily as adocumented Civil War-era Michigan presentation Bible and piece of early Mason Methodist history, rather than simply as an antique Bible.
The combination of an exact date and location, identified minister and recipient, personal “namesake” presentation, surviving religious dedication and independently traceable historical participants makes this an unusual surviving artifact.
August 24, 1863 — Mason, Michigan
Also found preserved inside the Bible is a period newspaper memorial for Rev. Gilbert De La Matyr (1825–1892), Methodist Episcopal minister, labor advocate and former U.S. Congressman from Indiana. The clipping appears to have been retained with the Bible for many years. No direct connection between De La Matyr and the original Chase/Dubois presentation has yet been established.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or requests for additional photographs.
