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The bible contains three pages of family records. The earliest entries are written in a graying antique script, presumably inscribed by Nancy herself. The first entry is found under the marriage heading and shows the names John McWilliams and Nancy Stitt followed by the entry, “Married Dec. 23, 1802.” On the following page the birth dates of Mr. and Mrs. McWilliams are listed, along with those of their eleven children. The final page records the dates of death for the parents and all the children, ranging from 1806 to 1917. The handwriting on this page predictably changes from the earlier pages, as Nancy McWilliams died on March 25th, 1870 at the age of 86. This unknown author also notes, “Parents and Children all born in the Town of Wallkill, Orange Co., N.Y.” Returning now to the first page of family records, we find the marriage dates of the children written in blue ink. These additional notations are signed and initialed by C. A. Comfort and dated 1942. This is surely Charles Alex Comfort, a longtime resident of Scotchtown and something of a historian himself. Mr. Comfort also adds that John McWilliams and Sarah Haffy “Came to America from Scotland. Purchased farm Scotchtown N.Y. 1785.” He is referring to Nancy’s mother-in-law and father-in-law, who were laid to rest in the old burial ground of the Scotchtown Presbyterian Church more than 200 years ago. John and Nancy were also buried there some years later, as were many of their children. The
bible was donated to the Scotchtown Presbyterian
Church in December of 2005, but you can still view
some scanned bible
pages
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This
bible was acquired in June of 2005 by online auction
for $15. The well preserved leather-clad tome was
apparently a gift from 
on this site [large file,
requires