Do you ever happen across a newspaper article about an interesting newspaper article about one of your surnames that doesn’t connect to your research? That’s what I encountered while researching the Crawford family in McCurtain county, Oklahoma.
In The McCurtain Democrat on Newspapers.com, I stumbled upon an article abou the Bible that governor elect Henry S. Johnston used when sworn in. This article gives the ‘provenance’ of the Bible.
Johnston WIll Take Oath on Famous Bible
Lawton, Dec. 4 — Upon the first Bible said to have been brought into the Panhandle country and from which General Sam Houston and Amos Chapman, famous Indian scout read to pioneer children, governor-elect Henry S. Johnston will take the oath of office as governor of Oklahoma next month.
The Bible is now the property of Alex Crawford, retired Oklahoma ranchman now living in Mineral Wells, Texas.
Alex Crawford is the father of Lewis Crawford, Lawton resident, who recited the history of the Bible and told of Johnston’s request to use it at the inauguration.
He said the Bible was purchased in 1841 by J.C. Neal, grandfather, at an auction sale in Virginia. The price paid for the Book was fifty cents.
In turn, the Neals migrated to Mississippi, taking the Bible with them; later moved to San Antono by oxen team, and in 1880 a daughter, Martha Neal, married Alex Crawford and the Book, was presented to the young couple. The Crawfords then moved into the Panhandle country and it was said the family Bible was one of the first to be taken into that particular part of Texas. Later the Crawfords reached in southwestern Oklahoma to again return to Texas.
According to the younger Crawford, it is planned to present the Bible to the historical society following the inauguration.
The McCurtain Democrat, 9 Dec 1926, page 1 available on Newspapers.com
