The following information is contained in the Family Register between the Old and New Testaments, in an inscription on the page opposite the inside front cover, and on a loose sheet of paper inside this Bible. This Bible is a German language edition published in 1830 in Philadelphia. All handwritten inscriptions in this Bible are in English.
I started with the Bible owners Henry V. R. Hoch and Rebecca Van Reed, discussing their marriage and ancestry. An enclosed sheet of paper gives Rebecca's siblings. Next comes their children. Then I discuss the death of Henry and the remarriage of Rebecca to Samuel Hauck. Finally I suggest a likely ownership history for this Bible up to Ida H. Bell.
I did not try to duplicate the spelling variations or misspellings which I found, but corrected or normalized them in my transcriptions. I am including scans of all the relevant information. Transcriptions are placed in quotation marks.
The following is given in the first column of the Marriage (Trauungen) section of the Family Register.
"The following is to show that on the 22nd day of February Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven Henry V. R. Hoch of Oley Township in the County of Berks Pa. and Rebecca Van Reed of Amity Township County aforesaid were legally joined in matrimony according to law and the Custom of the Church of God by the Rev. Mr. Herman minister of the Gospel & Pastor of the German Reformed Church of Amity (or so called New-Store)."
There are 2 Geburten (Birth) pages in the Family Register. The left Birth page contains birth information for Henry V. R. Hoch and Rebecca Van Reed. This page also contains birth, marriage, and death information on each of their parents, as well as the names of their maternal grandparents. Note that the asterisks are in this Bible, they are not my comments.
"Henry V. R. Hoch
Son of Samuel & Elizabeth Hoch was born on the tenth day of November Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and nine."
"Samuel Hoch
Father of the above named Henry V. R. Hoch was born October the 10th AD 1784. Married Dec. 11th AD 1808. Died March 31st AD 1844. Aged 59 years 5 month and 11 days."
"Elizabeth Hoch*
Mother of the above named Henry V. R. Hoch was born October 21st Anno Domini 1789. Married as above. Died Feb. 13 Anno Domini 1847. Aged 57 years 3 month and 23 days.
*Daughter of Jacob & Ann Elizabeth Van Reed."
"Rebecca Van Reed
Daughter of Jacob & Ann Elizabeth Van Reed was born on the thirty first day of January Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and eight."
"Jacob Van Reed
Father of the above named Rebecca Van Reed was born March 15th AD 1756. Married. Died January 11th AD 1839. Aged 82 years 9 month and 27 days."
The following list of Jacob Van Reed's 13 children is on a loose sheet of paper included inside this Bible. The birthdays of Elizabeth and Rebecca agree with those listed in this Bible. I included the numbers in the list, they are not in the original.
"Copy of The Records of Jacob Van Reed's family"
The right Birth page of the Family Register gives the dates of birth of the 4 children of Henry V. R. Hoch and Rebecca Van Reed. Note that Hannah's birthday is listed as September 31, 1841.
"Maybury V. R. Hoch
Son of Henry V. R. & Rebecca Hoch was born on the sixth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven (i.e.) May the 6th AD 1837."
"Wiloughby V. R. Hoch
Son of Henry V. R. & Rebecca Hoch was born on the fourteenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight (i.e.) October the 14th 1838."
"Hannah V. R. Hoch
Daughter of Henry V. R. & Rebecca Hoch was born September the thirty first in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one (i.e.) Sep. 31st AD 1841."
"Ann Elizabeth V. R. Hoch
Daughter of Henry V. R. & Rebecca Hoch was born on the tenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty three (i.e.) Aug. 10th AD 1843."
The Sterbefalle (Death) Register gives the date of death of Henry V. R. Hoch:
"Henry V. R. Hoch Died on the twelfth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty seven. Aged 37 years 4 Mo. and 2 days."
The second column of the Trauungen (Marriage) Register gives the date of Rebecca Hoch's remarriage to Samuel Hauck, and gives Samuel's date and place of birth:
"Samuel Hauck and Rebecca Hoch - born Van Reed and widow of Henry V. R. Hoch - were married on the 13th of June A.D. 1849."
"Samuel Hauck was born in Earl Township on March the 4th A.D. 1808."
Ida H. Bell of Reading, Berks County, PA, granddaughter of Henry V. R. Hoch and Rebecca Van Reed
On the page opposite the inside front cover of this Bible is the inscription: "This is the property of Mrs. Ida H. Bell 704 N. 10th St. Reading". Ida H. Bell appears at this address in the 1920 census, a widow age 48 residing with children Edward and Mildred, and a boarder. This gives her a birthday of about 1872 and suggests a maiden name of Hoch or High.
The 1880 census of Oley Township shows Ida Hoch age 8, daughter of Wilabuy Hoch age 40 and Kate Hoch, along with the adjacent entry for Samuel and Rebecka Hauck both age 72. Wilabuy corresponds to Wiloughby Hoch from the Family Register of this Bible, born Oct 14, 1838. Both Samuel and Rebecca have 1808 birthdays in the Family Register. Therefore Ida is a granddaughter of the Bible's original owners Henry V. R. Hoch and Rebecca Van Reed.
The Berks County Register of Wills searchable index shows that James R. Bell married Ida D. High on 01/01/1898, meaning it could have been anytime during that year.
The 1900 census shows James and Ida D. Bell with infant son Edward living at 1014 Oley street, not far from Ida's 1920 residence. The 1910 census shows James R. and Ida Bell at 621 N. 10th Street with children Edward, Mildred, and Spencer. The Berks County Register of Wills searchable index shows that James R. Bell died in 1914.
The fact that Ida first appears at the address on the Bible inscription (704 N. 10th St. Reading) in the 1920 census suggests that Ida inherited this Bible and wrote this inscription sometime after 1910.
Submitted by Richard.
Last Modified
