Big Fat Duct-Taped Bible: Now an Orphan Heirloom Adventure

August 8th, 2023
By Vicki Entreken

Remember the ancient duct-taped Bible I found? I went back and got it!

Get the backstory of my current orphan heirloom project: the Rogers Family (of Cheoah, NC) Bible here: Found: Big Fat Duct-Taped Family Bible

Phillip Paige at Depot Village in the Frog Level area of Waynesville, NC was happy to lower the price of the Bible for me from $35 to $10 once he heard my story. He found an old curtain in the back to wrap it in and I walked out with the orphan heirloom and some hope.

My next stop was Panacea Coffee Company.

This is where I ordered my usual black coffee and found a table with good lighting.

I unwrapped the heavy 9 ^_1/2 x 12 ^_1/2 three-inch-wide Bible and proceeded to take as many photos as I could with my cell. I was at a disadvantage. Being on a writing retreat, I deliberately left all of my digitizing equipment at home. My cell phone was all I had. I made a note to invest in a portable scanner. Then I went through every single page of that family Bible taking photos of identifying pages like the book cover, child-like scribbles on the inside cover, and the title page.

I found personal affects like a Sears order slip with the mother’s name Lucrecie handwritten on the back:

Jim Rogers’ hunting license from 1938:

And a small partial envelope with Miss Della Rogers’ name and address. All bookmarks perhaps? Because Miss Della Rogers was the last child born into the family, I believe this Bible was shared among the three of them, with each of their named items marking different pages. I can imagine young Della sitting on the floor with the book open in her lap, her lips whispering at the direction of her fingertips moving across the page. Her mother knits nearby and her father brings in firewood.

My favorite item found within the pages, perfectly cut from an old magazine, was a stork that appeared like relief on the page.

I left all of these items inside the Bible exactly where I found them in case there is any significance to the pages as markers.

While in the coffeehouse, turning all the pages and taking tons of photographs, a gentleman who worked there stopped by my table. “That’s quite an old book you got there.” I told him about the orphan heirloom and that I planned to return it to the family. He smiled and wished me good luck.

My next step was to take this Bible back to the family, the granddaughter, as previously arranged. But when Friday came around and I called to confirm that she would be ready for me to stop by, things changed.

A man answered the phone. I attempted to explain why I was calling and he reluctantly handed the phone to her, which I was glad. However in the background, I heard him tell her, “It’s probably a scam.”

I had worried about this on my first call only days before, but she seemed interested. I don’t blame them one bit for considering that I could be scamming them. I don’t answer my cell phone anymore unless I know the caller because scam calls have taken over. If you want to talk to me, please leave a message.

When I spoke to her again on Friday, it seemed that she either forgot about our arrangement or she was now skeptical. It’s fair. Would you trust some stranger to come by your house because they said they have some old family Bible that you possibly had never seen? No. I wouldn’t want you to. I told her that if she wasn’t sure it could be her family’s Bible, then I wouldn’t bring it by. I want this heirloom to go to a family member who wants it. From this phone call, I wasn’t sure yet if this granddaughter was the one, and I wasn’t going to leave it on someone’s doorstep.

This stop was planned to happen conveniently on my way home from Waynesville. Now it wasn’t happening and I was disappointed. In the meantime, I needed to pack up my retreat and check out. She lives only 28 miles away from my home. Close enough. It’s not a lost effort, not yet. But my simple return of this orphan heirloom has now turned into an adventure.

Next step? Write her a letter that she can hold in her own hands and that provides the information she needs. Besides, who doesn’t like receiving letters in the mail?

With this letter, and the address to this blog, she and the gentleman that answered the phone will be able to look at the pictures of the bible, and make an educated decision as to whether she still wants to see it. I certainly hope she does.

Check out the next episode: Orphaned Ancient Family Bible: No Response. What next?

Thank you for reading. 
I appreciate you.
~ Vicki