|
Hist.
Mss. 1-873
Jacob
Nold, 1765-1834
Research on 1712 German Bible
and 18th and 19th Century documents
1
File (Small Collection)
Administrative Information
The 1712 Martin Luther German
Bible, the wooden exhibit case, and several documents, were given
to the
archives in 1990 by John and Carole Mellinger, Leetonia, Ohio, on
behalf of the
Nold family. Aiding in this transfer was local Ohio Mennonite
historian, Wilmer
Swope. Additional information on Michael Scheel was added by Paul
Scheel, a
descendant, in 1996. These materials
were transferred to the Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College,
to add to
their rare book collection in 2000. Some copies of documents were made
by the
archives for ongoing research purposes.
The research and
description of this Bible, as found
below, was completed at the archives by Val Bontrager, a History
Practicum
Student, Goshen College, in November 1990, under the supervision of Dennis Stoesz. The listing was updated in
July 30,
1993, and February 24, 2004. And additional information on
Note:
The archives holds several additional
materials on Jacob Nold as found in the Nold / Yoder Collection (Hist.
Mss.
1-442), and a communion plate probably used by Nold, as found in the
Leetonia
Mennonite Church Artifact Collection (III-35-3).
Listing of Items
Transferred to
Mennonite Historical Library,
Goshen College, 2000
1712
Martin Luther German Bible
This
Bible was bought by Michael Scheel (d. 1770) in 1715.
He belonged to the Reformed Church in
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It was
subsequently owned by a granddaughter, Susanna Sells who married Jacob
Nold
(1765-1834) in 1786. They lived in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania. In 1817 the Nolds
moved to the Mahoning/ Columbiana counties near Leetonia, Ohio, where
Nold
continued to serve as a Mennonite bishop until his death in 1834. After this the Bible was passed down through
the Nold family.
Fragments
found in Bible:
Text
for the sermon: Luke 7:4, The Young Man
from Nain (with English transcript); probably from same era as Bible
(18th
century)
Appointments
for Services - transcript of German manuscript listing appointments of
ministers for October, 1813; includes Jacob Noll (Nold)
Broadleaf
published by Herold der Wahrheit, 1
page, no date. “Ein Trauer=Lied, von
einer betruebten Mutter fuer ihre drei Kinder” and “Ein Trost=Wort von
den
Kindern zu den Eltern.” A song of
mourning from a mother who is heavy of
heart for her three children; a word
of comfort from the children to
their parents.
Photographs
of Bible
Wooden
Case
Specifically
built to display Bible by John and
Carole Mellinger, Leetonia, Ohio
Inventory
Listing of
Research
Materials and Photocopied Documents
Retained for Research Purposes
Folder 1 (Small Collection)
Research
materials,
including copies of some documents
Five black and
white photographs of Bible in its case
Text for the
sermon, Luke 7:14 The Young Man from Nain (Transcription, 4 pages)
Appointments for
Services, 1813 (photocopy)
Musical notations
(slip of paper) (photocopy)
Transcript of an
interview by Leonard Gross of Wilmer Swope which included discussion of
the
Nold Bible; February 1, 1990
Ein Trauer=Lied, and Ein Trost=Wort (printed by office of Herold
der Wahrheit) (photocopy)
Will of Michael
Scheel, 1770 (photocopy provided by Paul Schell, 1996)
Historical
article, 6 pages, on the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church, United
Church of
Christ, East Greenville, Pennsylvania, of which Michael Scheel was a
member,
1731 (copy provided by Paul Schell, 1996)
Accession record, 1990, and Transfer Letter,
2000
____________________________________________________________
Historical Sketch of 1712 Martin Luther German Bible
Bought by Michael Scheel (d. 1770) in 1715
Owned by Bishop Jacob Nold (1765-1834),
and Passed on by the Nold Family
by Val Bontrager, 1990
with some
editions by Dennis Stoesz,
1993 and 2004
1.
Introduction
The title of the Bible is as follows: Biblia, Die Ganze Heilige
Schrifft/Alten und
Neuen Testaments/Verteutschet durch Doctor Martin Luther. Bassel/In Verlegung Johann Ludwig
Brandmüller. Im Jahr Christi
M.DCC.XII. Translation is as follows:
"Bible, The Whole Holy Writings/Old and New Testaments/translated by
Doctor Martin Luther. Basel/Publication
by Johann Ludwig Brandmüller. In the year of our Lord, 1712."
The Bible, dated 1712, was bought by
Michael Scheel (d.
1770) in 1715. It entered the Nold
family when granddaughter Susanna Sells married Jacob Nold (1765-1834)
in
1786. Nold was a Mennonite Bishop in
Pennsylvania and Ohio. After being
passed through several generations, the Bible was presented to the
Archives of
the Mennonite Church in 1990 by John and Carole Mellinger, Leetonia,
Ohio, on
behalf of the Nold Family. It was transferred to the rare book
collection of
the Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College, in 2000.
2. Michael
Scheel (died 1770)
On the fourth page of the Bible is a
fractur by Michael
Scheel. In the poem Scheel claims
possession of the Bible which he bought in 1715. It
is written in German script and reads as
follows;
Michael Scheel I am called. Christ Jesus is my
Savior. This
Bible has come into my possession. I
bought it to find how to learn to
trust God, to love my
neighbors,
to live Christian, to die saved, to inherit
heaven. Year
1715. This book is mine and whoever
takes it from me does not do well and
may well be a
thief.
The names and birth dates of their
five children are
recorded on the third leaf of the Bible, probably in the hand of
Michael
Scheel. It is also written in German script and listed as follows:
Jacob Scheel was born March 6, 1718
Abraham Scheel was born March 16, 1720
Mary Scheel was born May 16, 1723
Michael Scheel was born July 23, 1726
John Scheel was born January 20, 1729
Michael and his wife Veronica lived in
Hereford township
in Berks County, Pennsylvania. They were
members of the New Goshenhopper Reformed Church in Upper Hanover
Township,
Montgomery County. Michael Scheel died
in 1770. His will can be found in the Philadelphia County Courthouse.
3. Passing
on of Bible to Susanna Sells and Jacob Nold
It is known that Susanna Sells, the
granddaughter of
Michael Scheel, was a subsequent owner of the Bible.
She and Jacob Nold were married
October 26,
1786. Of Jacob and Susanna's eight
children, the first three are listed in German script on the second
leaf of the
Bible. Presumably written by Jacob or
Susanna, they are listed as follows:
Henry Nold was born August 4, 1787
Mary was born June 19, 1791 and died
1795
Valentine II was born March 7, 1794
and died November 11,
1794
Jacob Nold (1765-1834) was a farmer
but known for his
work in the Mennonite Church. He became
a bishop and was ordained to Swamp Mennonite Church, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, on March 26, 1786. In
1813, Nold and others made a preaching trip to eastern Ohio.
In 1817, Jacob and Susanna Nold moved
their family and
the Bible to Mahoning/Columbiana Counties, Leetonia area of Ohio. Jacob became the first bishop of the
Mennonite Church is Eastern Ohio. He is
recognized for helping establish churches in the Leetonia area.
4. Description
of Bible
The Bible is an illustrated folio
Bible and printed in
German script. It is approximately 37 x
22 x 9 cm/14½ x 8½ x 3½ inches.
The
cover of the Bible is made of boards covered with leather.
It has brass corner plates and side
clips,
with the bottom clip missing. Pox acid
marks are seen on the pages but considered a normal amount for the age
of the
book. Both binding hinges on the spine
are cracked. Also the top strap at the
head of the spine is missing and the bottom strap of the spine is loose.
The first few pages in the Bible are
as follows:
Cover
Front
pastedown
Blank
First
Front Flyleaf
recto (right hand side)
Blank
verso (left-hand side)
"1860
- 1787 = 73"
Second
Front Flyleaf
recto (right hand side)
List
of Jacob and Susanna Nold's children, born between 1787-1794
verso (left-hand side)
Blank
Third
Front Flyleaf
recto (right hand side)
List
of Michael and Veronica Scheel's children, born between 1718-1729
verso (left-hand side)
"Solo
deo"
Fourth
Front Flyleaf
recto (right hand side)
Fractur,
1715, done by Michael Scheel, when he bought the Bible
verso (left-hand side)
Blank
Fifth
Front Flyleaf
recto (right hand side)
Pasted
in illustration "Biblia..."
verso (left-hand side)
Blank
Title
Page
"Biblia...
Basel, 1712"
[Page
2]
Blank
Page 3
"Vorrede..." Includes
signatures of "Heinrich
Sell" and "Georg Schlotter" and date "1824"
There
is also one notation
found in the main text of the bible. It
is as follows:
Notation found at Luke 7:16
Notation "*de 18:18"
is inserted in Luke 7:16. Maybe it
refers to loose fragment found at back of Bible.
There
were also some loose
fragments found at the back of the Bible:
Sermon Fragment
On one side it
reads, "Der Rede Luk. 7:4". On
the other side "... Luk. 7:11-17."
The style of writing is older and
could date back to Michael's time
(1715).
Broadleaf Fragment
One same broadleaf
is found "Ein Trauer-Lied" and "Ein Trost-Wort." Published
by Herold der Wahrheit.
Small musical Fragment
Includes notes "Gott Wils ..."
Typed out 1813 Appointments "Appointments for Services" on
October 1813, for Abraham Wismer from Bucks Co. and Jacob Noll (Nold)
from the
Swamp on a visit in Conestoga, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. "Copied from an old manuscript in German
in possession of Mary Caldwell, Leetonia, Ohio, R.2."
It was written up by Deacon Martin
Mellinger,
October 23, 1813. These two pages were
typed out by "H.S. Bender."
The Bible is kept in a display case
built by John and
Carole Mellinger. The case is wooden,
measuring 21½" wide x 17" deep x 5" high, and has a glass
cover. There is a support bar in the
case so the Bible can be opened to one of the first few pages for
display.
Joe Springer, curator of the Mennonite
Historical
Library, was not able to put an appraisal price on the Bible, but
indicated the
value is much increased by the fractur done by Michael Scheel, as found
pasted
into the Bible.
5. Provenance
(History of the Use of the Bible)
Michael Scheel purchased the Bible in
1715. He used the Bible at least until
1729, when
he recorded the birth of his fifth child, John Scheel.
He and his wife lived in Hereford
Township,
Berks County, Pennsylvania. One could
assume that he kept the Bible until his death in 1770, when it was
passed down
to one of his children or grandchildren.
One of the next owners of the Bible
was a granddaughter
Susanna Sells, who married Jacob Nold in 1786.
This Susanna could be the daughter of
Michael Scheel, Jr. (1726-). Or it could
be the daughter of Mary Scheel
(1723-) who married Henry Sells in 1723.
For example, on the seventh page of
the Bible is the signature of
Henrich Sells. If the signature is that of Mary's husband, it would
seem the
Bible was passed from Michael Scheel to his daughter Mary who married
Henry Sells
in 1723. Then one would need to assume
that the name "Sells" is a version of the German "Scheel".
Jacob and Susanna Nold used the Bible
from 1787-1794 when
they wrote the first three of their eight children's names in it. They lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
until 1817 when they moved to Mahoning and Colombiana Counties, in the
Leetonia
area of Ohio. Jacob Nold died in 1834.
The Bible was then passed to their
daughter, Susanna
Nold. This was the fourth generation to
use the Bible. Susanna Nold married
George Schlotter. There is a penciled
signature on the seventh page of the Bible.
The Signature reads "Georg Schlotter"
and is followed by the
year 1824.
There is no record of Jacob Nold's
son, Jacob Nold Jr.
(1798-1864), using the book. Jacob Nold
Jr. was also active in the Mennonite Church in Ohio.
He became the first Mennonite deacon
in the
Leetonia area and is known as an important figure in Mennonite Ohio
history,
The next owner of the Bible was Hannah
Schlotter
Caldwell, who received it from her parents, Susanna and George
Schlotter. Hannah then passed the Bible to
her daughter
Mary Caldwell. After that, the Bible may
have been given to Stelle Riehl. It was
eventually passed on to John and Carole Mellinger, Leetonia, Ohio. It was the Mellingers who built the
specially-made wooden box to house and display the Bible.
They presented the Bible to the
Archives of
the Mennonite Church in 1990, on behalf of the Nold Family.
6. Sources
of Information about the Bible
Alderfer, Joel.
Telephone
conversation with Dennis Stoesz,
July 20, 1992, about church background of Michael Scheel.
Battle, J.
H. ed. History
of Bucks County, 1887.
Green-Watson, May Mathis.
Nold Family History and
genealogical
Background. Watsonia:
Corpus Christi, Texas.
November 1, 1941.
Gross, Leonard. Telephone
conversation with Wilmer Swope, December 11, 1989, concerning the Bible.
Hartzler, J.S. and Daniel Kauffman.
Mennonite Church History. Scottdale:
Mennonite Book and Tract Society,
1905.
Schell, Michel, Will, 1770 (copy of will as
provided by City of Philadelphia,
9 pages) (copy received from Paul
Schell, Michigan, 1996)
Sperling, Jennie. Some Descendants of Henry Sell of
Upper Saucon
Twp. Lehigh County Pa. Lansdale
Pa: December, ?.
Springer, Joe, Curator, Mennonite Historical
Library, Goshen College,
on the appraisal of Bible's condition and value, November 15, 1990.
Swope, Wilmer, ""Nold, Jacob (1765-1834)", Mennonite Encyclopedia,
1954-59.
“What’s Old at New Goshenhoppen?, A Brief
Historical Sketch of New
Goshenhoppen Reformed Church, United Church of Christ, East Greenville,
Pennsylvania, 18041,” 6 pages (copies provided by Paul Schell,
Michigan, 1996)
August 4,
2009 / updated inventory posted on web by Dennis Stoesz, Archivist
February 24, 2004 / Updated
by Helen Hostetler
File:
"HM1-873.doc"
Mennonite
Church USA Archives-Goshen, 1700 S Main St., Goshen, Indiana
46526
 Back to
Personal
Collections Index
|