Lincoln's Amos S King Bible Comes Home After 149 Years

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Port Byron, New York
Friday January 8, 2010

The Office of the Historian announces that a bible donated by Port Byron farmer Amos Scott King to President Abraham Lincoln will be coming back home after 149 years. The gift was inspired when Amos King read the then President Elect’s Farewell Address made at Springfield, IL on Feb. 11, 1861 as he bid farewell to his family and friends prior to boarding the inaugural train.

The bible reached Washington at or near inauguration, as King’s letter was dated March 4, 1861, the same day that Lincoln took his Oath of Office. This is not the same bible used for Lincoln’s swearing in ceremony. This is a separate bible that remained in the Lincoln family for three generations becoming a treasured heirloom. The bible is currently part of the collection at Hildene-The Lincoln Family Home, Manchester, VT, which was built as the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President. The Hildene estate was registered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Today it is a thriving museum whose mission is to promote and preserve the legacy of our Nation’s 16th President.

Hildene-The Lincoln Family Home, Manchester, VT will be bringing the bible to Port Byron on Thursday February 4th, 2010 for an afternoon of celebrations. Following events with the student body, The Dana L West Jr./Sr. High School will be hosting a public ceremony. Hildene’s Executive Director Seth Bongartz will be presenting the history of Hildene followed by a slideshow presentation of the King Bible by historian Dawn Roe. The Port Byron Alumni Association will be serving refreshments. Please join us as we celebrate our unique connection to President Abraham Lincoln at the Dana L West Jr./Sr. High School, 30 Maple Ave. on Feb 4th. General reception starts at 4 PM with a formal program at 4:30 PM.
Dawn L Roe
Port Byron and Mentz Historian

Lincoln's Inaugural Bible vs Amos King Bible

Most people when they hear the phrase "Lincoln Bible" they think of the inaugural bible. The President had several bibles. To my knowledge, there was his family bible, the inaugural bible and also the bible gifted by Amos S King from Port Byron, NY. The King Bible is not the same bible as the inaugural bible. While they do share some similarities, you may enjoy knowing more about each bible:

The Lincoln Inaugural Bible

President Lincoln took his oath as President on an Oxford Bible. Lincoln intended to use his family bible but it was not delivered in time for the ceremony. The clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, provided the bible since the family bible was delayed. This was an 1853 Oxford Bible with velvet covering. The bible remained in the Lincoln family but was later donated to the Library of Congress after the death of Robert Todd Lincoln by his widow.

Photos of the 1861 Lincoln Inaugural Bible

USA Today report on Obama's use of Lincoln's Inaugural Bible


The Amos S King Bible

After reading the Farewell Address that President Elect Abraham Lincoln gave at Springfield, IL, Amos King of Port Byron was so moved that he sent the President a bible as a gift.

Lincoln's Farewell Address

Image of the Farewell Address


The Amos King bible is a Cambridge bible and has a genuine leather cover. The bible would also pass to Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President, where it was placed in the library at his summer home called Hildene, located at Manchester, VT.

Amos sent the bible at or near inauguration day, as his letter that accompanied the bible was dated on inauguration day.

The King bible does show evidence of wear, an indication that the bible was enjoyed as a personal bible, having been used by the Lincoln family on a private basis.

What is similar about these two bibles?

1) Both bibles were printed in England.

2) Both bibles are associated with Lincoln's inauguration of 1861.

3) Both bibles were passed down to the family of Robert Todd Lincoln.

HILDENE OPENS NEW LINCOLN EXHIBIT

The Amos S King Bible from Port Byron, NY is now a featured item in a new Lincoln Exhibit.

Paula Maynard Press Release:
"Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home announces the opening of its new Abraham Lincoln exhibit, “The American Ideal: Abraham Lincoln and the Second Inaugural” on Saturday, September 5.

Set within the context of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural, which harkens back to the then radical beliefs first enunciated in the Declaration of Independence, visitors will learn how the Civil War and President Lincoln helped bring life and meaning to the promise of the American Ideal of equality, justice and opportunity for all.

The exhibit thoughtfully uses text from the speech, considered to be the president’s greatest, and artifacts from the collections of Hildene and Brown University’s John Hay Library, one of the five great Lincoln collections. The two institutions recently formalized their partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding and the formation of the Hildene-Brown Collaborative.

Among the artifacts included in the exhibit are; one of only three of Lincoln’s iconic stovepipe hats in existence, one of his bibles, a cast of the president’s hands, a life mask and a scrapbook that belonged to a supporting actress who appeared in the production of “Our American Cousin,” the play the President was watching on the evening of the assassination. The scrapbook contains a swatch of wallpaper from his Fords Theater box. Also in the exhibit is a playbill from this final performance. A bust of Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, is on loan from the Jefferson Legacy Foundation.

The Lincoln Family Home at Hildene is open daily from 9:30 to 4:30. Admission, which includes the exhibit, is $12.50 for adults, $5 for youth 6-14, children under 6, Hildene members and volunteers are free. For more information on Hildene, visit www.hildene.org, call 802.362.1788 or email info@hildene.org."