BIRTHDAY OBJECT SPOTLIGHT: Family Bible
Today is George Washington’s birthday — Feb. 22 — despite the fact that an inscription in the Washington family Bible reads that Washington “was born ye 11th Day of February 1731/2 about 10 in the Morning.”
Why the two different dates? No, Washington’s parents weren’t confused. Washington was born while the Julian, or Old Style calendar was still in use in Britain and the colonies. When the British Empire adopted the Gregorian, or New Style calendar (which we still use today) in September 1752, they dropped 11 days from September and changed the start of the New Year from March 25 to January 1 to synchronize their calendar to the solar year. Since different parts of Western Europe and their colonies were using both Old and New systems, dates prior to 1752 that fall between January 1 and March 24 are subject to dual dating.
People in the 18th century quickly learned to deal with duplicate dates. The first recorded public celebration of Washington’s birthday was at Valley Forge on Feb. 22, 1778. (We know this because one Capt. Caleb Gibbs recorded payment for a “Continental Artillery Band” that serenaded the commander in chief). On the other hand, one early birthday ball was held in Alexandria on Feb. 11, 1780, and the first official Birthnight Ball was given by John Gadsby at his tavern on Feb. 10, 1797. Washington apparently celebrated both dates at different times (and sometimes both dates the same year!), but he did consider Feb. 22 his birthday by the end of his life.
The recordings in the Washington family Bible are made on a page affixed with sealing wax toward the center of the book. They are carefully inscribed with the date Augustine Washington (George Washington’s father) married his second wife, Mary Ball, as well as the birth dates of their six children. The handwriting is believed to be that of the young George Washington, perhaps around age 20, though that has not been verified.
The Washington family Bible is believed to have descended from Mary Ball Washington to her daughter (and George Washington’s sister), Betty Washington Lewis, and then through her descendents who placed it on loan and ultimately sold it to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association in 1908.
Today it is on view in the “Man of Firm Beliefs” section of Mount Vernon’s traveling exhibition, which makes it way across the U.S.A. until 2013.
Object Spotlight is a regular feature on George Washington Wired that highlights some of the household belongings that Washington came into contact with in his daily life. For more of Washington’s belongings, see Mount Vernon’s eMuseum. Today’s Object Spotlight was contributed to by assistant curator Laura Simo.
Purchase, 1908 [W-408].
April 15th, 2011 at 11:59 am
I think its cool that George Washingtons family had a bible