About the Eby Family Bible

The Eby Family Bible was printed by Mathias Harnisch in 1596 in Newstadt an der Hardt in Germany. Theodorus (Durst) Eby brought this Bible when he and his family came to Lancaster County in 1715. Durst was born in 1663 in a Swiss Mennonite family, and later fled Switzerland due to religious persecution. The family lived temporarily in the German Palatinate before immigrating to Lancaster County and settling in Mill Creek in 1715.

This book, printed in German, was passed down through the family for generations, and its biblical text is supplemented by handwritten genealogy in German at the end of the book. The Eby genealogy includes the immediate families of those who passed down the Bible from Durst—from his son Christian, to his grandson Andreas, his great-grandson Johannes, and his great-great grandson Andreas. This genealogy thus covers five generations following Durst Eby’s arrival in Lancaster County. The latest records in the Eby Family Bible are the birthdates of Andreas Eby’s children, born between 1819 and 1838; the final record is Susanna Eby’s death in 1842.

Digital Exhibition

For additional information about the Eby Family Bible, including photos and transcriptions, please see the Eby Family Bible exhibit on Google Arts and Culture below.

Tip for Viewing on Mobile: Click the orange LancasterHistory square in the bottom, left corner to open full screen.

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This digital exhibition is part of Allison Schmitt’s individual project on the LeFevre and Eby Family Bibles for LancasterHistory’s 2020 NEH Summer Internship Program. She is thrilled to share her research on the Eby Family Bible and make this book accessible to the public.