Stark County man treasures nearly 300-year-old family Bible found in Virginia tavern

This is more than the story of a three-century-old Bible found in a bar and returned to the Stark County family that once owned it.

It is a story about one man's love of the past.

Lonnie Schrader of Plain Township long has been interested in community history and he has a passion for his family's story, as well.

Readers might remember Schrader as the builder of the miniature "McKinley House" where William McKinley launched his presidential "front porch campaign." It's displayed at the Stark Library's main building on Market Avenue N.

That project — it took "two years and a lot of glue," one newspaper article said — resulted from his interest in building miniature models and an interest in McKinley fostered by the book "The Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination" given to him by a family member.

He also created other miniature buildings, including a Civil War fort, a Southern mansion, and an entire village, including a church, dry goods store, saloon and train station.

"I wanted to be a history teacher, but I ended up in Vietnam," said the 74-year-old, who returned from Southeast Asia and forged a three-decade-long career at the J&L steel mill in Louisville. "I went to the library all the time during my breaks at the steel mill. I read all the time and history was my forte."

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Researching family history leads to a Virginia tavern

Schrader's interest in the past gets piqued most earnestly researching his family tree, finding fascinating ancestors and understanding their ties to the events of their eras.

He journeyed far from his computer to find some interesting and revealing details about his family's past. And he found a cherished item in a Southern gathering spot once owned by his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Giles Allegree — The Allegree Tavern in Charlottesville, Virginia, a watering hole built in 1737.

"For years, long-standing joke between the Schrader brothers was about finding the Allegree Tavern and having a beer there, never knowing it still existed," he said. "In October 2016, I embarked on a road trip to visit the Allegree Tavern. I contacted the current owner, William Bascomb, who kindly agreed to let me visit (what was now) his home.

"On a beautiful, sunny fall day, I arrived at the historic site. It was astonishing to see that the home, after 281 years, was still standing. William gave me a tour of both the interior and exterior."

Toward the end of the tour, Bascomb brought out what has become a cherished family heirloom to Schrader.

"As I was preparing to leave, we stood in the kitchen," recalled Schrader. "Mr. Bascomb said, 'My wife found an old Bible up in the attic. Do you want to see it?' I eagerly agreed. He brought down an old, dusty Bible, and upon looking inside, I saw it was a 1738 Dutch Bible. I realized it was probably Giles Allegree’s Bible. He then said, 'Since you are a direct descendant of Giles Allegree, do you want it?' I accepted."

As he stood in the aged structure and held the good book, pieces of Schrader's family history came together.

"As the only direct descendant of Giles Allegree to ever visit, I was amazed to realize I was holding an old Bible my eighth-generation grandfather held probably almost 300 years ago," Schrader said. "Giles Allegree was born in France, lived in Holland, trained in England as a doctor, and came to Virginia in the 1720s. Surely, this Bible was his!"

The Dutch Bible wasn't the only Bible in the family

Still, this wasn't the only historically significant Bible that the Allegree family possessed. Records about a second such book illustrated how closely early colonists were tied to each other and to events of their day.

A French Bible carrying a date of 1687, Schrader notes, once possessed by Giles Allegree made its way to Thomas Jefferson and eventually the Library of Congress.

Inside that Bible is a flyleaf with an inscription.

"On the 20th day of April of the year 1703, Simon Rayde, a cousin of mine from Hamburg, bought this book and, after he had kept it for eight and a half years, left it at C. Hemsteek's merchant in Lisbon, who delivered it to me, Giles Allegree, in March 1713."

Also on the Bible are Thomas Jefferson's initials and a Library of Congress 1815 bookplate, which ties it to an event involving Jefferson.

"During the War of 1812, the British invaded Washington and burned the Capitol building in 1814, including 3,000 volumes in the Library of Congress," Schrader records in a brief history he compiled. "To help rebuild the collection, Thomas Jefferson offered to sell Congress his private library of 6,487 volumes for $23,950, which they purchased."

Likely this Bible was among the books in Jefferson's library.

"Researching Jefferson’s journals, I found 12 entries mentioning the Allegree name from 1767 to 1800," Schrader said. "William Allegree appeared most frequently. ... Thomas Jefferson, who loved horseback riding and everything French and hated the British, was fluent in French, a language the Allegrees spoke as well. Allegree Tavern was five miles and one hour away on horseback. Giles Allegree had four sons, all around the same age as Thomas Jefferson. Did Thomas Jefferson know the Allegrees?"

Focusing on present family

With the acquisition of those details of family history behind him — and an Allegree Bible in his possession — researching his lineage now is more of an interest than a quest. Schrader said he rarely does much genealogical research anymore. He can, however, recall vividly many things he learned from previous searches.

"My family fought in every war the country was involved in," he notes, "including the Civil War, on both sides."

The family Schrader is interested in these days is the current clan. He shares his life with his wife Cathy. He spends time with his children and their spouses, Tim and Nicki, Chrissy and Alan, and Steve. And, he dotes on his grandchildren, Skylar and Hana.

Still, stories about his family remain vivid in his mind.

"In a way," he said, "this journey started and ended with a Bible."

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com.

On Twitter: @gbrownREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County man treasures nearly 300-year-old family Bible found in Virginia tavern