Guilford Dudley & Elizabeth (Wallace) Read Bible
Contributed by
Linda Read Chesser
Note: I have carefully transcribed the Bible belonging to Guilford Dudley and Elizabeth (Wallace) Read. They were married in Davidson County TN in 1826, where all eleven of their children were born. Their oldest son, William Benjamin Read (1829-1904), served in the CSA as a cavalry soldier in Ward's 9th at the Battle of Hartsville and rode with General Morgan. He was captured in 1863, on the Ohio and imprisoned at Camps Morton (Indianapolis) and Douglass (Chicago). Released in June 1865, he came home to find his wife had died 6 months before, leaving his three sons as guardians of Guilford Read Sr. The families moved to Sumner County after the Civil War, first residing in Gallatin and then moving to land southwest of Richland Station (now Portland). Their youngest son was Opie Pope Read (1852-1939), American Novelist and Humorist, who studied at Neophogen College in Gallatin, founded The Arkansas Traveler in Little Rock and was author of 57 books and numerous short stories. He had met Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) on the Chautauqua circuit and later would travel that road himself. He wrote for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and worked until his death for a paper in Chicago. Portland's Elmer Hinton Public Library has a portrait of Opie Read and a few of his novels on display.
The Guilford Dudley and Elizabeth (Wallace) Read Bible
(c. 1810 written on inside cover and first seven chapters of Genesis missing.)
Signature on last page: Mrs. Elizabeth Read
Transcribed by Linda Read Chesser, 3rd great-granddaughter of Guilford and Elizabeth Read, the 28 day January 2002
This is a large Bible approx. 10 by 12 inches and 3 inches thick. The center of the Bible between Testaments is now loose and tucked in. Everything was copied exactly by the transcriber, including misspellings, spelling variations, and grammatical errors.
P. 1 Parents' Record
Father
Guilford Read was born December the 9 1803
Elizabeth Read the wife of Gilford Read was born
Febuary the 8 1812
Mother
Gilford Read and Elizabeth Wallace
was married January
the 18 day 1825
P. 2 Marriages
This is my grand Children
John Wasly Read was
Born November the
27 day 1851
(Transcriber's Note: Wesley is the middle name.)
William Olever Read
was born October the
18 day 1853
(Transcriber's Note: Oliver is the middle name.)
Gilford Dudley Read
was born January
the 26 day 1856
(Transcriber's Note: There are four known Guilford Reads in this family,
three with Dudley as their middle name.)
W.B. Read and Mattie An
Hunter was
Married Jan 18
1870
( Transcriber's note: This was William Benjamin's 2nd marriage. He 1st married
M. Amanda Morris March 1851 Davidson Co. TN. She died December 1864.)
A total of eleven children were born to Guilford and Elizabeth Wallace Read. It was unnamed
and either miscarried or stillborn. Opie Read was the 11th and last child born.
The list of children follows:
Guilford and Elizabeth Wallace Read Bible
P. 3 Births
William Benjamin
Read was born
October the 15 day
1829
James Read was born
Febuary the 12 day
1832
Cordelia An Read was
born October the 5 day
1834
Sara Elizabeth Read
was born June
the 6 day 1837
Gilford Dudley Read
was born Febuary the 18 day 1840
(Transcriber's note: This would be Jr.)
Martha Ollive Read
was born October
the 1 day 1842
Harret Adarene
Read was born January
the 12 1845
Lydia Frances Read
was born August
the 4 day 1847
James Wallace
Read was born June
The 1 day 1850
Opie Pope Read
was born December
the 22 day 1852
(Transcriber's note: This proves that "Percival" was NOT the famous novelist/humorist's middle
name. "Pope" is written in his mother's own hand. The Opie Pope family had a business across
the street from the Read's carriage shop in Nashville in the 1850's, hence the name. Percival was
made up as were many of his stories about the family. See early Business Directories- TSA)
Guilford Dudley and Elizabeth (Wallace) Read Bible
P. 4 Deaths
James Read the son of
Gilford and Elizabeth
Read departed this
life on the 5 day
of October 1833
(Transcriber's Note: After losing this son, they named a later son James.
He also died young.)
Sara Elizabeth the dauter
of Gilford and Elizabeth
Read departed this life
January the 11 1847
Lydia France (sic) the dauter
of Gilford and Elizabeth
Read departed this life
June the 20 day 1850
Jimny Wallace the son
Gilford and Elizabeth
Read depart this life
June the 3 day 1852
(Transcriber's Note: This is the 2nd James Read)
Hatty A. Read the
daughter of Gilford
and Elizabeth Read
departed this life May
the 12 day 1868
Cordelia A. Allen the
daughter of Gilford and
Elizabeth Read and
the wife of G W Allen
depart this life
September the 4
day 1869
Transcriber's note: And in another's hand, in purple pencil:
Elizabeth Read Wife
of Gilford Read Dep
arted this Life
May 4th 1891 (continued)
Guilford and Elizabeth Wallace Read Bible
P. 4 Deaths continued,
Gilford Read the
husban of Elisabthe (sic)
Read
departed this
life Decembier
the 18 day 1883
P. 5 Deaths (Transcriber's Note: On the back of the printed pictures just before the New Testament written in pencil:)
Mattie A. Read
Wife of W.B. Read
Departed this Life
July 23th 1904
W.B. Read, Husband
of Mattie A. Read Departed
this life October 1th 1904
W.O. Read departed this life
On the 26 day of Aug 1916.
Alice Wallace departed the
( )day of Feb 1916.
(Transcribers Note: There is a space left before "day".)
(End of record. Additional loose records left in the Bible will be transcribed at a later date.) L.R.C.)