The Bible in which President Andrew Jackson's family recorded household births, marriages and deaths for more than half a century now belongs to the University of Tennessee Libraries.KNOXVILLE - The Bible in which President Andrew Jackson's family recorded household births, marriages and deaths for more than half a century now belongs to the University of Tennessee Libraries, according to a news release.
"More than a cherished family relic, the Jackson family Bible is a treasure of national significance," said Steven Smith, dean of UT Libraries.
Jackson was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. He also was the first U.S. president from Tennessee and the first Tennessean to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. His family estate, the Hermitage, is in Nashville and is now a historical site.
Jackson acquired the Bible during a tour of New England in the summer of 1833, but it was lost to public view for 150 years, according to the release.
Eventually, UT professor of history Dan Feller, editor and director of 'The Papers of Andrew Jackson,' tracked the Bible through antiquarian book lovers. The Bible was offered for sale earlier this year, and the libraries secured the historical artifact.
The Bible will be preserved and housed in Special Collections in the John C. Hodges Library and will be on display in the Special Collections reading room later this month.