Isaac Fleek Family Bible, The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments (New York: American Bible Society, 1868); privately held by Geralyn Lough, Kansas City, Kansas, 2012. Photographed by Thomas Majeske, Tecumseh, Michigan, 2012.
Thomas and Virginia Majeske of Tecumseh, Michigan traveled to Doniphan, Kansas to gather information about Virginia's ancestor, Isaac Fleek, in 2011. In the course of their travels, they were introduced to Geralyn Lough, who displayed in her home the portrait of Isaac Fleek and Mary Victor Mann Fleek. She had been given the picture of Isaac and Mary Fleek, and the Isaac Fleek Family Bible by her mother, Pearl St. John. Geralyn planned to pass the Bible to her daughter Kimberly.
Thomas returned to Kansas periodically for work, and in 2012 he met with Geralyn and borrowed the Isaac Fleek Family Bible. He brought the Bible to Tecumseh, Michigan where it was photographed. He also photographed the other family papers that had been placed inside the Bible. A few months later, he returned the Bible to Geralyn Lough in Kansas City, Kansas in a brown leather zipper case to provide additional protection for the Bible.
The handwriting and ink that is used to record information in the Bible changes with each person who adds information. The marriage dates for Isaac Fleek, the birth date of Isaac Fleek, and the dates and places he moved are written in black ink in the same handwriting. Martha Umphries' death on January 6, 1874, is recorded in that same handwriting, but in purple ink. The same author also recorded Isaac's death April 28, 1878, in blue ink, indicating that Isaac Fleek was not the original author. However, the information about Isaac, his birth date, marriage dates, places he lived, and the birth dates of his children, was almost certainly recorded while Isaac Fleek was alive. It could have been recorded as early as 1868, the year the Bible was printed, and most likely before January 6, 1874, when Martha Umphries dies. The handwriting that records the death of Mary Victor, "Mother Died February 27 at 5:17 PM" shows that at least one of Isaac's children recorded information in the Bible. Since the Bible was passed to the descendants of Ephriam Calhoon Fleek, it is probable he was one of the authors.
Thomas and Virginia Majeske, interviewed by Kaylene Majeske Thaler, January 17, 2019. Photographs have been digitally enhanced to make the records easier to read.