1. Was put on microfilm at Callaway County Courthouse, Fulton,
Missouri, by Helen Barrow in the Recorder's office (314) 642-2026
today, 2 Aug 1983, Tuesday. Assisted by Virginia Christopher,
Genealogist and local Historian of Fulton, Missouri.
2. Thomas Bishop Day Book owned and in possession of William
Samuel Oliver.
3. William F Bishop Jr discovered the whereabouts of the Day
Book at W Samuel Oliver home during an interview about Bishop-
Oliver family history. Made arrangements to have the document
microfilmed thru assistance of Virginia Christopher on 2 Aug 1983.
4. Review of the original document and hard copy made of the Day
Book made from the master microfilm under control of Helen Barrow
of the Recorder's Office.
5. Day Book is very old, apparently started about the year 1729 to
1731 by Thomas Bishop. Outside is goatskin according to W Samuel
Oliver. Day Book is 3 1/2 in. by 5 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. deep. Much
of the penmanship is very legible. There are some faded areas.
There are 47 pages with meaningful writing. As two pages of the
original document form a microfilm copy page, there are then
24 pages (double-pages of original).
6. I suspect that the order photocopied is not the original
order of pages as some pages are loose and inserted in the Day
Book. When I originally examined the Day Book on Thursday,
28 July 1983, at Mr. Oliver's apartment, some pages fell to the
floor while the book was being held. I placed them back into the
book not knowing their original position. I have little doubt
that this has occurred before as the document is over 250 years
old predating the American Revolution.
7. The Thomas Bishop Day Book was generated by a common ancestor
of William Samuel Oliver and myself, William Frank Bishop Jr. I
am currently compiling the Bishop Family History. The James Bishop
and wife, Elizabeth, mentioned in the Day Book are my great, great,
great, great grandfather and wife. They are Mr Oliver's great,
great grandfather and wife. James Bishop's son, Samuel A Bishop,
mentioned in the Day Book had eleven children with his wife,
Sarah Via, while living in Albemarle County, Virginia. Two of the
children were Tyra D Bishop and Sarah Virginia Bishop. Tyra is
my great, great grandfather. Sarah Virginia Bishop is Mr Oliver's
grandmother. (See Pioneer Families of Missouri, page 308, for
more information). The Day Book appears to have been passed from
Thomas Bishop to James Bishop to Samuel A Bishop to Sarah Virginia
(Bishop) Oliver, to Edward Oliver to William Samuel Oliver.
8. The Day Book has apparently been seen in years gone by by
older Bishop family members. Howell Bishop, son of Samuel Calvin
Bishop, described the book uniquely to me in an interview on Friday,
29 July 1983. He brought up the subject of the book unsolicited by
me. He mentioned its approximate size, the fact that it is a day
book, and that it is difficult to read. He stated that one page
contained references to "splitting rails". This, I recognized, having
seen this very page the previous day during Mr Oliver's interview.
He stated that it was in possession of Samuel Oliver. He stated
that he (i.e. Howell) had seen the book some 30 to 60 years ago.
9. The Day Book contains the following birth information:
Issac Bishop the son of James Bishop and Elizabeth was born the 8
day December 1767,
Rachel Bishop was born the 12 of December 1769,
James Bishop was born the 24 of May 1772,
John Bishop was born the 18 February 1774,
Elizabeth Bishop was born the 12 day of March 1776,
Thomas Bishop was born the 24 day August 1778,
William Bishop was born the 3 day August the year 1783,
Samuel Bishop was born July the 26 the year 1786,
Mary Bishop was born the 14 day of September 1788,
Rebecca Bishop was born the 3 of June 1793.
10. Some new names are mentioned that are contemporary with or
preceed James Bishop. These are:
Thomas Bishop: August 10, 1729
May 28, 1752 ?
August 10, 1737
June 30, 1729
April 8, 1731
Thomas Bishop Senior: August 12, 1733
Peter Bishop: March 1, 1740
March 10, 1740
James Bishop: [who was born in 1734 and died about May 1, 1833]
1758 [mentioned twice]
before 1760
after 1761
March 25, 1762
November 23,1804 [mentioned twice]
Rebecca Bishop ? 1761
June 2, 1761
March 25, 1762
John Bishop February 7 1761
11. The years recorded in the Day Book (other than those of the births)
range from 1729 thru 1774 with two entries at the end of the book dated
the year 1804. At this time, I don't know if the majority of entries
were made in England, Pennslyvania, or some place in Virginia. The
earliest know reference I have so far is of James Bishop and wife
Elizabeth entering four hundred acres on the Blue Ridge in the Afton
neighborhood in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 1782.
12. Status of Microfilm and hard copies:
a) Master copy microfilm at Callaway County Courthouse, Fulton,
Missouri. Done by Helen Barrow in Recorder's Office. (314)
642-2026.
b) Assisted by Virginia Christopher, Genealogist and local Historian,
1204-B Kathy St, Fulton, Missouri 65251, (314) 642-4380. Contact
if want hard copy of Day Book. Mrs Christopher will place one
copy of Day Book at Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society.
c) Owner of Day Book is William Samuel Oliver, 523 N Wade, Apt K,
Mexico, Missouri 65265, (314) 581-2065. Mr Oliver has one copy
of the Day Book. Mr Oliver will place one copy of Day Book at
Audrain Historical & American Saddle Horse Museum at Mexico,
Missouri, and one copy at Montgomery County Historical Society,
Inc. at Montgomery City, Missouri.
d) Locator of Day Book is William F Bishop Jr, 3041 Ohio St, West
Melbourne, Florida, (305) 725-2794. I have one copy of the Day Book.
e) Someone interested in the Day Book is David Bishop, Route #1, Box 101,
Joneburg, Missouri 63351, (314) 488-5258. Has one copy of the Day
Book.
William F Bishop Jr
14 August 1983