Collection ID

BIB.005038

Type

Bible - Printed Book

Date

1805

Geography

United States

Language

English

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

11.1 × 9.1 × 1 in. (28.3 × 23 × 2.5 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

The Carey Bible was the first Catholic Bible printed in the United States. Mathew Carey (1760–1839) was born in Dublin and worked as a printer before immigrating to Philadelphia in 1784. Catholics made up only 1% of the population in the United States at this time and sometimes faced severe prejudice. Carey first published his Bible in 1790, using the Douay-Rheims translation of the Vulgate. He intended it to not only support the Catholic community, but also to combat Protestant claims that Catholics were indifferent to Bible study and the devotional life. Carey published a second edition in 1805. This is the New Testament portion, which he published separately before the second edition was complete.

Printed in 1805 by Mathew Carey, printer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Acquired by the family of Peter and Margaret Humburg, Pennsylvania and New York.[1] Purchased in the early 2000s by Sidney Ohlhausen, private collector, Houston, Texas;[2] Purchased in 2015 by Tenny Family Bible Collection, private collection, Krum, Texas; Donated in 2020 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] A previous owner has written extensive records of the Humburg family (at times spelled Humberg), beginning with the marriage of Peter and Margaret in April 1799 and ending with the death of William Humburg (husband of Mary Humburg) in January 1899. However, it is unclear at this time who in this family history actually owned the book. Likewise, a Peter “Hemberg” is listed as a subscriber, but it is unclear if this is the same person who owned this copy. [2] Information from Sidney Ohlhausen via email, December 2020.

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