What is your oldest heirloom with genealogical value?

A newsletter reader recently asked about our journey into family history in the August 6 newsletter). She asked:

What is your oldest heirloom with genealogical value?

The answer: We have an old family Bible from one of the maternal branches that dates to the 1850s. It's beautiful and huge (see photo), much bigger than contemporary bibles.

For years, it sat half-forgotten on a lonely shelf in a family vacation property ... despite having a special section with genealogical significance. I asked my aunt and mother if I could take it home and store it properly, as damage from fire, water, or vermin was a real risk. They agreed.

As we always tell our customers (such as in the EasyGenie origin story), paper is one of the best formats for preserving and sharing family history. So, about 15 years ago, I created a family history book for all of my relatives and cousins, and included a picture of this Bible as well a scan of the back pages that lists my great-great-grandparent's marriage record (before statutory records existed in their town) and all of the children's birthdates in cursive:

It included genealogy charts, too. It was a big hit! Do you have a family Bible or another type of heirloom that has been handed down over the generations, and contains information about your family? Why is it special?