Now that we have taken a quick look at generations 1 and 2, it is time for something different.

Our first genealogy puzzle comes from Thomas’ line.

According to the 1935 Gorby Book, Thomas was born about 1730 and married Elizabeth Allman, birth year unknown.  Where they were married is unknown.

Job is listed as their first child, born before 1772.  We make this stipulation because his sister Rebecca was supposedly born in 1772.

If we can trust the Census age ranges from 1790, 1800 and 1810, we can narrow his birth date down to between 1766-1774.

The rest of Thomas and Elizabeth’s children are:

ii. Rebecca (Ellit), b. 1772

iii. Nora (aka Faithful Clark), b. 1775

iv. Eli, b. 1777

v. Thomas Jeahue, b. 1779

vi. Hannah Etta (Parsons), b. 1782

vii. Ebenezer, b. 1784

viii. Jesse, b. 1789

ix. John G, b. 1792

Now Thomas was still living in Pennsylvania on the 1810 census, and he died in 1814 when his will was filed in Ohio County, VA.  All of the children mentioned above are listed in that will.  He appointed his son John and Samuel Howard as his executors and gave John his land.

Now let us travel up to the cemetery at Bowman Ridge United Methodist Church where many descendants of Thomas are buried.  We no longer have to go there in person, we can take a virtual trip to the cemetery via http://www.findagrave.com

What we find there are not one, but two John Gorbys, buried side-by-side:

The headstone on the right is the John G Gorby from Alva’s book.  He died Feb. 19, 1848 at the age of 57 which makes his birth year 1791. Close to the May 25, 1792 date given us by Alva.

When we look at the headstone on the left, we see this John Gorby died Feb 19, 1818 at age 55 years, ?? months, 21 days. This make his date of birth sometime in 1763.

So, the question then is:

Whose headstone is that on the left, the John Gorby who died in 1818?

Log in and post a comment as to your thoughts, or send me an email and I will post it for you.

Many thanks to ‘WillynWV’ who had posted these photos to findagrave.com.  He has many other Marshall Co, WV cemetery pictures here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willynwv/collections/72157616893226261/