# Genealogists what are your goals? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 4, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828 "2008-08-04T18:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/41 "2008-10-10T21:05:38Z")
Have you got a full birth date and place of birth? Try writing to the town hall and see if they can find him. How about a marriage record? Those sometimes list parents’ names. Census records prior to 1850 won’t be much help because they don’t list full information for anyone besides head of household (which you probably already know). It’s time to get local. ---
**Author:** ![jay-c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jay-c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jay-c)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/42 "2008-10-10T21:21:04Z")
I’ve got a birth month (April), but that’s it. No marriage record (though I do know his wife’s name), no place of birth other than state. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/43 "2008-10-11T07:42:38Z")
Phewf. This looks like a job for the PA State Archives. [Here](http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=3183&&SortOrder=100&level=4&parentCommID=3162&menuLevel=Level_4&mode=2) is their page on genealogical research; they do handle mail-in requests so if making a trip to Harrisburg is out of the question for you, this might be a slow but viable alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/44 "2008-10-11T08:14:04Z")
Also need to ask: What info do you have from the 1850 census? Is he in PA or OH? Is he living on his own, or with people who aren’t his family? If he’s in PA, he was probably still in the same county he was born in so that might help you narrow your search for his birthplace. ---
**Author:** ![CTB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@CTB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CTB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/45 "2008-10-12T00:54:04Z")
> [@jay-c](#): > > I started this as a labor of love after my grandfather died. In his final years, he spent a lot of time researching his roots. After he died, I took up his work, and have been able to trace his mother’s lineage back to England in the 1500s. > > I hit my wall on the paternal side about 3 months ago, at the same place my grandfather did. My great-great-great grandfather, Josiah P Curby. Born 1827 in Pennsylvania; died 1915 in Ohio. He’s listed on every census I can find after 1850. > > Trying to trace him has been a real lesson in patience - his death certificate mis-spells his name as Corby. But sure enough, it’s him - I went to his grave to verify it. The 1850 census lists his last name as Kirby, which is a common alternate spelling. And from there it just… ends. I can’t find his parents’ names, siblings, anything. > > Any ideas people have would be greatly appreciated. I took a look at the 1850 US census for you ggggrandfather. I see that he is in Tuscawaras Co, OH at the time. One method I thought might be helpful is to look for all Kirbys in that county at that time, as the same census taker likely did the whole county and would have spelled it similarly. I see listed a Frances (b. 1786 in VA) and James Kirby (b. 1781 in MD) living with a David Kirby (b. 1830 in OH) who is likely their son, in Perry township, right next door to Washington twp. where Josiah is listed with his new wife and baby. I would say that there is a good chance these are his parents and younger brother. At least it is somewhere to start from. There is also listed a William Kirby with his wife Phebe, and what I would guess is his mother-in-law. I would bet this is another brother of Josiah. Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/46 "2008-10-12T04:19:16Z")
My dad researched his family and traced the lines back to the 1500’s and we learned a lot of exciting things such as that the town we lived in (Lexington KY) had been founded by some of my father’s ancestors. Some of the stories involved incredible violence, such as one guy being killed in an Indian attack and then his son running out of the fort to get the Indian. Then there was the ancestor who wouldn’t go to school anymore because he saw a rabid wildcat atttack the teacher. It took a while to learn about my mother’s ancestors, but apparently 3 brothers escaped the Inquisition in Scotland when they learned they were about to be arrested for being Presbyterians. They did this by boarding a Norwegian Pirate ship.The Pirates cheerfully dropped them off in Virginia, sometime in the early 1600’s. Then we noticed that one of my father’s ancestors had been the wrong religion and this had led to his head being forcibly detached from his body and his sons deciding that it would now be a good time to leave Scotland. Then we learned that an entire town in Germany packed up and move to South Carolina sometime in the 1700’s. This was not unusual but what my parents found was that they both had ancestors who came from that town. So: My genealogical goal is to prove that I’m not related to myself. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/47 "2008-10-12T14:03:59Z")
It might be an interesting and fun thread to find out how many people on this board are related. The results might surprise a lot of people. Family lines intersect quite frequently, particularly if your U.S. history goes back a ways. ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/48 "2008-10-12T17:47:45Z")
I’m trying to trace as many people as I can in what I call my Extended Family Tree, even if they’re not directly related to me. If they’re of little importance to me, they’d be of great importance to other members of my extended family. For example, I’m tracing my brother-in-law’s family lines because these people are blood relations to my nephews (through their father), and this information could end up being of great importance to their children, grandchildren and so on. I like having a big, extended family! The more the merrier!! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/49 "2008-10-12T17:52:52Z")
> [@jay-c](#): > > I started this as a labor of love after my grandfather died. In his final years, he spent a lot of time researching his roots. After he died, I took up his work, and have been able to trace his mother’s lineage back to England in the 1500s. > > I hit my wall on the paternal side about 3 months ago, at the same place my grandfather did. My great-great-great grandfather, Josiah P Curby. Born 1827 in Pennsylvania; died 1915 in Ohio. He’s listed on every census I can find after 1850. > > Trying to trace him has been a real lesson in patience - his death certificate mis-spells his name as Corby. But sure enough, it’s him - I went to his grave to verify it. The 1850 census lists his last name as Kirby, which is a common alternate spelling. And from there it just… ends. I can’t find his parents’ names, siblings, anything. > > Any ideas people have would be greatly appreciated. You can find many reputable researchers on sites like Cyndi’s List and others. It may be worth your while to hire one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/50 "2008-10-13T02:45:23Z")
My goal is to find out what the real deal is with my great-great-grandfather. All the census records I have show that he was born approximately 1820 in Virginia, and the last census record I have for him is 1900. He doesn’t show up in 1910, so I assume he had died, but I can’t find a death record. He lived a very happy life, I would think, with three wives and a mistress who also bore several children with him. At least I think she’s a mistress; I can’t find anything on her that isn’t showing her maiden name, and no marriage record with him, but a marriage record to another man when she was much older still using her maiden name. I think he must have been an interesting guy, with all those weddings and the girl on the side, and I would love to know more about him. If anyone wants to have a go, his name is Anderson Hunt and he had land in Lawrence Co, OH and is in the censuses there from 1850-1900. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/51 "2008-10-13T04:10:52Z")
> [@Suse](#): > > If anyone wants to have a go, his name is Anderson Hunt and he had land in Lawrence Co, OH and is in the censuses there from 1850-1900. There were some Anderson Hunts who served in the Civil War. If you think he’s one of these let me know and I’ll pull his papers for you if you don’t have them. (Since I’m not sure of your/his race I include them all.) UNION Anderson Hunts 58th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry 61st Regiment, United States Colored Infantry (possibly the same as the above due to a unit reorganization) 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery 91st Regiment, New York Infantry 147th Regiment, New York Infantry (again possibly the same as the previous) CONFEDERATE 37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (formerly 1st East Tennessee Rifles) The Tennessee Rifles A.H. is very possibly the same man as the Union 1st Tennessee; TN was an extremely divided state and there were more than a few instances of men fighting on both sides during the war. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/52 "2008-10-13T10:25:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It might be an interesting and fun thread to find out how many people on this board are related. The results might surprise a lot of people. Family lines intersect quite frequently, particularly if your U.S. history goes back a ways. **iampunha** and I are related. We’re both descendants of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, passengers on the _Mayflower_ who are pretty much famous only because another one of our distant cousins wrote a poem about John c\*ckblocking Myles Standish. He also wrote some other poems about Paul Revere and Hiawatha, maybe you heard of him. I’d also forgotten to mention another goal, which is to find out whose side my paternal grandfather’s paternal ancestors fought on in the English Civil War. My family mostly has a history of being on the right side of things (Allied in WWI and WWII, Union in the Civil War, colonials in the American Revolution) but there is one branch that got kicked out of New York for being Loyalists. I’d be quite pleased if my later English ancestors were Roundheads. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828/53 "2008-10-14T02:18:59Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > There were some Anderson Hunts who served in the Civil War. If you think he’s one of these let me know and I’ll pull his papers for you if you don’t have them. (Since I’m not sure of your/his race I include them all.) > > UNION Anderson Hunts > > 58th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry > 61st Regiment, United States Colored Infantry (possibly the same as the above due to a unit reorganization) > 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery > 91st Regiment, New York Infantry > 147th Regiment, New York Infantry (again possibly the same as the previous) > > CONFEDERATE > 37th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry (formerly 1st East Tennessee Rifles) > > The Tennessee Rifles A.H. is very possibly the same man as the Union 1st Tennessee; TN was an extremely divided state and there were more than a few instances of men fighting on both sides during the war. Thanks, **Sampiro**! I don’t know if he was in the Civil War, though. But if he was, it would be odd for him to be with the TN or NY regiments unless there are ties there that I just haven’t found yet. (He was white according to the census records.) But I do appreciate your looking for me! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-what-are-your-goals/458828.md?page=2)