THE GORBY FAMILY Origin, History and Qenealogy Descendants of Samuel and Mary (May) Gorby 1 f f Compiled and Edited by Alva Gorby Descendant of Samuel through / Thomas, Job, Thomas, and Sylvester Scott Gorby .^5 "He who cares nothing about his ancestors will rarely achieve anything worthy of being remem­ bered by his descendants." PUBLISHED IN 1936 PRINTED BY THE TRI-ART PRESS INDIANAPOLIS A NOBLE NAME "I hold as reverend theme for rhyme The name that glorifies its time; A goodly heritage that will, Through fresh inheritors, distill Desire to widen wisdom's path, Virtue, so given, to him who hath." "A lineage old, of lustre new, Moss-grown, yet green with latter due— This is the glory I would sing, Until our children's children bring, To match the name they won at birth, A name of very present Worth." To our Noble Ancestors—and they were in deed noble men and women—this volume ii most earnestly dedicated. FOREWORD The making of this volume has required many long hours of anxious thought and tedious toil, yet, withall, it has been a very enjoyable "labor of love." There have been problems to solve which were harder than any found in our cut and dried mathematics, and what a thrill there was when one finally came through with the long sought for connecting link. There have been many of these cases* and only one "on the job" can quite realize the joy of winning through. Surprises there have been in plenty. Just a list of Gorby addresses taken from various city directories and sent without much hope of gaining anything, cleared up two tangles that have been worked on for several years with very little success. Just the casual question as to the mid­ dle name of a Gorby of the IV generation cleared that fam­ ily back to 1700, and they had known absolutely nothing back of their grandfather. At every turn there were sur­ prises like these that made the work most interesting, though hard. We are sorry that our book is not more complete, sorry that not all to whom we have written have responded with as full information as have some of the others, for the more complete the volume the more interesting it will be to every­ one. Not all lines are complete, but we have made every effort to get the proper information. However, there will be vacant pages at the close of the book and each owner can fill in any other information con­ cerning his family and also add additional data as the years go by. Probably an explanation as to the use of the Roman numerals will be helpful. The first Samuel Gorby and his wife Mary (May) Gorby are the only ones belonging to the first generation and to them is given the Roman numeral I. Their children with their wives and husbands would belong to the II generation, and so on down to the IX gen­ eration. So far we have not been able to find any one of the X generation, though there may be a few. With these few explanations we leave you, hoping you will all enjoy the bits of family history that we have been able to collect. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It would have been utterly impossible to have- brought out this little volume had it not been for the readiness with which you have all responded to my calls for information. Such a book cannot be the work of one person. At least one person out of each family must give the history of that particular family, so it means a work of many, with one person to compile the collected information. Some have been outstanding in their efforts to have a complete history of their particular branch of the Gorby family. This has meant hard work, but as you read through your book you will readily see the results of their work. We wish there might have been one such person in every branch. To each and every one of you I wish to send my sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks for everything that you have done to help make this volume possible. I feel that I have grown to know you personally and I wish I might thank you personally. You will find mistakes. Sometimes there have been con­ flicting reports, sometimes writing not quite clear, some­ times the reports had to be more or less of an estimate. So pardon any mistakes, please. A TRIBUTE TO THE PIONEER GORBYS "No virtuously disposed mind can look back upon a long line of venerable ancestors without feeling his motive to a virtuous life strengthened. He can scarcely help feeling that it is not for him to be the first to bring disgrace upon his lineage. It will, moreover, lead him to reflect that his posterity also will be looking back and comparing his life with that of his progenitors." During several years of delving into the past in search of material for our Gorby genealogy, much has been brought to light concerning those splendid old pioneer Gorby men and women—our forebears, and one should bow his head in reverence before their memory. The hardships they endured while blazing a trail through the wilderness, the hard work which it entailed, the dangers attached, homes bare of everything but the barest necessities, and frequently many of them lacking, the privations they endured, the loneliness of those log cabins in the forests so far from neighbors or help when needed^— all make one stand in awe before such hardihood, such courage. But all of those hardships, those privations tended to­ wards developing strong, courageous men and women who met every emergency with calmness and with fortitude, who were able to overcome the obstacles which presented themselves at almost every turn. They -grew rugged and powerful and we find the men were tall, well built, upstand­ ing, and fearless. With such a life, and being at all times face to face with Nature and with God, these ancestors grew to be earnest, Christian men and women, Christian workers in their communities and in their churches, standing always for the right Summing it all up, they were sturdy and strong, those pioneer ancestors of ours, and as we look -to Nature for something with which to compare them, something that pre-eminently typifies sturdiness and strength, we instantly see the tall, stately, sturdy oak, the one outstanding tree of our once mighty forests. The more we learn of the strength and beauty of the characters of those splendid men and women, the more we see in them the characteris­ tics of the king of the forest, and feel, as does the author of the following poem, that the tribute is a most fitting one. 1848 THE GORBY OAK 1928 Strong and majestic OaK, serenely fair, Towering superbly 'gainst the western sky, With charm and regal splendor nestled there The wooded hills and plains to glorify. Thy wondrous branches (strength of 80 years) Soar high in heaven's calm eternal blue. They beck and nod—they bask in limpid spheres Where fragrant breezes oft come peeping thru. Oft hath the sun been tempered for thy care. And wintry winds lulled gently to repose. With night came stars to guard their slumbers fair, And morning found thee—charming as a rose.- The storms of life that tossed thee to and fro, But stayed thy roots more firmly' neath the sod. And streams of blessings for thy need Would flow To nourish thee—from out the hills of God. Lo, here beneath thy branches have we felt Secure from harm, secure from every foe, As When in childhood we so gaily knelt About thy knee, Dear Days of long ago. Thou Gorby Oak, our cherished Parent—Tree, We've wandered long and far about the earth; In fancy now we turn again to thee And praises sing of all thy sterling worth. A mighty Oak—made strong by wind and storm! A mighty Soul—made strong through toil and strife! A tree—men praise because of matchless form, A soul—transfigured thru the stress of life. As year by year thy mounting souL aspired To tranquil heights in God's supernal blue— Thy lofty soul, in peace and love attired, Became a shrine where Love-lights shimmered thru. 8 0 Giant Gorby Oak of might and worth, Long may thy branches wave against the sky! Long may the Gorby children o'er the earth Rejoice as they.thy glories magnify. With happy hearts we hail thy Natal Day, And swell the praises of the Gorby Oak. We turn aside from work and from our play With grateful hearts God's blessings to invoke. Long live the Gorby Oak! Long wave our Tree O'er land and sea, in might and majesty! Sing loud—sing loud—ye children in your glee Because of noblp. Christian Ancestry. Written by Annie May Gorby Calvert. Honoring her Father Sylvester Scott Gorby of Cave City, Kentucky on his Eightieth Birthday—Feb. 5, 1928. This poem was written for one particular Father, but as we look back through the ages and up to the present we will find that it is a fitting tribute to all of the Gorbys, and we are s>urn the author of the poem would be more than pleased to offer it as a tribute to all the Gorby Fathers. To the Gorby Mothers it must be something more gentle —the soft, sweet, refining influence that follows us through life and beyond.