General Notes

He married Mary May in Manchester, England or Chester Co, Delaware., ABT. 1724. (1936) Little of definite information can be found concerning Samuel Gorby. Traditions there are in plenty, but so far they seem to be all that can be found.

One story is that Samuel Gorby married Mary May in Manchester, England, and came directly to America, settling in Chester Co, Pennsylvania, where he bought a home, reared a family, and fought for his country whenever his services were needed.

Another story tells of his being kidnaped from his father's castle in England by a stranger who was spending the night at his father's home, and of his being brought to America.

Still another version tells of his running away from his English home when twelve years of age and coming to America, there he was indentured, serving until he was 21 years of age, when he then married Mary May.

But these are all traditions, and it is not known definitely how nor when Samuel Gorby came to this country, nor where he married. But he was born in England about 1700 and married Mary May. Nothing is known of the May family, though there were many Mays in and around Philadelphia in those early days and some in Delaware. Many of the Gorbys lived in Newcastle Co, DE, across from Chester Co, PA, and many of their descendants are still living there.

Chester County and neighboring Pennsylvania counties have been so changed since those early days that so far it has been impossible to find records of births, marriages, deaths, deeds, taxes, or wills, consequently no definite records of Samuel and Mary (May) Gorby have been found.

So far the names of only three children of Samuel and Mary (May) Gorby have been found. There may have been other children, and doubtless were, since the births of the three known sons were so far apart, but no records of them have ever been found. The only solution to this question might be in the will of Samuel Gorby, but so far this will has not been found.

But they were married no later than 1724, for their son Joseph, the eldest of whom we have record, was born not much later than 1725 for his first marriage was in 1745. They must have spent their lives in Chester Co, for there is no record of them among their descendants who went into Delaware and Western Pennsylvania.

Some of the older Gorbys of the fourth and fifth generations told of hearing their Grandfathers say that Samuel was a physician and surgeon and that he served in the Colonial Wars and the Revolution, a part of the time with Washington and with Paine, a part of the time at Valley forge. No record of his services have been found, but these reports came from Samuel's own grandsons and should be authentic. Being quite old at the time of the Revolution, he may have been giving his medical services at Valley Forge when help was sorely needed and not regularly enlisted - just helping the sick and wounded men.

Samuel and Mary (May) Gorby may be buried in Bethel Cemetery, Chester Co, PA, for it is near Joseph's old home and many of the older Gorbys are buried there.

(1978) The account given to Melba Gorby Beard by her father (6th generation - George I Gorby, son of Jesse, son of William), was that "two brothers came to America from England at a young age". While searching through books on trans-Atlantic ships bringing immigrants from European shores in the early 1700's, one ship had the name "Two Brothers", though that particular book, covering limited dates, listed no passenger named Gorby. He also said that another version was "the first Gorby came from England as a youth, having been captured and forced onto the ship".

As to the adult Samuel, he said that "Samuel tended to the sick and wounded during the Revolution as a doctor". So far no record of this has been found (officer or civilian). Civilians often assisted troops in their area, in many ways; and the places where the earliest Gorbys lived were, the very SE corner of Pennsylvania, and the northern curve of Delaware (Valley Forge and Brandywine).