RESPONSE: I wanted to add some further confusion to the information I had already given to you. Noting that Noah, 26 , is listed as though he is the brother to the wife, Mary A. on the 1880, I looked back at the 1870. Sure enough, Elihu COX and his wife, Margaret are still in Knox Co. along with several children, among them Noah, 18 and Mary, age 14. Then the fact they married (they being Gale G. and Mary Ann) at the home of Elihu COX makes me think that Elihu COX was HER father and NOT Gale G. COX's father. Have you attempted to obtain his death certicate. Perhaps that would show one way or the other who his parents were. When you look back to the 1850 Knox, you can see the dwelling of the elder, Noah COX from NC, age 58 with wife, Ann. On either sides of him are a Gale COX, age 22 in 1850 and the Elihu COX, age 29 married to the Margaret from VA. Just a little ways away from them is a Amos COX, age 26 mar. to Malinda . The names Elihu, Noah, Gale seem to repeat. Bearing that in mind, when you advance to the 1870, you have this older by 20 years Amos COX still married to Malinda and then the "strange" listing right next to him of a "23 yr" old Gale COX with all the younger children and no wife. then a few pages later, you have this apparent SAME Gale COX listed as a 13 year old. If there was a transcription error and Gale was actually 13 vs. 23, then perhaps his father was Amos COX. Then one has the problem of what is the relationship bet. Amos COX, Elihu COX and Noah COX, the older COX from the 1850. If Amos and Elihu COX were brothers, and I am just saying if, then Gale COX would have been a lst cousin to Mary Ann COX. Quite frankly stranger things have happened and did happen in those parts. Close relationships in marriages were fairly common. I may have created more questions then there are answers but . . . perhaps I've given you something to think about. Joyce Taylor Collins la Palma, CA Message text written by INTERNET:KYKNOX-L@rootsweb.com >On the 1880 Knox Co., he appears as follows. next to him is an Elihu COX who might or might not be his father. Dwelling 372-377 COX, Gale, 22, farms, husband, b. KY; parents b. KY . . Mary A., 22, wife, b. KY; father b. KY; mother b. VA . . Clara E., 1, dau, b. KY . . Noah, 26, farms, "brother-in-law", b. KY; father b. KY; mother b. VA Dwelling 373-378 COX, Elihu, 59, disabled, farms, husband, b. KY; father b. NC; mother b. VA . . Margaret, 58, wife, b. VA; parents b. VA . . Obedience, 21, at home, dau, disabled, b. KY . . John W. T. M., 15, farms, son, KY . . Martha J., 13, at home, dau, KY Dwelling 374-379 COX, Samantha J., 32, head of household, single, b. KY; father b. KY; mother b. VA . . William, 8, son, b. KY . . Charity, 5, dau, b. KY; . . Sarah, 2, dau, b. KY<