Hello, Dauphin County listers - I used to live in Westmoreland County, Pa. until moving to Idaho three years ago. I volunteered to try to find out what I could for an elderly lady I met that volunteers at the local historical society about her grandfather, who was a miner here. Lo and behold, my search has led me back to Pa.! His name was VALENTINE ABBEY, and he was supposed to have been born in or near Harrisburg around 1854 to German parents. The 1850 index has a BEAL ABBEY listed in Middle Paxton Twp. on p. 271. I'm thinking my best shot to find him would be in the 1860 census, but I have no index. The family may be in the 1870 census - my index lists a WERT ABBEY in Upper Paxton Twp. on p 658. VALENTINE ABBEY moved West as a young man, so I don't think he would be there in 1880, but it's possible. I know he moved to Montana and had married a girl born in Idaho in 1894. If anyone has access to any of these census records, or anything else that lists an ABBEY family around 1850-1870 in DAUPHIN COUNTY, I would very much apppreciate your help! Connie in Idaho

<If anyone has access to any of these census records, or anything else that lists an ABBEY family around 1850-1870 in DAUPHIN COUNTY, I would very much apppreciate your help!> Connie, I found the following info on GenealogyLibrary.com (pay site) on the FamilyTreeMaker site. The below excerpt is from the "ABBE/ABBEY Family Genealogy" which is a searchable book in their library. There was also a chapter of "Unconnected Lines" that would have to be searched page by page. Also, I found the MT 1870 census listing as below. After checking ABBEY, and number of variants, I had no luck at all on the census', but I only have access to the indexes. Without a name for Valentine's father the index's aren't much help. I checked for a "Benjamin" with no luck. Are you certain this family is German? Good Luck, Jay "Valentine Abbey was one of the contributors to the Philadelphia Fair from Wiggan and Triebel's Colliery, Schuylkill County, Pa. (Miner's Journal, July 30, 1864.) " 1870 MT Census Index , Page 18 1870 Aaron, Samuel MT DEER LODGE CO. CABLE CITY 048 1870 Abbey, Benjamin MT DEER LODGE CO. PIONEER & MODESTY GULC 097 1870 Abfile, Mary MT DEER LODGE CO. EMMITSBURG ...