Hi Sherry, The information you seek IS AVAILABLE and has been for years. You can find it in most librarys and the reference book can be purchased for about $50.00. You need to introduce yourself to "The Handybook for Genealogists" published by The Everton Publishers, Inc. It is LOADED with answers to all of the questions you pose as unknown or uncertain plus much more helpful information to a genealogist. This is a very handy book for genealogists. ........... Ray/FL > Marie, > I agree that listing a birth county can be tricky. I think that it > is possible that someone born in a particular town or city passes > that information along to descendants. When a family member looks > (maybe a century or two later) for that place on a map and > determines the county, he or she may be unaware that county > boundaries changed and sometimes changed dramatically. That could > be true in PA and definitely is true in states like KY. I see the > same VA marriage listed in multiple counties. It takes some > backtracking to figure out what the original county was. Sometimes > even the state changes. I have one in-law who gave his birthplace > as Knox Co. NC. I think it might now be TN, but I do not know for > sure. I also agree with you that there is no proof of place > listed--not even the state as far as I can tell. I am amazed that > you can remember as much of the county changes as you do. I always > have to look it up. This is not my family, but if I get some time, I > will see if I can puzzle anything out. Sherry