Dear Brenda Perhaps you need to take a look at the court records for Alexander county where Jane Marshall died. If the children were placed in homes by the county those records should be available. If they were not then I'm afraid it was done willy-nilly by the father. The possibility is also that if these folks were not related, and you have found no evidence they were, that they were all members of the same church. Most folks belonged to some religeous denomination and they were usually close to one another and shared in one another's problems, as well as celebrations. It might be difficult to find out what denomination that was unless Jane Nance Marshall is buried in a church cemetery. In my experience in the last century and well into this one, folks were buried in the cemetery that was closest to the church they attended. That cemetery was usually on the church grounds and a part of it's property. If you can determine where she is buried that might be the place to start. Sometimes the records of those churches have remained available for search. The children have been rather widely spread around - and that suggests another scenario: That is: They may have been in a childrens home somewhere and put up for adoption by that place which could account for them ending up in other counties and some distance apart. It is a sad thing and upsetting for the children as well as their father. Can anyone help determine what children's home might have been active at this time in that area? Agnes E. Cloninger ___________________ Subject: [CATAWBA-WEST] Re: Foster Care & Adoptions -- >From: [email protected] >The family I am researching is that of John W. Marshall found in the Gwaltney >township area of Alexander County. His wife, who died in 1895, was Sarah >Jane Nance Marshall. > >My grandmother was raised by a Warlick family in the Hildebran area of Burke >Co. Another sister was raised by a family named Burke. They are said to >have been missionaries to Mexico. I don't know if this is correct. The >youngest, a boy, was adopted by a Barringer family in Troutman, Iredell Co. >I have pretty good information on the Warlicks and the Barringers. Nothing >on the Burkes. As far as I can see, John and Sarah Marshall had no >connection to these families. So, it is not clear how the arrangements were >made. ----snip---