This is FYI, folks if you arent interested...just delete..but it might help some of you!. Cher And now for today's tip... ORPHAN-TRAIN CHILDREN --by Diana J. Muir In the late 1800s, there seemed to be thousands of orphaned and abandoned children roaming the streets of large eastern cities. In order to ease the suffering of these children, thousands of them were sent West on orphan trains to new families. These families were not always permanent families or even good ones. Many times, however, children found wonderful, permanent homes and led fruitful lives. Unfortunately, many children were separated from their siblings and lost track of them. Also, some children were renamed upon adoption and, as time passed, forgot their real names. To begin searching for an orphan-train child, begin at http://pda.republic.net/othsa/ This collection of records will lead you to other material and give you a wonderful support group to draw on for ideas and information. ---------------------------------------------- Born and raised in Iowa, Diana Muir began studying genealogy at the age of 18 and has subsequently taught genealogy and conducted research for 30 years. Specializing in the Midwestern United States, she has also done extensive research in Southern and Eastern States, as well as England and Ireland. Diana operates an online K-12 and post-secondary school on the Internet, Porta School, Inc., and maintains her own Web page--Mother Hubbard's Cupboard--at http://www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/ which offers eight online genealogy courses.