Yes. It is not uncommon for the mother's family to take in the motherless children and the father to do something else, perhaps even move away. This may not have been as cold as it sounds -- he may have gone somewhere where he could make more money and have sent it back. Each of mother's siblings may have taken one child, not too much to ask perhaps whereas asking one sibling to take all the children would be. I see it all the time in family trees. Sometimes a family has children of several siblings. But it is not that uncommon even in more modern times. Of course, he may have left the kids and moved on. Cheryl Rothwell clrothwell@mindspring.com