Julie, Excellent suggestions. As I understand it there was never anything formal done...no legal guardianship. That's why Loran Tary (Clarence's younger brother) had something "legal" done in Los Angeles.....either a guardianship or an adoption so Donald could go into the Navy. I don't know how old a boy had to be in those days (or even these days) to join the service on their own....was is18 or 21? It seems that they could be a young as 17 but they needed parental consent which is what Donald Tary needed so badly when Loran helped him out. The church the Tary family and the birth mother attended may have been a "Mission" church or Pentecostal, perhaps in South Peoria. Many members of the Tary family we butchers working for Armour, I believe. Several of them moved to the Los Angeles area after WW2. Perhaps some of Donald's birth family did the same. Now I need to find some Peoria City Directories to find where Clarence Tary lived when he was married to Dorothy (1929) and then to Edna (1933). For all I know he may have been living with his parents (John & Lillie). Maybe there will be a church near where they grew up...hopefully a Missoin or Pentecostal type. Thanks again, Carole >Did you check Peoria Co courthouse for an old guardianship? It's possible >that that was the arrangement between Donald's mother and the ~adoptive~ >Tary parents amd the reason that the adoption was never formalized. It may >have also been due to the depression...and the cost of the legal work. >Anyay...a check of the old records for a guardianship wouldn't hut...and if >there is one...the records are open and usually reveal a whole lot. We found >one for our family...in Peoria. > >Another idea...is to check the church records closest to the ones where the >Tary's lived. There may have been a baptism for a Donald Tary...see who the >godmother is....it might be the birth mother...and check for a duplicate >baptism for a baby born almost the same time. The birth mother may have >baptized her baby first. It sure sounds like the birth mother and the Tary's >were from the same church. If you know the denomination, it would be helpful >to check records. A lot of churches have decent records from the 1930s.... > >just some ideas...Julie Tupker > > >==== ILPEORIA Mailing List ==== >Visit the Peoria County ILGenWeb Home Page! >http://www.usgennet.org/~ilpeoria/index.html > >