In a message dated 98-05-27 18:54:04 EDT, you write: << he is long dead, b) he has a surviving widow who apparently knows nothing about his first family, and c) I have 2 half sisters who presumably are equally in the dark. >> my brother made a baby with a woman whose husband was in VietNam. The girl took in her wheelchair-bound "father". One week later, her mother told her the truth. She found us, but my brother is dead. She is my niece. I am growing to love her. She looks like my brother and my sister. I want her in my family. my brother's widow and their oldest son are cold as ice. The four younger kids have taken to her. You never know what kind of people you will find..... Why don't you contact one of the daughters and she what happens? They may not think it wise to upset the mother. Expect the worst and be thankful for what you get. :)mary, who has a beautiful niece and two bitty greats. (a boy and a girl)