On 2/3/01 2:54 PM, Vicki Titus asked: > Also, were Orphan Train "adoptions" really adoptions? There is not a simple answer. According to Marilyn Irvin Holt, author of "The Orphan Trains, Placing Out in America" (University of Nebraska Press: 1992, pp. 65-67), American orphan trains began around 1850. Holt notes, "One noticeable aspect of the system was the lack of legal documentation for legal placement." At first there were only verbal agreements, but by the turn of the century the system had changed somewhat and responsible placement of the children improved. Adoption laws varied greatly among the states; there was some legislation early in the 19th century, but the "...first state to accept adoption as a legality was Massachusetts in 1851..." (Holt, p. 66). It was the early 20th century before adoption laws in most states became closer to those we use today. Mary Curtis -- Mary C. Curtis <mcurtis@nwlink.com> Kirkland, Washington (near Seattle)