Dear Ann, Thank you for so much help! I think that I might have found the answer to my original question about the Onondaga County Hospital. I believe that it is now the Van Duyn Home and Hospital, in some form. I will be contacting them to pursue this line of research. To answer your questions, I found Shadrach in the early censuses (1892 NYS, and 1900 federal) in the town of Nelson, Madison County. Later, by 1917 anyway, he lived in Delphi Falls, Madison County, and from 1920 until he died in 1947 he was in the village of Manlius, Onondaga County. I do have his grandparents' obits, such as they were, and Shadrach is not mentioned, but his "sisters" and "brothers" were. If I restate the relationships, maybe it will make the singularity of this person clearer (as in mud-clear): James Jones (1826-1912) married Jane Davis (1835-1897) and they had nine children, the oldest of whom was Jane, born 1856, and the youngest of whom, Eva, was born in 1881. Shadrach, born 1883, is listed in the 1892 census as a grandson. Another document, a typescript family tree, shows Shadrach as "adopted". No one in the family knows his true status. Evan Shadrach's diary from when he was 15 shows him referring to his "grandparents'" children as brothers and sisters, and in fact, the one child of theirs (James and Jane) who survived Shadrach was mentioned in the obituary as a brother. James did not name Shadrach as a son when applying for or amending any document relating to his Civil War pension after Shadrach's birth. But, Shadrach is mentioned in and bequeathed to in James' will. Moving on to more answers to your questions: I do not believe that Shadrach was adopted in any conventional way, if at all. I have not yet checked for adoption papers, but will do so soon (in Madison County) to see if there are any guardianship papers or surrogate records. Anne, you mentioned the following, and I have to aske for some clarification: "Did you look at the death indexes from the very beginning of record for the family last name? I know Jones is difficult, but back then it may have been very less common & easier to track." If you mean did I check for Shadrach in the index to death certificates, I did, and I found the record. I haven't yet pursued that through the state DOH, and would prefer not to, per my experience and your advice. You are certainly right that Jones is a difficult and common name, and there were many unrelated Jones families in the Nelson area since the 1850s. If there is something else you meant by "death indexes", I'm not sure what it is. We do know that Shadrach never married, and never served in the military. I do not believe that he registered for the draft, either, but can't be sure without investing in a search. It is possible that he registered for Social Security, but doubtful, given his age at death, and the tenor of the times. Thanks again for the help--I hope that answering here frames the problems a little more clearly so that my situation can be understood. Aaron Howard North Syracuse, NY [email protected] wrote: Where did you locate Shadrach in the census? What Town, City, Village, etc.? Have you tried to trace his grandfather in previous censuses? Or, did you look for his grandfather or grandmother's obits? They may lead to a clue of what children they had previously lost. Have you looked for Guardianship papers at the County Court house? Or the Surrogate records from his grandparents or others with the same last name? Did you look at the death indexes from the very beginning of record for the family last name? I know Jones is difficult, but back then it may have been very less common & easier to track. As for baptismal records, back in the late 1800s it might be easier to track if you check the city directories to see where the family may have been living, then approach a neighborhood church to see if they would look in those records. I always try to look in strange places & then I sometimes get lucky & find the answers I am looking for. Sometimes it takes a long time ... years, but other times the timing is correct & it is right there. I wouldn't send to the State for anything without a Certificate number, you've lost your money if you do. I wonder if he would have been in the Military, or if he had applied for a Social Security Card? Other places to look for information (this can cost money, so do it as a last resort, but before sending another contribution to NYS DOH) I hope this makes sense. Anne Ruggeri Brewerton, NY --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time.