Thank you very much, Joan. This has been a mystery because I knew Thalassemia has also been called Mediterranean anemia but our family is very Germanic. We have traced this blood disorder back to my PA. Dutch great grandfather who was German and Swiss. More recently, though, I learned that one of his PA Dutch lines was French Huguenot. I guess the French side is the most likely source of Thalassemia, but I haven't seen French ancestry mentioned in the information I've read about Thalassemia and I haven't found it among other LABARRE / LABAR / LAWAR descendants. Because French Huguenots fled to the Rhine area of Germany and lived there among Germans and Swiss and later lived and worshipped among them in PA, I've wondered if other PA Dutch descendants had encountered Thalassemia in their families. I've also looked for Jewish ancestry in our family, but have found none. Joan, is your neighbor Italian and not PA Dutch? Thank you again for your help. I hope you and your family are well and greatly blessed. Cathy ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.