In a message dated 3/24/01 9:55:12 PM, RPT1553@aol.com writes: << I would appreciate any point of direction. I know that there are a lot of TOBIN's and TABIN's in this world. But, to whom I belong to, is a question I would like to answer some day. >> Dick, The first rule of genealogy is always to start with yourself, and work backwards in time from the known to the unknown. It is no use trying to do it by finding out what nationality the surname is and going forward. Many names have spelling variations and can be found in more than one country. I think your best bet is to figure out which of your ancestors was the immigrant. You indicate it may be your grandfather. Try to find that his naturalization papers by checking with the courts in the state/county where he lived. His papers will tell you what his country of origin was, perhaps even his specific native town. Then you can trace him backin the "old country." Get yourself a good book on starting your family tree. Your library probably has a few. Good luck, Janet C-S