Those of us with WV roots are quite likely to abhor any thing imposed upon us by the Feds. It's in our blood! However, I will concur with Linda's decision, which closely parallels the 72 years sealing of census records. Frustrating as the Soundex/Miracode cards may be, the cross-referencing aspect may be of some use when family members were farmed out to neighbors, church members, or simply as orphans. I am always surprised how often the birth surname was retained. Peg [email protected]