I just got them back where I want them
Next time I close Safari, I'll try it and let you know.
edit - Yes, holding Shift down while opening Safari does not open any old tabs or windows.
Re the 65 tabs - they were my Favorites I saw at some point during this task. I think the Safari preferences were so messed up that as I sifted thru setting one at a time, eventually I tripped on the solution. If I had to guess, I would say the pulldowns for the new windows and tabs needed to be changed. I always used Top Sites, but changing to something else, then back may have helped.