The path home is very long for most adopted individuals. Tracing the footsteps of the past can also be a very exhausting and expensive task. Thousands of people are put up for adoption each month and every day hundreds of people give up on trying to find the birth parents they have never met. However, there is hope. Start by talking with your adopted parents. While this may be very difficult, it is in fact the very best place to start. Chance are your adoptive parent may have some information on one or both of your birth parents. Every single piece of information is imperative, no matter how minuet it may seem. Ask them to please be very honest and tell you everything they may know. Ask your parents to provide you with the name of the adoption agency or attorney that handled your adoption. If possible, find the name of the hospital you were born in or the midwifes name that delivered you. If your adoptive parents are no longer alive or refuse to help you. You will want to contact every family member or family friend you can think of. Even, long lost Aunt Ellen may have some information. Do not disqualify anyone! Write everything down and take good notes. You will thank me later.
If you were not able to get the name of the hospital, or attending physician. Contact the administrative office of every hospital in your city of birth. Explain to the office associate that it is imperative that you receive a copy of your medical records. They should be able to tell you if they have them. Next, ask them the appropriate procedure for obtaining your medical file. This file will be very important, as it should contain the name of the delivery doctor, parents names and attending nurses. It may even have a forwarding address.
Once you have this information, you can request a copy of your original birth certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics. With your request, include your birth name, city of birth and biological parents names. If your records have been sealed, contact the State Court. You may request that the records be reopened.
Search birth, death and marriage records. These can normally be found at your local library. Marriage records usually include, date of marriage, birth dates and birth places of both the bride and the groom. It will also have the name of the minister who performed the marriage and two or more witnesses. Death records will usually include a biography of the person as well as the names of other family members. In addition, to this it may include names of schools, college and military experience.
All of these resources will be very valuable in helping you locate your birth parents. Enjoy your journey to self discovery and you will meet many friends along the way!
