2. Adoptions and Family History

 

You were a teenager when your parents finally told you that you were adopted.  Who cared?  You were loved and protected, busy with our friends and life and who needed more.  But years later, long after you had raised your own family and retired, the mystery of your birth parents remained.   Why were you given up for adoption?  Who were your birth parents?  Where did they live?  What did they do?  You have read the newspaper articles and watched the TV clips of people who have found their birth parents, sometimes with great drama.  Finally, with some free time you have decided to tackle the puzzle of your own birth origins.

 

Where to start?  Your parents are gone.  You have no records.  You have heard that some states have begun to open adoption records.  Other states are known to keep their records locked down hard.   Maybe it was a “private” adoption?  Then what?  Can DNA testing help?  How does that work?  

We know that even finding your birth family may not necessarily generate a “Happy Ending”, but we have a built-in fever to know the truth, no matter what.  

 

Join your local genealogical society to secure some quality help with your search.  Some club members will astonish you with their personal discovery journeys down the adoption path.  They will also assist you in starting your own search.  

 

Ron Gilmore

Email:         rvg3@me.com

Website:     https://www.rgenealogy.ca