5 million and counting. 2.5 % of families have adopted. And, California has more adoptees than any other state.
At a recent meeting of our local genealogy club, we were astounded by the number of adoptees in attendance. No wonder really, since the world of genealogy can be incredibly helpful for those adoptees searching for their birth parents. And sometimes, finding birth parents can be critical to understanding possible inherited health issues. That is not counting out the challenge of finding your birth family and possible siblings.
Adoptions come in many forms. Some are processed through state social agencies. Others are handled privately, for example, via a family doctor. And the records are often difficult to access.
Many states still only offer “non-identifiable information” such as the age of the mother, etc., leaving the searcher still unaware of their birth parents’ identities. Other states have finally opened full access to their records. Private adoptions of course, are a totally different matter.
In our family, we finally resorted to hiring a private detective since the social services authorities were less than supportive of our quest. She broke through the information barriers in a matter of months. And, we soon added a wonderful new son to our family.
New tools such as DNA testing offer great support, but searchers are warned to be ready for possible unwelcome reactions. Some parents who gave up their children for adoption do not want to be contacted.
Join your local genealogical society to learn more and how best to navigate the world of adoption information.
Ron Gilmore
Email: rvg3@me.com
Website: https://rgenealogy.ca