Some adoptive parents are heard to say, "What about me?" at reunion. Reunion is not about adoptive parents. It is not for their benefit, nor are they the main characters in a reunion. During a reunion, they play a minor role. I believe that it is crucial for adoptive parents to understand and accept that reunion is not a time for them to be center of attention. Most adoptive parents understand this. Want to give your child a priceless gift at reunion? Unless asked to participate, stand back and let the reunion develop between your child and their... more

Cole babies were babies delivered by Dr. Katherine Cole. Dr. Cole was a naturopathic physician that practiced in Miami, Florida for 51 years. In her 2 story clinic on the west side of Miami, Cole delivered thousands of babies. The building in which her clinic was located also contained several rooms that Cole rented to pregnant and unmarried women. In many cases, the babies that these women bore were illegally placed with adoptive families for a price. A fee for that ranged from twenty five dollars to several thousands of dollars. Dr. Katherine... more

Step 9 assumes that you have a name and are now beginning to actively search for that person.

Recently I wrote a blog about Grannie Annie who is asking that people post her photo and adoption details as widely as possible. She has been searching for many years with little success.

The next time you read a reunion story, take note of how long the parties reuniting have searched for each other. Searches take minutes... more

This site will tell you the story of Bessie Bernard.

Bessie Bernard was a part of a baby peddling ring in the 1940s which charged as much as two thousand dollars per baby, which was a lot of money at that time.

Many of the unwed mothers were found in the Miami Florida area and once the babies were born they were brought north and were sold in New York and nearby states.

Bessie Bernard was charged with conspiracy and illegal placement for adoption in December... more

Step 8 is to look at all the information that you have and try to connect the dots.

Take a critical look at all the information that you have and try to reach some conclusions from what you have. If you are unable to make any sense of what you have, try a search angel, a professional searcher or private detective.

Let's summarize at this point, here are the steps discussed in 1-8:

Step 1 - Prepare yourself... more

Although it is true that all states amend birth certificates and contain some false information, some states do more than change the names of the parents.

This site lists the ways that certain states falsify adoption records. It should be noted that this practice is not common. You might be surprised to find that this list contains seventeen states that change certain items on birth certificates.

According to this list, in Florida they still change the actual place of birth, for... more

In some cases, there are already others adopted from the same source who can provide information to a new searcher. Some of the already established groups include Cole babies, Hicks babies, Bessie babies, Dr. Mary babies, Butterbox babies, and Springer babies.

Black market adoptees should use all established methods for obtaining information, but cannot take anything for granted as details were so often changed, deleted, or missing altogether. They should be aware that documents such as birth certificates and consent forms were also... more

This adoption story involves a attorney named Carla Latty who found out at age 30 that she was adopted. Recently at age 54, she found many of the answers that she sought. Thanks to a DNA test, she now has confirmation that her birth father was a white Catholic priest who became involved with her Afro-American birth mom.

Latty learned from her birth mom's two sons about the possibility of the priest being her birth father.... more

A black market adoption is the sale of a baby for profit. Some may have the image of a dark alley and money being exchanged. However, it isn’t nor was it like this at all.

In the early 1900’s, private secular and religious groups began the permanent residential care of orphaned children, but were ill equipped to handle the multitude of America’s orphans. By the 1920’s, social changes and the absence of state run orphanages provided fertile ground for the emergence of black market adoption as a means to place babies with adoptive parents.

From... more

Susi is an educated, bilingual Guatemalan hired by adoptive parents who wish to locate their Guatemalan children's birth mothers.... Occasionally she will set up meetings between the two families. But most often she'll travel throughout Guatemala, often deep into the countryside, to knock on the door of a woman who hasn't received news of a child she placed for adoption years before.

This interview caught my eye. It is an interview between... more