When using the Social Security Death Index and viewing the field “last residence” try to remember that this is the address of record. It does not mean that this is the place of death. A perfect example is an elderly couple who had a summer home in the Northeast and a winter home in the south. The husband had passed on while residing in Florida but in the search results of the Social Security Death Index last residence is listed as a northern state. Many people have two official addresses especially if summer and winter home is involved.

Another... more

When searching the Social Security Death Index you can search b y date of birth and date of death as well as where a person lived and applied for their social security number. This is often times where the office that issued the Social Security number was located. You can also search using the residence at time of death which is the address of record but not necessarily where they lived or died and finally where the burial allowance or death benefit was sent.

According to the Social Security Administration a Social Security Number is composed of three... more

President Franklin Roosevelt said in a radio address on the third anniversary of the social security act on August 14, 1938 “"Long before the economic blight of the depression descended on the Nation, millions of our people were living in wastelands of want and fear. Men and women too old and infirm to work either depended on those who had but little to share, or spent their remaining years within the walls of a poorhouse. The Social Security Act offers to all our citizens a workable and working method of meeting urgent present needs and of forestalling... more

The natural mothers reading may be wondering how they can obtain a copy of their relinquishment papers.

One place that these papers can be obtained through is the attorney who handled the adoption or the state. To be more specific the county were the adoption took place. Both of these resources should also have a copy o f the adoption petition and will more than likely all be a part of the sealed adoption file.

If you are the natural mother requesting a copy of your relinquishment papers there is no reason that you can’t... more

In OH a natural parent or sibling can file an authorization form that gives permission for their identify to be released to the adoptee. if the adoption was finalized between January 1, 1964 – September 18, 1996 the form can be completed at any time. For adoptions after September 18, 1996 the natural parent can sign the disclosure statement when relinquishing the child to adoption.

In order to file an authorization form, you need to obtain a copy of the appropriate form. There is one for natural parents and a separate one for siblings. Both of these forms... more

If you were born in OH you may be able to access copies of certain documents in your adoption file. To be specific, section 3107.38 of the Ohio Revised Code provides that an adopted person whose birth occurred in OH and whose adoption was finalized prior to January 1, 1964 may request in writing to receive copies of the contents of an adoption file.

In order to request these documents you must complete a form called “affidavit for adopted person”. This form can be obtained at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/vitalstatistics/legalinfo/adoptpri.aspx... more

New Hampshire state laws provides a provision that provides natural parents an opportunity to file a form with Vital Records stating their preference about personal contact with the child they relinquished to adoption. When received by the state, this form is placed in the adoptee’s sealed record and provided to the adoptee when the records are requested and released.

If a natural parent wants contact he or she should complete a “contact preference form” and mail it to the NH Division of Vital Records. The address is on the form and the form can... more

In nearly all States, adoption records are sealed and withheld from public inspection after the adoption is finalized. Most States have instituted procedures by which parties to an adoption may obtain non identifying and identifying information from an adoption record while still protecting the interests of all parties.

Non identifying information is generally limited to descriptive details about an adopted person and the adopted person’s birth relatives and is provided to the adopting parents at the time of the adoption. Non identifying... more

13 If you are an adoptee and do not know how long your natural mother kept you, try contacting the primary newspapers in your town of birth to try to get your birth notice. Often, if it was known the natural mother intended to relinquish a child the hospital would not give the birth info to the newspapers -- some actually would stamp "DNP" on the records (Do Not Publish) so no mistake would be made. HOWEVER, if no decision had been made at the time of your birth it is possible it made it to the paper. A long shot, but worth a phone call... more

13 If adopted, find out if your hospital had birth journals -- small handwritten books of births, often called ob/gyn logs. You can try the records dept, archives dept, or the birth registrar's office, division of medical records. Wherever you go, try not to say the word "adoption" but try "genealogical research". Keep in mind that hospitals are not required to keep your actual records forever. 14 Natural mothers should contact the hospital and doctor and billing departments of hospitals to get their records. Who knows what... more