During your adoption search there are certain documents that will provide you with information pertinent to your search. Some you will be able to easily obtain through the appropriate state agency for a fee. There will be other documents you can check for additional information aid you in your search.
Believe it or not one of the hardest part about searching is the waiting game. You can request information. That is the easy part. The hard part comes in when you are playing the waiting game. Each request you make is going to take time and whomever you make your request to will process the request in their own time.
So, how do you get through the waiting? It is easy for me to say be patient but when you are living the waiting game you learn it is the only way to be able to get through the wait.
Some of the suggestions that will follow will require information about the person you are seeking that you may not have in your possession. That is okay. Skip over it and return to it later in your search if you obtain the information needed.
1. Birth Certificate – Obtain a copy of your original and/or amended. Not all states grant access to the original birth certificates but the number of states is growing.
2. Hospital Records – When requesting these be sure to ask for the nurses notes. This may contain additional information about the person you are seeking such as their mental state at the time.
3. Doctor’s files – Doctor’s are required to maintain a record for 7 years so this is a long short especially today with the HIPPA requirements but it may be worth contacting the physician whom delivered the baby.
4. Attorney Records – If you have the attorneys name that represented the adoption you can locate him or her via the state bar association or online at the states license verification website. They too are also only required to maintain records for x number of years so this may also be a long shot.
5. Newspaper Birth Notices – These were often printed in the local newspaper if adoption was not involved. However, if a decision wasn’t made until after the fact you may be able to find a birth announcement in the newspaper on microfilm at the local library.
6. Birth Index – Some cities have birth indexes that lists information that can be useful in your search. New York City has a birth index as well as the state of West Virginia. I believe in West Virginia they are maintained on a county level through out the state. These are usually filed by date of birth.
7. Baptismal Records – If you were baptized prior to relinquishment you may be able to obtain a copy of the baptismal certificate. The church may be able to help you obtain this information.
8. Adoption Decree – Adoptive parents were in many but not all counties provided this document at the time the adoption was finalized. The document shows the name change to the adoptive family and on the front or at the beginning of the document it will have your birth name. An example would be as follows: Re: Baby Girl Jones