These instructions can help adoptees find their birth name, using their amended birth certificate -- but only if the adoptee is born within the five boroughs of New York City.

1. On your amended birth certificate, find the number in the upper right hand corner. It should look something like this: 146-67-105231
2. Take the third group of numbers -- in the sample number, 105231. Remove the first number from this group. The number you now have is 05231. This is the number that corresponds with your original birth record in the Birth Index for the City of New York.
3. Go to the New York Public Library main branch to the third floor and ask for the genealogy room. Register at the desk and request the Birth Index for the City of New York for the year you were born. They will ask whether you want both volumes; the answer is yes. (Most years have two volumes, the first for, say, A-L, the second for M-Z.) They will not ask you what you are looking for, but don't offer any information or mention adoption. The librarians may suggest you use the Birth Index on microfiche; the fiche is harder to scan and may be missing pages. Stick with the books.
4. The Birth Index lists every child born in New York City for that year, in alphabetical order by the child's last name. The child's name is listed last name first, then first name. The info shown in the books varies by year, but you'll usually find the child's birthdate, sex, borough birth took place in, and of course, the NUMBER! Matching the number is the real proof that you have the right name. It takes a long time to scan the books and it's incredibly tedious. Having a person to help is a real plus! You'll figure out your own method, but scanning by birthdate is the one I usually go by, switching occasionally to the number. If you do have another person helping you, and you have non-identifying info about your natural parents that leads you to believe that they were, for instance, Irish, you could have your friend scan the Birth Index for names typically from that ethnic group. I found my brother's listing that way! But one of you should go from the beginning without skipping, just to be sure you don't miss it. And be forewarned: there are many holes in the records; you may find your natural mother's name, or even your first name, blank.

The Birth Index for some years is available on microfilm from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons. The Mormons try to unearth the names of their pre-Mormon ancestors in order to baptize them by proxy. For this purpose they maintain the most extensive genealogical records in the world. In many cities, the Mormons have set up what is called an LDS Family History Center -- a Mormon genealogy library, where you can use books, request microfilm, and get genealogical research advice free of charge. You can request the Birth Index for the City of New York, for the year you were born.

If you don't know where the nearest LDS Family History Center is, call 1 800-537-5950 or the nearest Mormon church. A complete listing of years available on microfilm is located on the web at www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/nycv-lds.txt Also see: pcm.pcmedia.com.au/tags/docs/lsdl.html and firstct.com/fv/lds3.html

A natural mother can sometimes use the birth index In some cases there have been double listings in the Birth Index. What I mean is that they are listed once under their birth name, and again under their adopted name. The second listing may be in the book for the following year. In these cases, the natural parent could look up the child's birth name, write down the number, and using the tedious method described above, search the books until the matching number is found which would be the adopted listing.