Searching for Adoption Records • FamilySearch
Searching for Adoption Records • FamilySearch
Adoption records can be an important part of the journey in discovering details about an adoption. This can be a significant and poignant journey.
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All my life I heard my mother was adopted. She passed at the age of 42 and at that time I was in my early 20's and had never thought to ask her questions about her childhood or the adoption. Now I am in my mid 70's and learning about genealogy research. On a return to MI for a high school reunion I searched for her birth certificate at the town hall of the town it states she was born in on my birth certificate but the clerk could not find a birth certificate for my mother in that town or the next town over or even in the state of MI! MI adoption records are sealed so I am told. My mother would be 96 tomorrow, June 1st. You would think at this stage of the game records after so many years would be unsealed! I recently took an mtDNA so maybe this might help me track down her biological family. Cross your fingers for me! Thanks.
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I volunteer for WikiTree Adoption Angels, which helps adoptees find their birth families. You can make an application for help here: https://www.wikitree.com/contact/adoption/
I don't want to be negative, but I will say that mtDNA is not usually the best type of DNA to help solve adoption cases. mtDNA is inherited from mother to child, so it only has information about your direct matrilineal line (mother, mother's mother etc). Your birth mother's father for instance cannot be found using mtDNA. mtDNA doesn't contain a lot of information, and it can be hard to determine how closely related you are to matches.
A better form of DNA in most cases is autosomal DNA. This is by far the most common sort of genealogical DNA test, with 20+ million taken, versus under a million for mtDNA. So you're more likely to match a relative, and autosomal DNA has a lot of information making it a lot easier to work out how you're related to matches.
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Hi Kathryn,
Would you know how I should record an adoption in the Family Search program? It's unfortunate that I cannot record both the birth parents and adoption parents. If you could let me know that would be greately appreciated. Thanks! Colleen
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You can add multiple sets of parents and set their specific type of relationship. Please see this Help Center article for instructions: How do I add step, adopted, and foster parents to a child in Family Tree?
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I have been searching for a nephew who was born on 6/2/1962, both birth parents are deceased. I know the birth mothers name but she never named the birth father on records. I have written to the State of NJ but have never received a response. The records in NJ were opened to adoptees and birth parents Jan 1st 2017. How else could I go about finding baby Michael? He does have siblings too.
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I'm searching for orginial birth certificate for my cousin Donald Ray Richardson Horan. His birth was 12/7/1959 in Jefferson Co KY. His real dad is Jim Richardson.. His adopted step dad is James Henry Horan. His mom is Patricia Parrott. Not sure if his adoption took place in Ky, possibly Illinois, since that's where he was raised. Don is 65 and has searched many years for his birth certifiicate showing his real dad, Jim Richardson. Please help. Thank you. Linda Gillis Sherwood/McElwain
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Linda McElwain_1 For help with a specifi family member, plesae schedule an appt. with at this link: Free Research Consultations provided by the FamilySearch Library.
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