Helpful Documents and Resources, Page 2
Birth Certificates
Everyone who was adopted has at least two birth certificates: an original birth certificate (OBC) and an amended birth certificate (ABC).
In most states, it is virtually impossible for adoptees to obtain their original birth certificate or adoption records just by asking. It is even less likely that birth parents can obtain an OBC, unless they ask for and receive it immediately after the child is born. There are some exceptions.
The OBC usually lists the place and time of birth, the delivering doctor, and the hospital.
The amended birth certificate lists the adoptive parents’ names instead of the birth parents, and rarely lists the hospital or doctor. There may be no indication that an adoption occurred simply by looking at an amended birth certificate.
Additionally, when is a long period of time between the birth of a child and the issuance of a birth certificate, this can indicate an adoption.
You might want to request your birth certificate a second time after you have your birth name as well. Sometimes, mistakes are made, and an adoptee occasionally receives an original birth certificate instead of an amended one.
Birth Announcements
Like so many of the avenues available to locate an adoptee, a birth announcement is most likely a remote possibility. While birth announcements may be made for adopted children, it is unlikely that any information that could identify the birth family was included.When a birth announcement is listed for an adopted child, the wording is somewhat different. Instead of referring to a child’s birth, the wording might make mention of parents “welcoming a child” into their home or something similar.
Birth Indexes
Determine whether or not your state has a birth index – a databased list of all births in the state, by year. If it does, your search will be infinitely easier. The largest adoption reform/support group in your area is your best source of information about whether or not your state has a birth index. Find out if they can help you locate someone who can do a “look-up.”A look-up is simply a request for someone to aid you in “looking up” a particular bit of information or document. You may also need a search angel or searcher to interpret the birth index for you.
Only a few states have birth indexes, and they are not highly publicized. If your state is not listed, verify whether or not it has an index. Here is a Web site that discusses some details about birth indexes. Below is a listing of states that have birth indexes:
- California
- Kentucky
- Iowa
- llinois
- Minnesota
- New York – (certain boroughs of NYC)
- Ohio
- Texas
- Wisconsin
In states without birth indexes, you may have to rely on other more time-consuming procedures to find a name. You may be able to get a printout of all the births on a given day in the county where you were born, and start tracking with that list.
There are certain clues in the birth index that an adoption is likely:
- Babies with no first name. Many times, birth mothers do not officially name their babies. Often they do not know that they can.
- Babies with the same last name as their mother's maiden name. At the time when most people who are searching today were born, unmarried mothers did not usually keep their babies, so this is a valuable clue.
© Excerpted from the Adoption.com Guide to Search and Reunion, published by Adoption Media, LLC
Credits: Jan Baker
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