This is one in a series of posts on the search for my biological family.
I was adopted soon after birth and have known from the earliest memories of that fact. I was always curious about my biological family but I really didn't have any way to find out who they were. That changed a little over three years ago as I began a new search for my biological parents based on some potentially new information.
I started with a blog post that included just about everything that I knew at the time. That post included some notes (probably from a caseworker) that were given to my adopted parents. At the time I had no idea how accurate or potentially valuable these notes would be. In 1975, these notes may have been considered non-identifying information but that probably would not be the case today.
Besides the notes, the two best potential sources of information for me were DNA testing (which had become relatively inexpensive) and a new law in Pennsylvania that would allow adoptees to have a copy of their original birth certificate (my official birth certificate has my adopted parents listed).
The DNA tests I took were very helpful and included information on relatedness, ethnicity, and paternity. Unfortunately, because I did not know what I was looking for, the DNA tests by themselves did not give me what I needed. At this point, with the assistance of friends for whom I will be forever grateful, I hired an investigator who was able to take all the disparate pieces of evidence and find my birth mother.
I eventually connected with my birth mother online and we have chatted quite a bit but have not met yet. Through information she provided, I was eventually able to locate my birth father and we have since met. Identifying your birth parents is an emotional roller coaster. Some people find out that their birth parents have passed. Others find that their birth parents don't want anything to do with them. Others meet and have a bad experience. I have to admit that I have been very lucky.
The best sources of information in finding my biological family and filling out the family tree came from Ancestry.com. The best resources on Ancestry are available through a paid subscription. Other sites of particular interest are FindAGrave.com (which is integrated into Ancestry but also available as a standalone site), and Newspapers.com (another paid site associated with Ancestry). Finally, digital scans of many old newspapers are available through the Proquest Historical Newspapers database which is available in many academic libraries such as the Jerry Falwell Library (and the source of Video DB forum 6). The family of my biological father lived in Baltimore for many years so the Baltimore Sun was a key resource for me. In sum, if you already know a lot about your family, you may be able to find good resources in print via libraries or a particular historical society. But for me and my investigator, the best resources were all online.
For DNA testing, I used a combination of Ancestry and FamilyTreeDNA.com. These tests are usually less than $100. To be sure, many people have ethical concerns about sharing their DNA with a private company so if you have those concerns, be sure to read the terms of service before you decide. If you're in a position like me, the potential benefits outweighed the costs.
Finding my birth parents is something that has taken me virtually all of my life. For many years I made no progress because the information I needed was not available. The proliferation of genealogy information online and the availability of inexpensive DNA tests has made the process much easier. And just to tie up a few loose threads: I did eventually get a copy of my original birth certificate. Only my mother's name was on it, but I had already located her by them. But for many others, this law is a crucial step for adoptees in finding their birth parents. And those original notes from the caseworker? Although I could not have known at the time, they were dead-on accurate.
References
Ancestry.com
FamilyTreeDNA.com
FindAGrave.com
Newspapers.com
Proquest Historical Newspapers
I was adopted soon after birth and have known from the earliest memories of that fact. I was always curious about my biological family but I really didn't have any way to find out who they were. That changed a little over three years ago as I began a new search for my biological parents based on some potentially new information.
I started with a blog post that included just about everything that I knew at the time. That post included some notes (probably from a caseworker) that were given to my adopted parents. At the time I had no idea how accurate or potentially valuable these notes would be. In 1975, these notes may have been considered non-identifying information but that probably would not be the case today.
Besides the notes, the two best potential sources of information for me were DNA testing (which had become relatively inexpensive) and a new law in Pennsylvania that would allow adoptees to have a copy of their original birth certificate (my official birth certificate has my adopted parents listed).
The DNA tests I took were very helpful and included information on relatedness, ethnicity, and paternity. Unfortunately, because I did not know what I was looking for, the DNA tests by themselves did not give me what I needed. At this point, with the assistance of friends for whom I will be forever grateful, I hired an investigator who was able to take all the disparate pieces of evidence and find my birth mother.
I eventually connected with my birth mother online and we have chatted quite a bit but have not met yet. Through information she provided, I was eventually able to locate my birth father and we have since met. Identifying your birth parents is an emotional roller coaster. Some people find out that their birth parents have passed. Others find that their birth parents don't want anything to do with them. Others meet and have a bad experience. I have to admit that I have been very lucky.
The best sources of information in finding my biological family and filling out the family tree came from Ancestry.com. The best resources on Ancestry are available through a paid subscription. Other sites of particular interest are FindAGrave.com (which is integrated into Ancestry but also available as a standalone site), and Newspapers.com (another paid site associated with Ancestry). Finally, digital scans of many old newspapers are available through the Proquest Historical Newspapers database which is available in many academic libraries such as the Jerry Falwell Library (and the source of Video DB forum 6). The family of my biological father lived in Baltimore for many years so the Baltimore Sun was a key resource for me. In sum, if you already know a lot about your family, you may be able to find good resources in print via libraries or a particular historical society. But for me and my investigator, the best resources were all online.
For DNA testing, I used a combination of Ancestry and FamilyTreeDNA.com. These tests are usually less than $100. To be sure, many people have ethical concerns about sharing their DNA with a private company so if you have those concerns, be sure to read the terms of service before you decide. If you're in a position like me, the potential benefits outweighed the costs.
Finding my birth parents is something that has taken me virtually all of my life. For many years I made no progress because the information I needed was not available. The proliferation of genealogy information online and the availability of inexpensive DNA tests has made the process much easier. And just to tie up a few loose threads: I did eventually get a copy of my original birth certificate. Only my mother's name was on it, but I had already located her by them. But for many others, this law is a crucial step for adoptees in finding their birth parents. And those original notes from the caseworker? Although I could not have known at the time, they were dead-on accurate.
References
Ancestry.com
FamilyTreeDNA.com
FindAGrave.com
Newspapers.com
Proquest Historical Newspapers
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