Primer to Finding Adoption Records For Family History Research
If you are beginning your search into adoption records for family history research you may be surprised at your lack of luck finding such records.
It can come down to what type of genealogy records you are attempting to find.
If you are looking for adoption records pertaining to yourself you may have a lot of problems finding them.
If you are working on an older family history and need records from the past you may have better luck.
But sometimes those old adoption records are just as hard to find.
When you attempt to do a search for your own adoption records your problems may be insurmountable.
First off you must be 18 to begin such a search.
If you were adopted via a lawyer you may not be able to see those records due to lawyer / client privileges.
If you are determined to try anyway you can try to hire your own lawyer or a Private Investigator, but this is no guarantee you will get to see the records you seek.
Online there are some services that may do a modern adoption record search for you but it will not be free and these sites are unreliable much of the time.
There are online adoption registries that will do a few free searches for you but make sure you check out the reputation of these sites before using them.
Many are just for selling you something in the long run.
The search for adoption records for genealogy purposes or just for your own satisfaction requires jumping many hurdles.
You will encounter sealed records, uncooperative relatives, false birth certificates and inaccurate family history information.
Get yourself mentally ready for the emotional journey as well, as you may find information that is sad or unpleasant.
Those who were adopted could have been passed on the black market or through informal adoption.
Your search will take different paths depending on if you are looking for modern records or historical genealogical ones.
Many states have had sealed adoption record philosophies dating back to 1920 through 1940.
In Minnesota there was an act called the "Minnesota Act of 1917.
" Many states patterned their own laws from this act.
It was thought to protect the children from the stigma of being illegitimate, and so adoption records were sealed by the court.
The fervor of secrecy spread and social workers, lawyers and those working at adoption agencies felt compelled to hide anything they could which might create a future stigma for unwed mothers or young pregnant ladies.
However some of the adoption information may have slipped through the cracks as it is hard for a birth mom not to mention their adopted child in some way either in a journal, Bible or passed down through oral history.
You are going to have to research each state's laws to read about their current policies.
States such as Pennsylvania still have closed records and you will have little luck there.
In Tennessee you can see modern adoption records dated after March 1951 if you can prove your eligibility.
States are updating laws every year.
For genealogists, getting records related to an adoption of an ancestor can be complicated by name changes.
The adopted individual may have had a few name changes in their life.
Name changing is always an issue in genealogy research but it can get more confusing when working with adoption records.
Genealogy type sites such as Ancestry.
com will have publications related to old adoptions for various states.
What you can find will depend on if the adoption records have been saved, and if they have been put online.
There are times when files were destroyed from fire, or were just misplaced, and if there were not copies, that information is going to be gone.
You should search for genealogy books or online databases that contain orphan records to determine if your ancestor had been eligible for adoption due to being an orphan.
Your search for modern or old adoption records will take a lot of time and patience.
It is even possible that the reason you have hit a brick wall in your research is due to an ancestor being adopted.
Many times this is the reason why some lines stop and no one can find information on the name.
Be positive and keep searching.
You will find some valuable genealogy information along the way.
It can come down to what type of genealogy records you are attempting to find.
If you are looking for adoption records pertaining to yourself you may have a lot of problems finding them.
If you are working on an older family history and need records from the past you may have better luck.
But sometimes those old adoption records are just as hard to find.
When you attempt to do a search for your own adoption records your problems may be insurmountable.
First off you must be 18 to begin such a search.
If you were adopted via a lawyer you may not be able to see those records due to lawyer / client privileges.
If you are determined to try anyway you can try to hire your own lawyer or a Private Investigator, but this is no guarantee you will get to see the records you seek.
Online there are some services that may do a modern adoption record search for you but it will not be free and these sites are unreliable much of the time.
There are online adoption registries that will do a few free searches for you but make sure you check out the reputation of these sites before using them.
Many are just for selling you something in the long run.
The search for adoption records for genealogy purposes or just for your own satisfaction requires jumping many hurdles.
You will encounter sealed records, uncooperative relatives, false birth certificates and inaccurate family history information.
Get yourself mentally ready for the emotional journey as well, as you may find information that is sad or unpleasant.
Those who were adopted could have been passed on the black market or through informal adoption.
Your search will take different paths depending on if you are looking for modern records or historical genealogical ones.
Many states have had sealed adoption record philosophies dating back to 1920 through 1940.
In Minnesota there was an act called the "Minnesota Act of 1917.
" Many states patterned their own laws from this act.
It was thought to protect the children from the stigma of being illegitimate, and so adoption records were sealed by the court.
The fervor of secrecy spread and social workers, lawyers and those working at adoption agencies felt compelled to hide anything they could which might create a future stigma for unwed mothers or young pregnant ladies.
However some of the adoption information may have slipped through the cracks as it is hard for a birth mom not to mention their adopted child in some way either in a journal, Bible or passed down through oral history.
You are going to have to research each state's laws to read about their current policies.
States such as Pennsylvania still have closed records and you will have little luck there.
In Tennessee you can see modern adoption records dated after March 1951 if you can prove your eligibility.
States are updating laws every year.
For genealogists, getting records related to an adoption of an ancestor can be complicated by name changes.
The adopted individual may have had a few name changes in their life.
Name changing is always an issue in genealogy research but it can get more confusing when working with adoption records.
Genealogy type sites such as Ancestry.
com will have publications related to old adoptions for various states.
What you can find will depend on if the adoption records have been saved, and if they have been put online.
There are times when files were destroyed from fire, or were just misplaced, and if there were not copies, that information is going to be gone.
You should search for genealogy books or online databases that contain orphan records to determine if your ancestor had been eligible for adoption due to being an orphan.
Your search for modern or old adoption records will take a lot of time and patience.
It is even possible that the reason you have hit a brick wall in your research is due to an ancestor being adopted.
Many times this is the reason why some lines stop and no one can find information on the name.
Be positive and keep searching.
You will find some valuable genealogy information along the way.
Source...