Locating Adopted Relatives?

cj

January 3, 20100 found this helpful

I'm sure you know their last name. On Ancestry.com (the free part of it) they have message boards for individual surnames, and you can post a message for them or any of their children/grandchildren.

You can post as much information as you have and check back to see if you get any response.

I know this can work, because just last year I used it to find my husband's birth family -- mother, full sister, a half-brother and a half-sister, and all the extended family that goes with them.

Best of luck in your search.

Fletcher
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January 3, 20100 found this helpful

It looks like a good place to start is the International Soundex Reunion Registry. This service provides a way for parents and adopted children to find each other. If the adopted children are also seeking you out then this service might be able to provide a match.

www.isrr.net/

The services of a private investigator who is skilled in adoption cases is really the best way to handle this. It might be worth seeing if you can find a charity, possibly even a local charity or church, who would be willing to help with the expense.

Good Luck

Amy Higdon

January 7, 20100 found this helpful

First off, when you search yourself, look for the nephew. He'll be easier to look for even if the adoption changed his last name. Dealing with up to two names as opposed to the neice being married one or more times. Go to the city county building in the city where you believe the adoption took place. Tell them your doing a GENEOLOGY, not searching for birth family. Search marriage licences. I had to go three times "researching my geneology" till I hit paydirt. Remember to watch what you say when looking - adoption is still a very dirty word to many out there.

Try Cjgeo's idea of Ancestry.com - it can't hurt. ISRR is good but they may not know/remember you and unless you specifically search adoption stuff, you won't know about ISRR.

If you check with local private I's or attorneys, check and see if they do any Pro Bono work. The right one can probably have your info almost immediately. As for the orphanages, contact them all. If you can prove your an aunt,(pictures, letters, misc) you may get farther. Sympathetic employees are who gave me the names of my Birth Mother.

If you have photos of the children, you can always post them in certain magazines in the help section. Country or Reminisence has done that for soldiers and so forth. Some have simply posted letters to the help area of the magazine. Post in certain - high standard - chat rooms and message boards. Post here, all your info, think how many people read Thrifty Fun?!!

Email me if you have questions, I'm here and I care. Nellie

Cornelia

January 7, 20100 found this helpful

strangely enough, FaceBook is another place to look for them. my sister's email was old and I couldn't contact her, so I Googled her, hoping she had done something that Google listed-and she had got onto FaceBook. it helps that I knew her name, and that we have a very rare maiden name, but even with a common surname, you can find relatives.

get on the list at Roots@Rootsweb.com (go to Rootsweb.com itself to see how to sign on) and ask for help, there are a lot of people on the list who've done adoption research and can show you the ropes, even help you do the research.

also, Google adoption research, there's some sites out there with free info.

carolcoen

January 7, 20100 found this helpful

I remember years ago the "Salvation Army" found lost relatives. But you would need their social security numbers. The rest of these suggestions are also excellent. Good Luck.