please help

A few suggestions, which mirror the steps I've taken recently. While I can't say for sure they will be successful (still in process), from the posts I've seen here this is a solid way to start. I saw a post on the registry which said Catholic Charities was the agency, so I am assuming that below. This post has all of the info you need to get started: [url]http://forums.adoption.com/t113500.html[/url] Call the DSS number listed (hopefully you get Shiela there - she's great) and they'll identify the catholic charities you need to call and the number. Also ask her the number for the probate court in your jurisdiction (based on birth location) so you can petition to have the records unsealed. She might also recommend a local search agency for you - consider that your last resort after you exhaust all of these options. Call C.C. and request the non-ID info. There is a great post on this site with the questions you should ask: [url]http://forums.adoption.com/t129842.html[/url] If you are unbelievably lucky there will be a waiver in there allowing you to get the info. Not sure of how common those are, but I think of it as a lottery ticket sort of chance, so I wouldn't count on it. Ask about what you need to do to add your own consent to the file, etc (all in the link above). Next I suggest you petition the court to open the records. The steps may be different by jurisdiction, so call the number and ask what you need to do. It's likely a 2-3 month wait for the hearing, so be prepared for a lull. Also, be sure to really think about your petition - specifically WHY the court should make an exception for you. You'll ultimately need to convince a judge that not unsealing the records is imposing some sort of a hardship on you which outweighs the state's legal precedents which protect the identity of the birthparents. Not sure what the % rates are on success vs. failure, but it would be interesting to see. Once you hear the results of that, you'll either be successful and have a name, which should be relatively simple to trace, or you will be rejected in which case hard-core sleuthing is required, and that's not my area of expertise. Hope that helps. Good luck. - Matt