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Hi,
My name is Patti and I am writing about my mom, who MAY have been adopted. Here's my info:
My mother was born on 12-7-32, in Milbank, SD and she passed away on 10-14-90 in Burnsville, MN. Some time after my mom passed away, my sister visited South Dakota to search for family history info. While there, she discovered that my mom created her own birth certificate in 1988. (I'm not sure why my mom created her own certificate.)
We discovered this info because one of my cousins (who worked in the deeds office of the Milbank, SD Courthouse) was helping my sister by accessing birth records from her computer in the deeds office. When she attempted to access my mom's records, however, she saw that they were sealed. She was able to access the birth certificate that my mom created, but she could not access the sealed records.
My sister and I would like to have those sealed records opened, but are running into dead ends. We have been told that without a birth parent's signature, the records are not allowed to be open. I have to think, though, that since my mom has been gone since 1990 (and assuming her birth parents are passed away, too), there is little reason to hold the records as sealed.
So far I have been in contact with the Dept. of Social Service and the Clerk of the Courts in Milbank. They say I have to file a petition to open the records, but they each refer me back and forth (between the two) for that petition.
I have NO idea how to proceed here. Can anyone offer suggestions, please?
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter and for your help.
Sincerely, Patti
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