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I was born in Alburquerque, New Mexico at the Presbyterian Hospital in albuquerque. My date of birth is 9/14/1968. I was adopted 7 days after my birth by the Pratt family. I am an African American Male. My birth mother was very fair skinned, and my birth certificate states caucasian as my ethnicity, so it could be possible that my mother is bi-racial or caucasian. The name on my birthcertificate is Baby Boy Stultz. This is the only information I have.
Bryan, welcome to the forum.
If your adoption was handled by a state agency, they may have info, or if the adoption was private and handled only by an attorney, in some states the records he has are not sealed.
I believe the records in NM are sealed. Even if the records are sealed, most states allow adoptees to have non-Id. info. At some point you have gotten a birth certificate which can be used for proving that you are who you claim to be. Such as, in cases of obtaining passports, marriage licenses, drivers licenses, etc.
In your adoption file at the time that the final adoption occurred, there is an adoption decree. There will not be any personal information regarding the b-parents, it will be a record of what the court did at that hearing. There may be a change of name from a birth name, to the name you are now using.
You will have to have some contact with the adoption court, or, it is sometimes referred to as the Court of Common Pleas. (Different states use different names) If you contact any Clerk of a court at the place where your adoption was finalized, the records should be there.
The Clerk of the court will provide information on how you can get non-id, if the records are sealed. The paper work to get the info will be sent without charge. In most cases you are required to use state paperwork or the court will not review your case.
Tell the Clerk what information you have and get direction on how to get the info you seek. Even by filling out the paper work to the best of your ability, there is no guarantee you will get the info. The Clerk will not give legal advice.
I wish you the best.
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Thank you so much. I just wanted some clarification on some of the things you explained in the message. Im not quite clear on where this process will lead me. Will this just provide me a little more information about my adoption. Will it have any information that could lead me to information about bio-parents/family? I am struggling with the fact that I am looking so late in life, and I am conserned that I might be to late. In my situation is there any way (hope) of finding my bio-family?
Hey bryan. there is no guarantee that no matter how much info you get that you will find your b-parents. I know that is a point of great concern as it is with many adopties.
When your search is started doesn't matter all that much. The only pieces to that part of the search is that people you find and could have provided info at some point, may not be here any more.
Don't feel badly that you are starting late. Starting to search is based entirely on when you are ready -- however long that may take.
I can't answer how important the pieces of information are in your search. As with all searches, the found info is left to the individuals to sort out to decide which parts are meaningful and where they go in the search.
It's hard to offer help, because i don't know where you are in your search or what info you already have.
My own search has lasted 60 years without finding. There have been others who searched and found within a very short time.
My suggestion is that you contact a free search angel on this site, then share what you know, to see if they can help you.
Regardless of what happens, any new information is more than was known, and in it may be some pieces that lead us to find and conclude the search.
Try not to be discouraged. Searching usually takes time, and is often referred to as the roller coaster effect. Some days you feel as tho you can fight the demons and win, other times, not so much. Hang in there, and never give up.
I wish you the best.