Beginning the search

Hi Terry, You can...post your search info on the registry on this site, you will find it in the 'reunite' tab above. Search the registry for matches to your info. Find other adoption search and reunion registries on the internet that are free of charge... You can also choose to post your search in the forums. There are Adoptees searching, state specific, year specific (or years) forums to post in. You can post in one or all applicable. Search these forums as well. Learn what info you can access in the state your adoption was handled in. Apply for all info that you can. Find out if the state has a registry for those searching to post in. Do they have a veto system where you may need to okay a contact. All that type of infomation you need to understand. Do you have medical issues that your doctor needs family history for? In closed states that is your only access to your complete file. Also find out if they allow confidential intermediaries to access the file and search for you. If yes, then you have to pay the CI to search and contact and if they receive consent from your birth mother or birth father then they can give you the info. Always remember that back then info was sometimes changed...be open to matches that are just a bit off, you can always confirm with dna. Also memories fade, pain and stress block out a lot of stuff and the date may be wrong due to that, or in the case of birth fathers they may only have a general idea of the month or months you may be born in. Protect your info, set up a hotmail account or something so that you are protected against scammers because they are out there. Always insist on info that you did not provide but know it sounds right...just be aware that it may not be the person you are looking for...again, dna can confirm or deny. And always update your contact info if it changes, this sometimes takes years. Also check your postings on a scheduled basis so you don't miss a match. And finally, read the book 'The Girls Who Went Away' by Ann Fessler. What we knew growing up in that era is nothing like it was for our birth mothers but it will give you a better understanding if you do find your birth mother. You may also want to check the adoption forums on ancestry type websites. Keep records and Good luck,Dickons