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It's hard to know how to help someone in a search because it's unknown how much info they have or where they are.You are entitled to non-identifying info. You can get this from the court records.My suggestion is to contact the Orphans Court, or the Court of Common Pleas, where your adoption was finalized.Those records are usually held in the county where the final adoption took place.All states are different. Some states will allow you to write directly to the judge, others require that you use only the state forms to access court info.The Clerk of the Court will send you the state forms, if they are required. They are free. The Clerk will tell you how to get the information you are seeking, but they will not give legal advice. Additionally, even if you fill out the required forms, if the records are sealed, there is no guarantee you will receive the info.I wish you the best.
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Thanks for your suggestion. I have already received the non-identifying info from NY state and I have submitted my letter into my file approving contact. I am not sure what else I could do within the system, given NY's restrictive laws.
I thought of pursuing a search agency, but thought I might start with these forums and the Louise Wise Facebook site. I will also focus on communicating through forums more intently on my birthday assuming that is the likeliest day my birth parents might look for me.
New York is the worst when it comes to closed adoptions - I understand, because I'm also an adoptee from NY. I'll make a few suggestions, in case you haven't already done the following:- Louise Wise closed a few years ago, but they sent their records to another agency. Have you contacted them to see if there's anything they can provide you with? Their records are with the Spence-Chapin agency. To reach them, you can call 646-539-2167 or email info@modernfamilycenter.org.- Sign up for the ISRR database at [url=http://www.isrr.org]International Soundex Reunion Registry - ISRR[/url]. It's the biggest database of adoptees/birth families - they work similarly to the NYS adoption registry, and will contact you if both parties are signed up and get matched...- Do you have access to any of the paperwork done surrounding your adoption? Sometimes a name isn't blacked out where it should be, or a detail is left in that should have been omitted, and that can help you get started. Do your adoptive parents have any memories they'd be willing to share about details that might help you run a search? - Oh, there's something else adoptees born in NYC can do to get a little more information... it has to do with birth records (accessible via public libraries)... it's been a while since I thought about the details, let me take a look and see if I can get the exact information for you. I'll send you a private message if I can dig it up...In any case, I wish you the best of luck.- Do consider an adoption search agency.