Does this sound fishy to you?

July 11, 2014

Hi Everyone, I am new here.

I was adopted as an infant by a very kind family. They had previously adopted another boy, my brother. Not my birth brother. Sorry I am still learning the terms used in these forums.

Anyway, I was told that my mother was quite young, around 16 years old. This was in 1971, in I think it was Brandywine Hospital in Valley Township West Chester Pennsylvania.

The thing that always struck me as strange, is that my adoptive parents told us both the same story. That my older brother was also born to a very young mother, in the same hospital, a year and a half earlier.

If I forgot some details, please let me know, but it just always seemed strange to me that we came from the same place, a year and a half apart, both born to very young mothers. Me being blond haired and blue eyed, and him being brown haired and brown eyed.

momraine

July 11, 2014

It may be that they knew a doctor or someone who worked at that hospital who called them when they had a teen mom wanting to place.

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Dickons

July 11, 2014

Hey Jake,

Welcome!

Completely different era when mothers often had their doctors work with the county juvenile services to surrender their babies and the county would find homes. As to the same story - it is possible that it was the standard story told by the SW to the adopting parents, I've heard my personal story told by another adoptee from a different state but with the same demographics in the city of birth. Not a coincidence, rather, just stories created to make is all sound normal and okay.

Have you requested your non-identifying information from the state of PA? Are you interested? Do you know if a non-state agency was involved because if yes, they would also have non-id about you too.

Kind regards,

Dickons

L4R

July 11, 2014

It was also very typical to have been born to a very young mother.

jakeowen

July 11, 2014

Thanks everyone,

Another question I have, is that It seemed like I never had a birth certificate until I was in my teens. I remember asking my parents to see it at some point when I was younger, and they gave me some excuse why they wouldn't show it to me.

Then one day we took a vacation to a town very close to where I was born. I never understood why we went there, it wasn't somewhere you would normally take a vacation. I remember it was called "The Mickey Rooney Hotel", It was a pretty nice hotel from what I remember. We only stayed a day or two, and my father disappeared during that first afternoon. We had out birth certs after that.

Maybe I am just paranoid but I feel like there was something strange going on when we were adopted.

I have not tried to get my non ID info from PA. I wrote to them many years ago, and the reply I received was so discouraging it scared me off. Maybe thats what they wanted. Its probably time to try again. I am not sure how to go about this.

Dickons

July 12, 2014

The trip sounds fishy, perhaps your adoption wasn't finalized for years?

I don't know much about PA law but found this. It appears you have to petition the court for either your non-id or to have them attempt contact for permission to release their identity. I would assume you could petition for both at the same time. The may have a form that you just fill in (that's how the court petition in my state worked). I don't think it cost anything, or was just a nominal filing fee.

[url=http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/genealogy_and_local_history/8730/genealogy__searching_for_your_adoption_roots/524140]Genealogy and Local History[/url]

The adoptee, who is at least 18 years of age, or the adoptee's adoptive parents, if the adoptee is under 18 years of age, may request of the court information concerning the natural parents that will not reveal their identity. Upon such a request of an adoptee who is 18 years of age, or the adoptive parents, if the adoptee is under 18 years of age, the court or the agency which placed the adoptee may attempt to contact the natural parents to obtain their consent to release of their identity. Information shall only be released about parents that agree to the disclosure" (23 Pa. C.S.A. 2905).

Full text: [url=http://law.onecle.com/pennsylvania/domestic-relations/00.029.005.000.html]Impounding of proceedings and access to records - 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2905 - Pennsylvania Attorney Resources - Pennsylvania Laws[/url]

Which court? The first one to try would be the superior county court where you grew up. If they aren't the right place - ask for the "adoption unity" phone number for the state department of children and health (whatever it is called in PA).

Kind regards,

Dickons