How can we find my husbands birth family????

PhilM

You have a name. That's huge. It's a lot more than many have.

Thus, I hate to ask, but are you sure that his adoptive parents gave you the right name? Could they have misremembered? Is it easily mispelled?

Here's the standard searching info... But with a name, there are certainly more options:

First, register with ISRR:

http://www.isrr.net

Second, depending on what state the adoption occurred in, there may be state registries to register with that facilitate reunions.

Third, if he was adopted through an agency, they may offer reunion facilitation services. (It will cost money, though not as much as a private investigator.)

Also register his information on
http://registry.adoption.com/

Check here for information on your state records -
http://adopteerights.net/
(click on the page marked 'Searchers' down the left hand side)

Check here for search help - and links to FREE search angels -
http://www.adoptioncrossroads.org/

There's a lot of people out there who are willing to help you.

Again, with a name, you have even more options. Use people locators or resources like Ancestry.com (your local library may have a subscription you can use).

It's tough, but don't lose hope. Searches can take years. But there really are ways to complete it.

Good luck to you both.

Heather B

That would very much depend on where the birth and adoption took place.

In most countries of the world blood relatives of adoptees are free to contact each other.

However, in the USA there remains a very archaic system of sealed adoption records - hopefully soon they will catch up with the rest of the civilized world and restore the rights of all it's citizens to the freedom of association promised to them under a democracy.

Anyway, if it happened in the USA (as mine did) there are a handful of States where hard-working Equal Rights activists have brought about changes in the law, but unfortunately 44 States remain sealed.

The good news is that sealed records don't stop people searching and they don't stop reunions (they just violate people's rights) I digress

So, let us know which State and you will get some real good answers from people here who know the ropes.

In the meantime sign up with the biggest worldwide reunion registry:

http://www.isrr.net/

This one too http://registry.adoption.com/

The State should have one also but they usually exclude people born in one State and adopted in another and, of course, deceased people can't register. Many people just don't know about them (what I'm trying to say is that they are not overly successful)

But don't rely entirely on registries. My mother never registered - she just didn't know about the registries and had been told to go away when she looked for me via the agency (as too was I)

We found each other anyway, with little more than a birthdate and City. Best of luck.

LaurieDB

Since you already have a name at the time of birth, along with a birth date, one of the things that comes to mind is using a state marriage index, if one is available. I live in California. Ancestry.com has a marriage index that goes up to 1985. By using it, I was able to find my first mother's marriage after her marriage to my dad. That enabled me to find my siblings. Not all states have the indexes available, but they are useful tools. States other than California have them, as well.

You'll want to check over what information is available for adopted citizens in the state where his adoption finalized. You can do that by going here and clicking on that state.
http://adopteerights.net/nulliusfilius/?page_id=39

Also, have you registered with the International Soundex Reunion Registry at http://irss.net? It's the largest reunion registry in the world.

Peoplefinders.com allows searches using maiden names. It is an inexpensive tool.

There are several people here experienced with search that will have resources.

ETA:
LOL. I see three of us were responding all at about the same time, so you got some of the same resources in all of the posts. They are good resources.

ETA 2:

Texas will allow him an original birth certificate if he meets certain criteria.

1. Identify the name of each parent listed on your original birth certificate,
2. Be at least 18 years old,
3. Submit a copy of a valid photo ID issued by a government entity, and
4. Provide other legal documentation if your name has changed due to marriage or other legal reasons. (Examples of legal documentation include copies of your official supplementary birth certificate based on the adoption, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court-ordered name change.)
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/reqproc/adoption_general.shtm

An original birth certificate would help verify if the name he has is correct. The problem is that if the name he has is NOT correct, then he cannot have the original birth certificate. He will have to petition the court in which the adoption finalized in order to attempt to get access to it.

He ought to apply for it, though. If he is denied due to not having the right name, you'll at least know that. If he is able to obtain it, then there can be information on it that may be useful, such as residence at the time of birth. Some families still live in the same houses they did at the time of the birth. If she was living with her parents at the time, they may still live there.

Texas has a good birth index on Ancestry.com. Sometimes adopted persons are listed under both their adoptive and birth information. This could help to verify if the name he has is correct.

Also, I thought these may be helpful. Here are the URL's to some search groups in Texas.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Adoption_Search_Angel/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TouchedbyTexasAdoptions/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/searching_in_tx/

Je June

You should help him. Get him a counselor and let him work through his feelings. He doesn't need to go chasing after the family that gave him up.

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