New Jersey Open Adoption Records

After thirty years of adoptees attempting to gain access, New Jersey open adoption records may finally become a reality.

The Assembly Human Service Committee unanimously approved a bill that has now been moved to the full Assembly for a vote.

This open records bill–The Adoptees’ Birthright Bill–will give adult adoptees, adoptive parents of a minor or relatives of a deceased adoptee access to original birth certificates.  These records contain the names of the birth mother and Read More

Adoption Searching for Birth Mother or Adoptee

Adoption searching for a birth mother or adopted child is tough work.  Each search is unique and the methods and resources OmniTrace uses vary depending on a number of circumstances:

• When was the adoptee born?
• Where was the adoptee born?
• When and where did the adoption take place?
• Was the adoption done through an adoption agency?
• Was the adoptee born in a hospital?
• Which hospital?
• Any name info on the birth mother (adoption searching for birth mother)?
• Any name info on the adopting parents (adoption searching for adoptee)?

Of course, for most adoption searching cases, we usually begin with Read More

Biological Family Search – What OmniTrace Provides…

Biological Family Search

When you request OmniTrace to conduct your biological family search, here’s what we will make every attempt to provide you:

• The name of your biological mother
• The name of your biological father
• The names of your biological siblings and any additional family relatives (e.g., grandparents, aunts, uncles)
• Non-identifying information and identifying information covering the background history of your adoption  (In other words, what the heck happened when you were born.)
• Any available medical records on your biological mother (when records have not been destroyed)
• Background and genealogical history on your biological family members
• The current addresses and phone numbers of all biological family members that we identify.

Complete the simple form on THIS PAGE and start your biological family search now!

Man Reunites With Birth Mother At 54

After Ray Martinez’s adoptive parents passed away, he searched for and found his birth mother to tell her, “Thank you for giving me life.”  She initially hung up the phone on him, but then called back.

Colorado native, Ray Martinez, writes about living in an orphanage, being adopted and much later in life, finding his birth mother.  The complete story appears in “Mom:  A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps” (The Penguin Press, $21.95).  Ray is a former mayor of Fort Collins.  He now heads business development and public relations for Information Technology eXperts Inc.

“I was raised in the Colorado State Children’s Home in Denver. They kept kids from infancy to age eighteen or nineteen years old. I was there from infancy to age five. I remember that the orphanage had this practice where they would allow potential parents to check you out like a library book: they could borrow you for a couple of weeks, take you home, and see if you were a fit for their family.

A couple of times I remember riding in the car, leaving the orphanage with potential parents, and them just trying to make me happy and make me laugh, and me sitting in the front in these little booster seats cars had back then in the fifties. But I never remember…”

You can read the complete article in the Denver Post.  Please share your thoughts with us.

Colorado Court Pulls Curtain Back On Adoption Records

When Patricia Dukeman started trying to find her biological parents, Ronald Reagan lived in the White House, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” was record of the year, and the Supreme Court decided it was OK for us to use those new VCR things to tape TV shows.

In the 25 years since, Dukeman, 48, has spent a lot of money and learned a Read More

Colorado Adoption Law – Pertaining To Open Records

Here is new information about Colorado Adoption Law pertaining to open records from Rich Uhrlaub, director of Adoptees In Search:

“The Colorado State Board of Human Services has approved a new rule in compliance with the recent Court of Appeals ruling which opened records to those whose adoptions were finalized between Julyl 1, 1951 and July 1, 1967. This means that, along with original birth certificates which are available through the Colorado Department of Publice Health and Environment (CDPHE), adoption records as defined by statute which are under the Read More

Assembly Considers Unsealing New Jersey Birth Records

New Jersey Birth Records

Currently, original New Jersey birth records are sealed when an adoption occurs.  Adoptees searching for their birth family cannot access their original names or their birth parent’s names.  Birth parents are also denied access to birth records. 

There is legislation in the works that will give adult adoptees and adoptive parents access to original birth records. 

Birth parents will have a 12 month period to file a request to redact their names and addresses from the birth records and then have 60 days to fill out a form with medical, ancestral and social history. 

Learn more details about legislation to open New Jersey birth records  here:  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/

(Type s611 in the Bill Number field, click the search button and then click on the PDF Format or HTML Format Link)

Eight states currently have open Read More

Man Seeks Son Given For Adoption But Records Lead To Wrong Person

Mistaken Identity Shatters Adoption Reunion

OmniTrace is involved with many wonderful reunions between adopted children and their biological parents.  Most go very well and are wonderful experiences for the reunited family members.

The following reunion (not one of our cases) has a truly startling twist.  Here’s a story shown on ABC News about an adoption that took place in New Jersey.  It involves a mix-up between two people who waited their entire lives to meet, and it is absolutely heartbreaking:

ABC News Story

It’s hard to know exactly where things went wrong.  It could have been at the hospital.  In that case, the hospital records were likely destroyed years ago and the mystery will never be solved.  Or, the mistake may have taken place at the New Jersey adoption agency– the son was one of six other children adopted around the same time and a mix-up might have occurred.

Unfortunately, those agency adoption records that might help to reveal the Read More

Troy The Locator On WE tv

Troy The Locator

Troy The Locator has been reuniting birth family for over twenty years and is one of the most viewed shows on WE tv.  Millions of people have witnessed Troy The Locator conduct reunions between birth parents and adoptees.

A new episode of  Troy The Locator airs Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009,  9:00 PM Eastern Time and 8:00 PM Central. 

Here is what WE tv has to say about Troy The Locator: Read More

Using Social Media To Conduct Your Adoption Search

Adoption Search

Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google can be very helpful when conducting an adoption search.  Not only can you search these sites for listings your birth family members might have posted, you can also post your adoption search details on many of these sites.   

Here is a New York Daily News video and article on how Jonathan Frank conducted an adoption search and found his birth brother and birth sister with the help of Facebook.

Here is a CNN News Story on how a Pennsylvania woman used Google to resolve her adoption search and find her birth family. 

When OmniTrace begins a new adoption search, we utilize state-of-the-art databases, a worldwide network of researchers and private investigation methods to find birth family.  We also take advantage of the many free social media websites so we have every chance to successfully complete your adoption search.

If you are conducting an adoption search on your own, please be sure to visit the Read More