The Locator TV Show – All New Episode

The Locator TV Show

We want to remind you that Troy Dunn ’s The Locator TV Show has an all new episode this Saturday, March 21 at 9 pm Eastern Time / 8 pm Central Time on WE TV.

Troy Dunn has reunited thousands of birth parents and adoptee s.  The Locator TV Show will give you an inside look at what is involved with searching for your birth parents, an adoptee or a birth sibling. 

Here is an episode summary provided by the WE TV website:

“Episode Summary:  In 1985, Wendy and Christopher Radcliff’s mother, Jennifer, left them to be raised by their paternal grandparents when they were young. The brother and sister have called on Troy to locate Jennifer, who originally escaped from an abusive relationship with Read More

Find Family Members With The Social Security Death Index

Find Family Members – Social Security Death Index

By Chris Maione – Head Of OmniTrace Research Department

Our OmniTrace staff often searches Death Indexes to find living persons.  Why?  Because developing information on a deceased person can help you identify and find living family members. 

The most commonly used Death Index is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI).  The Social Security Death Index is a searchable database of over 83 million deceased individuals.  This index in maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is comprised of records from The Death Master File.

The following information is available on each decedent listed in the Social Security Death Index:

•  Last Name
•  First Name
•  Date of Birth
• Date of Death
• Social Security Number
• Last Known Residence

The Social Security Death Index is usually available for a small fee at various websites, but it also accessible, free, at http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com and is often searchable by the above search fields; however, access may vary depending on the website or source you are utilizing.

Please Note:  The absence of an individual in the Social Security Death Index is not Read More

No Find No Fee Search (caution-not as good as it sounds)

No Find No Fee Search

There are a number of posts and articles on the Internet advocating no find no fee birth family search services.  The sources of these posts and articles may have good intentions but apparently do not understand what is involved with adoption related searching.

OmniTrace estimates we have successfully located and reunited more birth parents and adoptees than all no find no fee search services combined!  Our staff of private investigators and genealogists have learned nearly every legal nuance and trick of the trade available to find birth parents and adoptees, and Read More

City Directories – A Good Source To Find Birth Parents

Find Birth Parents

City Directories can be and extremely effective resource when trying to find birth parents. 

City Directories have been published for well over a 100 years in most major cities throughout the United States.  City directories have also been published in smaller towns throughout the country.  Although a city directory looks similar to a telephone directory, it contains much more genealogical information to help find birth parents:

• Addresses and names of persons / birth parents within a household
• Employment information on persons / birth parents within a household
• Property ownership information
• Marital status

City Directories also have a Read More

Your Original Birth Certificate

Original Birth Certificate

An original birth certificate is the record created when you are born.  If you are an adoptee, your original birth certificate was sealed at the time of your adoption. 

An original birth certificate typically contains:

• The birth name of the adoptee
• The date of birth of the adoptee
• The place of birth of the adoptee (including hospital name)
• The names of the birth mother and birth father at the time of the birth
• The birth mother’s maiden name
• Where the birth mother and birth father were born
• The birth mother’s address at the time of the birth

When an adoption is about to occur, information on the birth father is Read More

New Jersey Adoption Search

New Jersey Adoption Search

Are you conducting a New Jersey adoption search?  

A while back, we wrote that a bill to open adoption records in New Jersey had been passed by the New Jersey Senate and was being considered for approval by the New Jersey Assembly.  If passed, an adoptee would have access to his/her original birth certificate as long as a no contact veto was not signed by the birth parents. 

Here is that complete post:  Good News About Finding Birth Parents In New Jersey 

OmniTrace recently contacted the New Jersey Office Of Legislative Services for an update.  Bill S611 has not yet been approved.  They informed us that Read More

Troy Dunn – The Locator Is Now On WE Channel

Troy Dunn – The Locator

Callers and visitors to our web site have been saying that Troy Dunn – The Locator was on Dr. Phil yesterday.

Troy Dunn – The Locator has been in the business of reuniting birth parents and adoptee (s) for about twenty years.  As a matter of fact, he helped his own mom, Katie Dunn an adoptee, find her birth mother.  What could be better than that?

After helping his mom find her birth mother, Troy Dunn decided to dedicate his time, his resources and his life to reuniting birth family members all over the world.  Even Troy’s mother is now an adoption search specialist!  According to Troy, he has helped reunite thousands of families!  Literally millions of people have witnessed Troy Dunn conduct reunions between birth parents and adopees on TV.

Troy Dunn has a new adoption reunion show–The Locator–on the WE Channel which premiered Sept. 6, 2008.  You can catch it on Read More

States With Open Adoption Records

States With Open Adoption Records

There are several states that currently have open adoption records.  In these states, an adult adoptee can obtain an original birth certificate and in some instances additional adoption record information.

If you are an adoptee looking for your birth parents in an open adoption records state, please do request your open adoption records.  However, please be aware that obtaining your original birth records does not mean that your search will be a piece of cake.  Having information on your birth mother, such as her maiden name and perhaps an old address is a nice start, but you will still have to obtain her current name and current address information.  Your birth mother may have changed her name several times, or she may not reside in the state where you were born.

If you need assistance with your search, please CONTACT US!

Here is a list of states where adoption records for all or some years can be opened.  In some states, birth parents can sign a no-contact veto: Read More

Searching For Birth Mother; Searching For Adoptee – Call The Library!

Searching For Birth Mother | Searching For Adoptee

The Public Library is a great resource if you are searching for your birth mother or searching for an adoptee. 

Not convinced?  Here’s just one example of how a library can help you when searching for your birth mother: 

If you were adopted in New York City and have your amended (adopted) birth certificate, you can obtain your original birth name by visiting the New York Public Library Genealogy Department.  This department has original birth listings (in birth books and on microfiche) dating back Read More

Searching For Birth Mother – You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get

Searching For Birth Mother 

By Chris Maione – OmniTrace Research Department Manager

Have you seen Forrest Gump?  It was a great flick.  In the movie, Forrest’s mother, played by actress: Sally Field,  told Forrest:

Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.

That quote REALLY applies when searching for a birth mother!  Here’s a case in point: 

Last year, Omnitrace was retained by Read More