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

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

Have An Old Address Of A Missing Person?

If you are searching for a missing person and have their old address, here is a FREE investigative trick, provided by the head of our OmniTrace research department–Chris Maione.  This may allow you to identify and contact prior neighbors of your subjecct:

First, visit free web resource www.zillow.com. 

1. At the top of the Zillow homepage, there is field where you can input your missing person ’s old address. 
2. After submitting your search, you will see a map of the neighborhood where your missing person once resided (you can view this map in street view, aerial view and hybrid view). 
3. The old address, that you submitted will appear, as well as tiny icons that represent homes surrounding the address you submitted. 
4. By clicking on the icons, you will obtain exact address information. 
5. Jot down the addresses surrounding your subject’s old address.  In particular, you will want the addresses on the left, on the right and directly across the street from the old address of your subject.

Then, visit free web resource www.whitepages.com. 

1. On the upper center of the home page, click on 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

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

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

Anatomy Of A Birth Mother Search

Birth Mother Search

By Chris Maione – OmniTrace Research Department Manager

Our OmniTrace research team accesses multiple resources when we search for a birth mother.  The more information we can develop on the birth mother, the better our chance of finding her and other birth family members. 

Here’s a recent case where our client requested that we conduct a birth mother search on his behalf…

Our client was born on the east coast.  One of our OmniTrace contacts–a genealogist– (source #1), was able to uncover the birth mother’s maiden name, age (born in the early 1930’s), and the town she was Read More

Looking For Birth Mother

Looking for Birth Mother

Are you looking for your birth mother?  Here are several hand picked archive treats to help you find her.  

What Is A Reunion Registry? – If you are looking for your birth mother, one of the first things you need to do is sign up on the most popular reunion registries. 

Adoption Reunion Registry Search
Here’s a bit more information about Read More

Tennessee Adoption – Find Birth Parents and Adoptee (s)

Tennessee Adoption – Find Birth Parents and Adoptee (s)

We recently received a message from one of our readers–Aimee–who is trying to find her birth parents.  Here is her message:

“I’m looking to find my birth parents. I was born 10/24/1981 in Knoxville Tennessee. I was given the name Angela Lyrae Cates at birth. I’d love to find them if Y’all can help!!!”

Here’s some information we obtained from Adoption Media, LLC for those touched by adoption in Tennessee: Read More