You were adopted as a baby. You have started searching for your birth family and believe that you have birth siblings who may have stayed with your birth parents or who were adopted or fostered by other families. Searching for them is a complex process, but with patience and determination, you may be able to find them.
U.S. Adoption History
Prior to 1940, most American adoptions were open--adult adoptees could visit state courts, see their birth records and try to locate their siblings. After 1940 most states closed their adoption records, following misguided psychological theories that stigmatized birth mothers as social deviants, according to a 2001 study, "The Strange History of Adult Adoptee Access," by Professor Elizabeth Samuels of the University of Baltimore School of Law. The pendulum in the United States has swung back to open adoptions in the last 30 years, but many adoptees struggle with records closed decades ago.
Beginning Sibling Search
The fastest way to locate your siblings is to simultaneously search for your birth mother and father, who will know where your siblings live. Ask your adoptive parents for copies of your adoption papers and any other information that they have about your birth parents. Get in touch with the adoption agency, law firm or state foster care agency that arranged your adoption.
State Government Search
Contact the government of the state where you were adopted and ask to see your adoption records. State laws regarding release of adoption records are complicated, so you may need to hire a lawyer to guide you through the maze. Some states maintain an adoption reunion registry, where you can place a statement indicating that you are willing to be contacted by your birth siblings. For more information on state adoption records, you can download a free pdf booklet from the federal Child Welfare Information Gateway,"Searching for Birth Relatives."
Groups and Databases
Sign up with as many adult adoptee support groups online as possible, such as Bastard Nation, and learn other adoptees' seach strategies. Put your contact information into the free online reunion databases, such as the International Soundex Reunion Registry. Review family genealogical websites for people with your siblings' last names. Get your DNA tested by organizations that specialize in reuniting relatives whose DNA shows that they are related, such as FamilyTreeDNA or Ancestry.com.
Additional Search Options
Create a Facebook page or blog called "[your birth name] looking for my birth siblings [your birth siblings' names]." Tell your friends on Twitter that you are searching for your siblings. Check Linkedin and see if your siblings have work profiles listed there. Place an ad in the print and online versions of the newspaper in the city where you were born, asking for information about your siblings and birth parents. If your siblings had any special hobbies, such as collecting coins, contact hobby clubs. If your siblings had any unusual medical problems, get in touch with associations advocating for people with these illnesses and ask if anyone has heard of your siblings.
