You may wish to find your birth family for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to know why you were given up for adoption or whether you have any living blood relatives. You may simply need your family medical history or genetic information. Several types of organizations exist that may be able to assist you in your search for your birth family.
Step 1
Get information from your adoptive parents. They should at least know the name of the adoption agency you were placed with. Your adoptive parents may also have contact information for your birth parents, such as names or old addresses. Outdated information may allow you to get forwarding addresses from old neighbors.
Step 2
Contact the adoption agency. Adoption records are typically sealed, but your birth parents may have left a letter for you with their contact information. They may also have left information indicating that they don't wish to be contacted by you.
Step 3
Locate the hospital where you were born. Your birth records should at least have old contact information for your birth parents. However, the hospital may not be able to release this information to you. This decision can depend on that individual hospital's policy as well as the infant safe haven laws in your state.
Step 4
Register with the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISSR). This organization places the personal information of adopted children in a database and also allows birth parents seeking their adopted children to register. The ISSR will contact both parties if there's a match.
Step 5
Look for information online that may help you find your birth parents. Genealogical sites maintain databases of birth records, marriage records and census records, and they can be most helpful when you don't have any direct information about your birth family.
