How do I find my real family cause I been adopted that is all I know?

Question

I was born in Cheboygan Michigan on 11/04/1957

I am white male

I was told my name was spelled Bryan at birth.

I was told I have an older brother

How do I post this on here and how do I look on here how to find out if someone is looking for me?

Comments

Hi Brian, I am with the Adoption Angels Project. It is rare that someone can post their information and find their birth family that way. You need to be proactive in looking for your family. Here is a help page to get you started:   https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Adoption_Angels_Basic_Search_Help

It looks like you are in what's called the donut hole time period of birth in Michigan and can't get your original birth cert. However, you may be eligible to get non-identifying information. See this web page https://adopteerightslaw.com/michigan-obc/

Again, if you want to find your birth parents sooner, a DNA test (which costs very little) from Ancestry is your best bet. Adoption Angels would then help you for free once you have that test.  We often can find birth parents using DNA in a matter of a couple of hours.

Emma

Answer 1

Hi Brian,

Thanks for using G2G and WikiTree.

Try reaching out to our Adoption Angels for help.

Comments

OK. Thank you I will

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That just leads me back to here

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Did you try the contacting page.

See here

https://www.wikitree.com/contact/adoption/

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Thanks Michael, we watch for the tags and saw the post :-)

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Hi Emma!  Umm..this post was from three years ago.  Just updating responses perhaps?

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Sorry Michael, I didn't see the age of this post only that it showed up by tag in my email notifications because others were commenting on it. I'll try to pay better attention in future to the age of the post.

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No worries, I see there is new activity and it is good to see you are on it.  You guys do great work.

Answer 2

Have you DNA tested?

Comments

No. I will not pay any more money out to this stuff. I want to know how to just post my name and birth date and where I was born and see if someone is looking for me. I posted it that way so someone could answer my question. Not give me places to spend money at

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I did not give you a place to spend your money.  I asked if you DNA tested after you asked how to find your birthfamily.    Your best bet is to test.   People generally don't look for adoptees on sites like this.   

Good luck .

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Then what is this site for? To hear everyone chat? And see if I will argue with you? If this site is not for people to help them find their families why does it claim to help people find their families? So I am saying if you can help me cool. If all you got is to argue leave me alone.

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I'm just trying to help.  There is no argument here.   I'm an  adoptee too.    I registered my info everywhere over 20 years ago.   I don't even know if this site has a registry so to speak.

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Brian, being DNA tested could help you find your biological relatives. I know because it happened in our family. A couple of years ago a person who was looking for her birth father reached out to my nephew because he was a close DNA match to her on the DNA-testing site they had both used. My nephew referred this person to me and I decided to be DNA tested as well. My test confirmed that this person was a close DNA match, most probably first cousin, and, with what little information she had about her birth father and working with another person in the family, we were able to determine with some degree of certainty which of my uncles was her father. She now has close contact with her half-sister and many other relatives she never knew. Unfortunately, her biological father was deceased. So, being DNA tested can help you find your biological family. I'm not saying it will, but it could. Occasionally testing companies will offer special sales on kits. The company I used had a sale last year around Father's Day.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you all the best. It sounds like your quest to find your biological family is very important to you.

Answer 3

Since doing Wikitree I have met one adopted  out cousin, spoke to two of their siblings via Facebook and know of a fourth child. My adopted out cousin was able to find her birth mother's name through the Australian government BDM after making application, then found her birth mother's name on Wikitree.  Hopefully in America you may be able to do the same. Other organisations may also help, such a Salvation Army or Mormons.

Your parents may have papers tucked away as to where you were born or the Court Order.  If you have other relatives, I would start there and ask them what they may know.

Good luck in your search

Comments

Again. I am looking on how to post on here how to look for someone that is looking for me and how can I post my date of birt and where I was born? All that has nothing to do with my question

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Yes Brian, it does have to do with your question. I would say a more direct answer to your question would be to add yourself to the tree. and see if anyone says anything.

As an adoptee, I will tell you from personal experience it takes more than your name on a website to be found. Were you adopted in Michigan? Contact the state you were adopted in and request to be put on their Adoption Reunion Registry. Was your adoption private (through an attorney) or through the state (like with child services), or through an adoption agency?

Wiki tree is more a way for people to find how their tree connects to other trees. There are many Adoption Search pages where biological parents and adoptees post with hopes of finding each other.

I was adopted in Texas with a private adoption and sealed records. I found my biological family using DNA, I tested through Ancestry, and connected to cousins of different degrees, and eventually located half siblings who also did DNA to verify my place in the tree.

Good Luck in your search.

Answer 4

Brian, WikiTree's purpose is to be a place for posting and working on your family tree and finding others who may be connected to your family tree. It is not a place where an individual would normally post looking for their birth parents and vis versa.  Good luck in your search.

Answer 5

Brian, when I follow the links, it looks like you just joined here today, and you're still a guest member with limited privileges.  Accordingly, there's still very little info in your profile -- there's more info in your questions here on G2G.  So the chance of someone connecting to you here immediately is pretty slim.  If Houting is not your birth surname and you don't know your birth surname, then a site like this might not help solve your problem at all.

If it were me, I'd try a few of the obvious things.  If possible, interview the parents who adopted you, or the parents who raised you, and see what they know or don't know.  Interview other people you considered "family" when growing up.  If you're sure about your date and place of birth, and you're still in the area, go to the county courthouse and look for birth or adoption records from that time.  Ask the clerk what else may be available.  Go to a newspaper archive at a library or web site or the local newspaper itself, and look at birth records for all the hospitals in the region for your DOB.

If you have some relevant info to post and believe that others might be looking for you, then you'll need to become a full member, post your data, and just be patient.  It won't be a quick process.

Comments

I have tried all this that you suggested. What is G2G?

Isn't this a site that tries to help me find my real family?

And why would you say this site might not be for me?

How do I become a member? So I can get on with my post and see if I can find my real family. If you were adopted like I was. You would be trying as hard as I am to find my real family. If you have advice for me to help me. I would like to hear it.But please. All that you said for me to try is all common sense for someone that is adopted. I am 59 and been looking sence I was 15

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G2G is the name of this forum in which you have been posting your messages.  It stands for "genealogist to genealogist."  This is a genealogy web site where the members are building a worldwide family tree, and helping adoptees find family isn't really its primary purpose.  But as Michael has pointed out below, there is a group of users who have found the site helpful for that purpose, so his suggestion is a very good one.

To become a full member you need to follow the messages posted on your profile, i.e., to volunteer to help with genealogy and sign the honor code.  See

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Member_Types#Wiki_Genealogists

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I cannot understand any of this. How is this helping me? I don't care if I am only a member guest. It said to sign up free. So I signed up as a member as far as I am concerned. But anyways. You say you been adopted. How did you find your people on a site like this?How can I volunteer myself when I have no clue how I even can post what I need to post on here? Cause this part is in no way going to help anyone find any of their people.

I don't even know what genealogy is to begin with.

All my life I can not find my people cause of places like this. If you know your real name your in. If you been adopted in the 50's or 60's the records have been destroyed and you are not going to find out unless sites like this are more open to people like me and not so closed mined to people like me. I deserve a chance to find my people just like everyone else does. If this site does not agree with this. Then I need to delete my profile and find a site that is going to help me.

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-- deleted. Missed age of post.

Answer 6

I’m working on the same thing for my friend right now and may have found a match.  The website is:  https://www.findmyfamily.org/Michigan-Reunion-Registry/page-24/

Michigan law allows the adoptee, biological parents and biological siblings to request birth and adoption records but knowing the adoption agency helps with the process.  

This is the form you need to complete:  https://courts.michigan.gov/Administration/SCAO/Forms/courtforms/pca327.pdf

Comments

THAT GUY IS RUDE

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I am not rude.

Just to to point without a lot of wasting time questions.

Have you been adopted?

I have been adopted.

If you read what others have wrote you will see they are just bullies. I just fight back is all.

Don't be so quick to judge me til you walked in my shoes please.

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I will look into this. Thank you.

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Brian, the information posted here is written by unpaid volunteers.  They are not professionals but have chosen to lend their experience and expertise to helping others like you make a connection.

As others mentioned, this is not an adoption registry and connection site.  I provided you with a link to the best website possible to find your birth family.  I have found two cousins and a friend’s brother through hundreds of hours (each person) of research, including contacting county family courts and Michigan State DHHS.

It’s hard work and those on this website can only re-direct you to more applicable sites.  As you have a communication device and internet access, search for adoption registry sites then register so if someone is looking for you, they can find you.

Best wishes.