Please help interpret this birth certificate - proof for or against adoption?

Question

Thank you for any help, this has been a long-time family mystery.

This is the birth-certificate of my great-grandmother just sent to me by the state of Oregon.

Does this in any way indicate whether or not she was adopted by these parents?

If so, to what degree of certainty?.

 

 

Comments

Is this proof that she was not adopted and was actually born to these two parents?

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Just looks like the doctor forgot to ask for the maiden name on the first copy.

The only thing I find unusual/suspicious is the handwriting!  How many doctors you know that write and sign it that well, readable?

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Were you told she was adopted?

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The only clue I have to Anna being adopted is that my mother (her grand-daughter) says she was.  She was alive until I was age 2.  I would have asked her but... :)  Now I'm trying to prove or disprove and report back to my mother.

Answer 1

It doesn't appear to say anything at all about adoption.

Answer 2

I don't know enough about Portland records to say with certainty but two things jump out at me. First the certificate was clearly issued in the same month as the actual birth date and secondly it was reported by a medical doctor, possibly the person who delivered the baby or who supervised the person(s) who did.

Comments

I don't know about Oregon, but in CA, when I was adopted at age five, a birth certificate was re-issued to reflect my birth as being born to my adopted parents. Original records were sealed and are not available. From my birth certificate there is no indication that I was adopted. You might research how Oregon handles/handled adoptions.

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Thank you for sharing this Lynne.

On the above birth-certificate it says "legitimate - yes", and it is signed by a physician saying he witnessed the live birth.

Can you please tell me if a re-issued certificate says those things?

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So far as I can tell there was no confidentiality before 1917 and no sealing of records in the US before WW2.

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Yes, it says my birth is legit. The only changes from the original are the name of the father and his info. My father adopted me when he married my mother.

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I really appreciate this... thank you.

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Interesting source of genealogical confusion.  Presumably many adoptees weren't legit on their original certs.  Then what?

And what if the child isn't newborn?  Looks like we then have a situation where we're looking for the marriage before the birth, but actually, the parents shown on the pseudo-cert married after the birth of their legitimate child, so we're searching the wrong date range.

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New birth certificate issued in my case also.State of Michigan.

Answer 3

And it's one for the LNAB freaks.  Two "copies" of the same birth registration with different spellings.  They'll need to go to Oregon to get the right LNAB.

Comments

Hi RJ,

These two records were sent together to me by Oregon (the Secretary of State's office).

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Just because it’s written on the record doesn’t mean it’s the correct spelling.

I examined the original marriage license/certificate for my ggrandfather second marriage at the courthouse. His last name was spelled three different ways on this one 4”x6” piece of paper.

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The whole concept of "correct spelling" is a modern invention.  Schools made it up to give themselves something to teach.

Answer 4

Have you or anyone in your family done a DNA test for clues?

Comments

I am the only one I know of within 4th cousin range who has been DNA tested.  Nobody known to be from this branch.  No clues as of yet.

Answer 5

I see that you have taken a DNA test at FTDNA Keith, but have you tested with other companies? If you have used Ancestry then try running a surname filter on your matches for Bockman or Jorstad.