Hello,
If you need assistance in your search and were born in California or you are a birthmother searching for a child born in CA, I would be more than happy to advise or assist you. If you are searching in another state, PLEASE for your own good, do NOT hire anyone to assist in your search unless they are "no-find/no-fee" search company or searcher. Get references and make certain they are licensed in the state they are in. I've reunited over 800 adoptees and birthparents and never once took money for a search I could not complete.
**Tip: DO NOT PAY an online registry for submission of your adoption search info. If you want to make a small donation, that is fine but don't let any site harass you into paying them. There are plenty of FREE good online registries. The first step of any search should be the ISRR (ISRR Website) which is the BIGGEST FREE offline registry there is and has reunited hundreds of thousands of adoptees and birthparents - no charge.
Non-Identifying Information
(Adoptees - When you contact a Searcher, please have this)
**Non-Identifying information is something all searching adoptees are entitled to. This basic info contains the ages of birthparents, their places of birth, ages of siblings, ages of maternal and paternal grandparents, education of birthparents and circumstances surrounding the adoption itself. This information must be obtained IN WRITING from either the agency where the adoption took place, the court where the adoption was finalized or in some cases and states, Vital Statistics in that particular state. The adoptee MUST obtain the information themselves. No one else can write and request this FOR the adoptee. Non-identifying information can also be obtained by birthparents regarding their adopted child's family (in writing) in most states.
In most cases of an adoptee searching, having just a birthname alone is not enough - especially if the birthname is a common one "Smith", "Jones", "Brown", "Campbell", "Mitchell", etc..., and the age/birthplace of the birthparent is unknown. Not knowing where a birthparent came from, or their age and having such a common name makes the search much more difficult. That is why obtaining the non-identifying information is so very important. Myself or other professional searchers normally won't touch a search without it, and sometimes, even having it doesn't help with a very, very common last name. Documented information is a MUST for an adoption search. Personally, I won't touch a search that is based on hearsay ("my adopted mom told me that ...") or possibilities ("Well, a search angel helped me narrow it down and I think that..") I cannot work this way because too many times in the past myself, and other searchers I know of have chased false leads due to undocumented information.
Most importantly, when contacting a professional, be sure to send any and ALL information about your search. By that, I mean DOB's, state of birth, county and all non-identifying information. It's very hard for a search consultant to determine a fee when they have no information to go by. All searches vary - some are simple, some are hard, depending on the work involved in them. When you write to someone and state "I was adopted, how much will it cost you to do my search?" but don't send any information regarding your search, nobody can possibly give you a fee quote. Ask for the search consultant's phone number so that you may speak to them, which is really much more helpful in most cases.
** Due to privacy reasons, I cannot take on any second or third party searches. I MUST work directly with the party involved in the search, meaning I cannot assist SEARCH ANGELS, a "friend of an adoptee/birthparent" or daughter/son/relative of an adoptee without explicit permission from the party directly involved. I can also accept NO searches involving minors as it is illegal. Thanks for understanding!
Sincerely, Luanne
This is a picture of my family. I am the oldest of six adopted children (from left to right: Michael, Robert, Luanne, Ginny, Kathy, William).
Here is my family in 1966, right after my youngest sister Kathy (seated on Mom's lap) was adopted. I am on the left side. <g>. My adoptive parents, Bob and Kay are deceased - Mom in 1987 and Dad in 1993. Mom and Dad - We Love and Miss You Always, Luanne! XXOO
Paul, My Birthfather and Myself (Luanne)
The man on the left is my birthfather. He died in 1986, before I began searching. I'm sorry that I never got a chance to meet him, but I have met his wonderful family, including my Uncle Horace and Aunt Pat, who have welcomed me into their family with open arms. I believe that I resemble my birthdad a great deal.
As for my birthmother, sadly, she has decided to have no contact with me. Although we did have a couple of pleasant conversations, she told me that I had to realize that "I was a mistake she had made." We never spoke again after that. I did go to her home (Plymouth, Michigan) in 1995, only to have her slam the door in my face. The ordeal of that was hurtful, but I have come to realize that it is her problem and not mine. I am VERY grateful I was not raised by her and that she made the decision to relinquish me. I've done a great deal of Family History on both sides of the family and I do feel that I have closure in my life, in spite of what happened with my birthmother. I also thank GOD I chose not to have children. The gene pool on her side of the family GREATLY needs a filter in it or just a good dose of chlorine! Whew, I won't go into specifics on that one!
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