Tracing birth parents WITHOUT original name or birth certificate?

southernscouser

How long ago did his adoptive mum die? I assume you have searched high and low for these documents?

Must be really frustrating for him! I really hope he finds his real mum.

Mrs_Bear

He has a certificate that shows his second adoptive name that was issued when he was about twelve when he needed it for a school trip. He hasn't even got the first one that shows his first adoptive name.

He didn't want to do anything when his adoptive Mum was alive - after all she had him from 12 weeks - and her second husband knows nothing about any documents. There are no other relatives alive from the time of the first adoption who could help - only relatives of the second husband.

It is frustrating because he has really done well in his life, through his own efforts (not encouraged to go on to further education or anything, and took his first degree when he was 35 and is now a successful academic) and now, after all this time, maybe his mother would like to know. We can appreciate that at the time of his birth in 1961 the fact that his mother was young and unmarried and in a foreign country, meant that this was probably her only option, but 45 years later maybe she wonders about him and maybe it won't matter to her circumstances now, that she has a son. We just don't want it to be too late to find her and she won't be able to find him!

Of course, she may have erased him from her memory, but I know he does want to find her.

nottslass_2

Hi. I traced my birth mother about 8 years ago,I think that the rules may of changed a bit in the last few years but, if I rember correctly, i had to contact my local social services dept,for counciling (only one visit) then they gave me a form so that I could apply for a copy of my original birth certificate from st catherines house where all adoption records are kept, I didn't need any of her details.At that point I didn't take the matter any further, apart from contacting the adoption agency to enquire if they had any info for me .they couldn't tell me anything that i didn't allready know at that point. To cut along story short,about 2 years later I recieved a letter from the adoption agency, my birth mother had contacted them,and because they had recieved the previous enquirey from me they asked me if she could send a letter from her to me.
Although it was wonderfull to finally fit the last piece in the jigsaw of who I am, at last somebody who I looked like !The person I am today is because of the wonderfull people called Mum & Dad, the ones who brought me up, read me bed time stories,turned up at school parents evenings,looked after me when I was ill,and probably spent many a sleepless night through my teenage years !

Good luck to Mr bear and I hope all goes well

nottslass_2

whoops, forgot to mention, when I applied for my original birth certificate I didn't need my original name or birth mother name.

nottslass_2

whoops, forgot to mention, when I applied for my original birth certificate I didn't need my original name or birth mother name.

busiscoming2

You say he has a certificate with his second adoptive name on, can you not use that to access records to give his first adoptive name, and then his birth certificate? They all must be recorded somewhere.

nottslass_2

busiscoming2 wrote:

You say he has a certificate with his second adoptive name on, can you not use that to access records to give his first adoptive name, and then his birth certificate? They all must be recorded somewhere.

Yep, all he needs is his birth certificate with his adoptive name, there is no need for him to know his original name , records of all adoptions are held at st catharines house in london, you can apply for your original birth certificate by post,(showing birth mothers details) although i did, at the time have to go through my local social services dept to get the form to do this .

Mrs_Bear

Well, he tried and even paid an adoption search agency but they said it couldn't be done. I think we must be able to find out so we'll keep on going!

nottslass_2

have you tried your local social services dept ? give them a ring and ask to speak to the social worker who deals with adoption. I only had the same details to go on as Mr bear .

Gabriel-Ernest

The records are no longer held at St. Catherine's House, which has closed - they are held at the Family Records Centre in Islington (Myddelton Street).