Contents
of this Section
1. Getting a copy of your birth certificate
If you were adopted in
England, Wales or Northern Ireland you have the right to get a copy of your
original birth certificate when you are 18. People adopted in Scotland have
the same right when they reach 16.
You can get this through
your General Register Office (see section 3). People adopted before 12
November 1975 in England and Wales and before 8 December 1987 in Northern
Ireland who want information about their birth records and who do not
already know their birth name (only their adopted name) have to have a
meeting with a social worker before they can get their birth certificate due
to laws about access to birth certificates. This meeting can take place at a
social services office, at the agency which arranged the adoption or in the
General Register Office. This isn't necessary in Scotland.
2. Registering on the Adoption Contact Register
Adopted people and birth
relatives can register with adoption contact registers. Birth relatives can
leave their details here, or a letter for the adopted person.
For England and Wales
contact
General Register Office in England and Wales
For Northern Ireland
contact
Registrar General
For Scotland contact
Birthlink.
3. Visit the following sites
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ (ENGLAND
AND WALES)
http://www.nas.gov.uk/ (SCOTLAND)
http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ (IRELAND)
The National Archives of England, Wales
and the United Kingdom has one
of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning 1000 years of
British history, from Doomsday Book of 1086 to government papers recently
released to the public.
The National Archives has a number of
searchable databases on searching for family to help you find the records
you need. They also have several searchable databases to help you find out
about records held by other archives.
RECORDS CENTRES
http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/default.htm (ENGLAND AND WALES)
http://www.proni.gov.uk/ (NORTHERN
IRELAND)
http://www.scan.org.uk/ (SCOTLAND)
The Family Records Centre (FRC)
is jointly run by the
General Register Office (GRO)
and
The National Archives.
The FRC provides access to some of the most
important sources for family history research in England and Wales, including
births, marriages and deaths and
census returns.
GENERAL REGISTRY OFFICE
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ (ENGLAND
AND WALES)
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/
(SCOTLAND)
http://www.groni.gov.uk/ (NORTHERN
IRELAND)
The General Registry Office
has an extensive archive of statutory records which date back to the
beginning of civil registration in 1837, they can provide you with copies
of the relevant birth, marriage and death certificates for your research.
Also provide vital clues and pointers for future research directions, each
certificate carries names of, and information about, family members that
can lead you onto the next stage of your investigations.
If you have enough details, you can order
certificates of entries originally registered anywhere in England or Wales
from the GRO. This can be done either by
ordering online, by post, phone or fax, or via the register office where the entry was recorded.
4. Use Telephone Directories
Have a look through the phone books for the
area you are looking for. Libraries have a good collection of countrywide
directories, and larger libraries have collections of overseas directories.
You could try
www.118500.com (BT Internet Directory Enquiries). You can also view
older directories at BT Archives in London. You can also try the Internet
White pages
http://www.infospace.com/_1_2LF7ULH02OWRLFC__info/wp/index.htm
5. Check Electoral Registers
If you have an address you can
search the electoral register. From this you can find out how long that
person lived at that address because when their name disappears from the
register it means they have moved, married or died. You can view a full set
of Electoral Registers for the UK since 1947 at the British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/
6. Trackers International
Trackers International is an excellent
independent tracing agency and specialist research unit and is recommended
by Fassit UK. It is founded on the principles of justice. Justice for the
hundreds of thousands of unmarried mothers who were denied the right to keep
their babies. Justice for all the adoptees who were denied the right to be
raised by their natural mothers. They trace and reunite families separated
by adoption.
Advocacy, mediation and photographic
services are available.
Their survey of unmarried mothers is the
most comprehensive ever conducted.
They support the campaign for a Government
Inquiry into unlawful adoption procedures of the past on the grounds that of
the 1000 unmarried mothers in the Trackers International survey 979 were
subjected to coercion and duress.
Their Researchers, Advocates, Mediators,
Specialists and Consultants give their expertise and time freely.
Members are only charged for expenses incurred.
Trackers International
37 Ashway Clough
Blackstone Road
Offerton
Stockport
Cheshire
SK2 5NB
Telephone - 0161 483 7324
E-mail -
trackersinternational@hotmail.com
7. Other Tracing Family Help groups
There are hundreds of
groups on the Internet that will help you trace your child, or your family.
These groups, like Trackers International also have message boards where you
can post a message for free, or see if someone has left a message for you.
Here are just a few:-
UK Birth Adoption Register
http://www.ukbirth-adoptionregister.com/
NORCAP
http://www.norcap.org.uk/
Silver Surfers
http://www.silversurfers.net/findit-people.html
UK People Finder
http://www.ukpeoplefinder.com/
Genealogy Today.com
http://www.genealogytoday.com/adoption/
Adoptee Birth Family Connections
http://www.birthfamily.com/
Birth quest
http://www.birthquest.org/
The Seeker
http://www.the-seeker.com/relative.htm
Adopted Peoples Support Group
http://www.retford26.freeserve.co.uk/
Searchline Ltd
http://www.search-line.co.uk/
Adoption Ireland.com
http://www.adoptionireland.com/
Missing you –Scotland
http://www.missing-you.net/Scotland.php?startnum=2120
Reunion Registry
http://www.reunionregistry.com/
People Locators UK
http://www.peoplelocators.co.uk/
