Or, what do you mean I was adopted? The family tree gets complicated when we start talking about infant adoptions or single parent situations with the father’s name not talked about by the family. Today parents are more open with their adopted children. In the past however, adults were often blindsided with the reality that the couple that raised them kept an important secret. There were periods of time that court records were sealed totally to protect the biological parents. Even today, adoption records are NOT available to the public. The altered birth certificate available for passports, driver’s license, or official ID cannot be distinguished from the originals. There is no indication that someone was ever adopted. I am sure we have all seen the tabloid headlines of adults who had DNA tests reveal biological parents and who had heartwarming reunions with birth parents. Adult adoptees often romanticize having mysterious parents. Teens who are aware they are adopted by loving families are still curious about their past. It is natural thing to feel.
Adoptions in family trees are a bit of a minefield. You don’t know when you are going to find one and what to do about it. As a pure researcher, you may want to keep a family tree free of any untraditional connections. When creating a tree, always test birth years against marriage records of parents. It is a red flag telling you there may be a step-child involved. As you create your own tree, remember, FAMILY is more than a blood relationship. It is an emotional bond, even to relatives we have never met or died long ago. As someone told me a week ago. “I was adopted, yes. Does it really matter?”. I will leave to you. I choose to attach adoptees to a tree but add the word “ADOPTED” as a middle name as a flag to future researchers. As a practical matter, adoption does count when it comes to medical inheritance. Sometimes a medical condition can arise in an adoptee that only biological relations can assist. Potential transplant donors are a prime example of why court records may have to researcher be unsealed. Life or death situations make biological family trees very important. There are ways to respectfully contact biological parents. Adult adoptees, guardians of minor adoptees, and in some cases, grandparents may have the opportunity to contact the biological family. In Colorado, Colorado Dept. of Human Services can help. Their website has instructions for access to adoption records. You can file to have a “Colorado Confidential Intermediary” investigate your adoption. GOOD LUCK IN FINDING THE LICENSE NUMBER OF THE STORK WHO BROUGHT YOU!
As always, I welcome suggestions for future columns.
Ed Peck can be reached through this newspaper or the White River Museum.
By ED PECK
Special to the Herald Times
