Search Tips

Get a Generic Email address such as Yahoo, hotmail or GMail. You may change your internet service provider but these emails will not change. www.yahoo.com (now charges for forwarding email), www.hotmail.com or http://mail.google.com This is really a help when you post to search sites, and your email is not the same if someone is looking for you. Remember to check these email accounts often, so they will stay active.
Get together all the papers that you might have, adoption decree, your adopted birth certificate, and your non-identifying information
If you do not have your non-identifying information write for it. The waiting period is around 3-6 weeks for reply
If you have a open communication with your adoptive parents regarding search, let them share with you any information that they know regarding your background.
If you decide to employ a professional - never pay money up front. Anyone that is working for a fee, under the laws of Ky to find the location or whereabouts of has to be a licensed Private Investigator. If you hire someone out of state be sure you follow the same procedure of - no find no fee and license with their state.
A birth parent has the right to obtain the delivery records from the hospital - so if you are unsure of the date of birth this is another alternative.
A birth parent should put a letter in the adoption file at the Cabinet of Human Resources in Frankfort This will speed up the search if the adoptee petitions the court.
Be prepared for contact .
If someone is helping you search without charge, please send a SASE if you are asking for a reply, or accept a collect call and reimburse them for charges, parking, copies, etc. A lot of volunteers give their time and every little bit helps.
Keep a list of registry entries and advise them when you have found.
In some of the main libraries in Kentucky there are birth index books. If you are an adoptee you can look thru these index books for the year that you were born and find your birth name and the maiden name of your birth mother.
If you are a birth parent you might consider listing your maiden name in the telephone directory where the birth occurred or when you were living at the time. The cost for doing this is not that expensive and would help in trying to help an adoptee locate you.
If you need additional search help, we will be happy to discuss this with you.
We can now provide information from the Kentucky Birth Index - such as date of birth list, certificate number look up, adopted name, birth name for adoptee.
What is the address of the Circuit Court that I need?
Adoption Terms - Lingo
How to prepare for contact