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Looking for help

  • 23-02-2012 10:52am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭


    Hi

    I’ve recently came to the decision to finally try and contact my birth mother / siblings.
    I had made some effort on doing this in the past, first in the early 90’s and again about 6 years ago, but after finding out some information I gave up, just wasn’t “ready”.
    I now feel I am, my adopted family were always good to me but I often feel no sense of identity, I want to find out about my parents, my medical history ( I have three children of my own) and hopefully contact my siblings, but I may have left it too late…

    I was adopted from St. Brigids in the Coombe in 1976. In 1993 I contacted them and found out my mother’s first name, but not her surname. I also have an adoption order number and a short form birth cert.
    In 2006 when I contacted them again, I found out I have 3 half brothers and 2 half sisters, all of which were also adopted, possibly to separate families.
    I have never been given any information on my father
    The problem I now have is that since I contacted St.Brigid’s in the last couple of months, I’ve learnt that all their files were passed on to the health board. The Sister I was dealing with is also now in her 80’s and has been ill, so I don’t really want to be pestering her if it’s no longer her responsibility to help me. I’ve only spoken to her directly once in the last couple of months and she said she would contact a social worker who would have my file, but I wondering is there a way I could contact this person myself.

    Is my short form birth cert, adoption order number and various letters of correspondence with St.Brigids any real use to me?
    I have read the trace guideline but I’m not sure what I’m looking for if I don’t have a surname?
    I also tried to ring the Adoption Ireland number on the trace guide but it must have changed…6790011 is now a film company…

    Any help here would be appreciated.

    Thanks


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 210 ✭✭tyview


    D-FENS wrote: »
    Hi

    I’ve recently came to the decision to finally try and contact my birth mother / siblings.
    I had made some effort on doing this in the past, first in the early 90’s and again about 6 years ago, but after finding out some information I gave up, just wasn’t “ready”.
    I now feel I am, my adopted family were always good to me but I often feel no sense of identity, I want to find out about my parents, my medical history ( I have three children of my own) and hopefully contact my siblings, but I may have left it too late…

    I was adopted from St. Brigids in the Coombe in 1976. In 1993 I contacted them and found out my mother’s first name, but not her surname. I also have an adoption order number and a short form birth cert.
    In 2006 when I contacted them again, I found out I have 3 half brothers and 2 half sisters, all of which were also adopted, possibly to separate families.
    I have never been given any information on my father
    The problem I now have is that since I contacted St.Brigid’s in the last couple of months, I’ve learnt that all their files were passed on to the health board. The Sister I was dealing with is also now in her 80’s and has been ill, so I don’t really want to be pestering her if it’s no longer her responsibility to help me. I’ve only spoken to her directly once in the last couple of months and she said she would contact a social worker who would have my file, but I wondering is there a way I could contact this person myself.

    Is my short form birth cert, adoption order number and various letters of correspondence with St.Brigids any real use to me?
    I have read the trace guideline but I’m not sure what I’m looking for if I don’t have a surname?
    I also tried to ring the Adoption Ireland number on the trace guide but it must have changed…6790011 is now a film company…

    Any help here would be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Hi D-FENS,

    To start a trace on your own you dont need a surname (very few, if any, of us know this at the start). You have your DOB. Theres a few other things you could do with knowing- your birth first name, your BMs first name, the hospital you were born in. If you have all of these then it should be straight forward enough using the trace guides. It can be a bit tedious looking through all of the entries in each of the books for your year but it can certainly be done so dont get disheartened.

    Contact the adoption board on Tel: (01) 667 1392 and find out who your files were passed to, if you need any of your non identifying information.

    The short form BC is just the adoption cert if its one I'm thinking of which is no use in tracing. Neither will the adoption order number I'm afraid.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭D-FENS


    tyview wrote: »
    Hi D-FENS,

    To start a trace on your own you dont need a surname (very few, if any, of us know this at the start). You have your DOB. Theres a few other things you could do with knowing- your birth first name, your BMs first name, the hospital you were born in.

    Hi, thanks for responding. I actually know these things already, from previous meetings with St. Brigids. Looking at the traceguide, I know the answer to 14 of the 23 questions given, so I guess I have a fair bit of non-identifying information.
    A few things I’ve wondering though….
    What are the basics I need for searching for my birth cert in Joyce House? Do i just search my my DOB, then when i see a matching first name/place of birth, assume this is me?
    Will this Birth cert be different to the one I already have and will have the name my natural mother gave me on it (I have a short form birth cert I think, it has my name/ the name my adopted parents gave me on it),
    If I already pretty much know my natural mother never married ( From the information I already have, I don’t think she ever did), is it a pointless excerise looking for a marriage cert and an impossible task looking for any other children’s names?
    What’s my next step if I do obtain my natural mother’s and my birth certs…try to make contact through the address on the cert?
    Given that I have obtained a fair bit of information through St. Brigids already (although some years ago), am I best waiting to hear back from Park House who I’m told have or will be getting my file?
    Will Park House make contact with my mother/siblings for me?

    Sorry for all the questions :confused:...


  • Registered Users Posts: 210 ✭✭tyview


    D-FENS wrote: »
    Hi, thanks for responding. I actually know these things already, from previous meetings with St. Brigids. Looking at the traceguide, I know the answer to 14 of the 23 questions given, so I guess I have a fair bit of non-identifying information.
    A few things I’ve wondering though….
    What are the basics I need for searching for my birth cert in Joyce House? Do i just search my my DOB, then when i see a matching first name/place of birth, assume this is me?
    Will this Birth cert be different to the one I already have and will have the name my natural mother gave me on it (I have a short form birth cert I think, it has my name/ the name my adopted parents gave me on it),
    If I already pretty much know my natural mother never married ( From the information I already have, I don’t think she ever did), is it a pointless excerise looking for a marriage cert and an impossible task looking for any other children’s names?
    What’s my next step if I do obtain my natural mother’s and my birth certs…try to make contact through the address on the cert?
    Given that I have obtained a fair bit of information through St. Brigids already (although some years ago), am I best waiting to hear back from Park House who I’m told have or will be getting my file?
    Will Park House make contact with my mother/siblings for me?

    Sorry for all the questions :confused:...

    Ok so assuming you have enough information to start your search.... You would go into the GRO and pay the €2.00 search fee (which covers 5 years) but you will pull out all of the books for your year of birth (*if you are a november/december baby you should also check the late registrations at the back of the books*). There will be maybe between 2 and 4 books. The easiest piece of information to search with for me was the DOB column and scan down through each one and bare in mind you have to check every birth registered the year you were born. Have a pencil and paper with you. When you come across a match check the first name of the baby, the area of registration and that the babies surname and mothers maiden name are the same. Any matches made could be your birth cert. From there get a copy of each match and you can then check the place of birth and the mothers first name to confirm a match.

    The short form birth cert you have is just a copy from the adoption register but your original birth cert will have your original name, your BMs full name, the place of birth and hopefully an address (mine didnt!).

    If it has an address this is obviously a good starting point. If you know your BMs approx age when you were born then it can be a good idea to find her birth cert which will be a lot easier than finding yours as you will have her surname too (this will give her parents names and address). If she has not married, its possible she could still live in the family home but you can confirm this by checking the election register when you have an address.

    If you file is only being passed to Park House you could be waiting a while (I was hounding them for years). They will do a trace for you and as far as I know they can trace your siblings too but you can always give them a quick call and they will tell you exactly the procedure. I could go on and on but thats probably enough to get started with!;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭D-FENS


    tyview wrote: »
    I could go on and on but thats probably enough to get started with!;)

    It is, thank you very much for this :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 moihugs


    Hi D-fens

    I was also adopted from st brigids in 1973!! I have rang adoption board no and those files are in the process of being transferred and are still in st brigids!! I also contacted them in 93-94 and found out my non identifing info!!Bm first name my first name hospital born in bf first name that she had 3 children before me etc!! Took this info and went to gro last yr !! Was there at opening time!!looked for baby born on my date with first name givin to me!!to say i was google eyed by the end and afraid id miss something was an understatement!!When I found it I was shaking and excited!! got a copy and her first name was right too!! Still went to the end of the yr to make sure that there wasnt a second baby born in same hospital on that date with the same name unlikely but u never know!!Take ur time is is there dont panic but prepare urself for sittin there for a while!! Im heading back week after next to find marriage cert and 3 children she had before me!! Best of luck with ur search and let us know how u get on!!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭D-FENS


    moihugs wrote: »
    Hi D-fens

    I was also adopted from st brigids in 1973!! I have rang adoption board no and those files are in the process of being transferred and are still in st brigids!! I also contacted them in 93-94 and found out my non identifing info!!Bm first name my first name hospital born in bf first name that she had 3 children before me etc!! Took this info and went to gro last yr !! Was there at opening time!!looked for baby born on my date with first name givin to me!!to say i was google eyed by the end and afraid id miss something was an understatement!!When I found it I was shaking and excited!! got a copy and her first name was right too!! Still went to the end of the yr to make sure that there wasnt a second baby born in same hospital on that date with the same name unlikely but u never know!!Take ur time is is there dont panic but prepare urself for sittin there for a while!! Im heading back week after next to find marriage cert and 3 children she had before me!! Best of luck with ur search and let us know how u get on!!


    Hi Moihugs

    Thanks for the reply, nice to hear from someone with a quite a similar background to me :)
    I’ve still to make it in to the GRO, I’ve heard from other people that the afternoons are less busy, rather than heading in first thing, but either way I need to take a day off work for it.
    I have sent off the form for the contact register so fingers crossed there (St.Brigids told me that three of my siblings were in contact with each other so maybe they will see me) and I will now get back in touch with St.Brigids to see if they can still help if they still have my file (Thanks for letting me know this :) )
    Good luck with your own situation and I will indeed come back on here when I have any updates!


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