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I joined Ancestry on a 6-month heavily discounted plan to try to find info on my mother's side of the family. She was born in NY and I can find her on some census records but I cannot find her parents.
She was either given up for adoption by her birth parents or put in the care of a children's home when she was about 10 yrs old, and I can see a record for that home in Brooklyn, NY, but I am not finding her B/C.
Any suggestions?
I am also curious about variations in the spelling of her last name (maiden) and whether the searches done by Ancestry are 'soundex' or must be exact.
Have you tried the state of NY records department?
Or see if court records are open.
Consider also a person may be thought to have been born in a place they were not. I see this often when "Grandma is from X" so she's thought to have been born there when she was actually born in an adjoining state or province.
Have you thought of doing your DNA? You will likely have matches with family members that may be able to fill in details.
I've thought of it, but a) we don't have a large family at all and most have passed away, and b) my husband gives me grief when I talk about doing DNA because he's, well, paranoid. LOL.
BTW...doesn't DNA testing depend on other family members also submitting their DNA?
True. Lots of adoptees have found their birth parents this way.
I am not adopted....nor was my mother to my understanding....But she WAS fostered by a family after being in this 'home' for children. I knew about this growing up but lacked info on her parents and other siblings. We'll see where this takes me.
I sure wish I'd sat down with her and recorded her recollections.
...my husband gives me grief when I talk about doing DNA because he's, well, paranoid.
(cue: CSNY) ...doesn't DNA testing depend on other family members also submitting their DNA?
It absolutely does. But you'll still have to do some work to pick it all apart.
My Anglo side is well represented in the DNA connections...
they've gotten me as far back as the early 1800 G-g-G grandparents ... but the particular culprit remains a mystery.
My Spanish side (out of Cuba) is not well represented in the DNA connections at all.
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