Search Tips

Thanks to technology and changing laws, searching has become easier. The Internet and especially Facebook are fantastic tools to use in locating people. These tips apply to searches from both sides (Adoptees and Birth Relatives).

FaceBook

First and foremost, if you know your birth family member’s name or your adopted child’s adopted name, check Facebook. When listing yourself on Facebook, DON’T use your married name. It won’t be relevant to a search.

List the city where the child was born and year of birth ONLY. Hold back the month and day to assist in proving your match. For example, the other side could provide month and day of birth of the child as proof.

Adoptees: sList yourself on Facebook with your adopted name, not your married name, as your birth family will have your adopted name. If you want to have your friends find you using your married name consider having two profiles. List the city you were born in. Include year of birth, NOT month and day. Hold back this info to confirm the match.

Birth Parents: List yourself on Facebook with your name at the time of birth, not your married name. Again, if you want your friends to find you using your married name consider having two profiles. Make sure you check your profile(s) regularly. List the city the child was born in. Include year of birth, NOT month and day. Hold back this info to confirm the match.

Government Documents

It can really help your search if you apply for “Non-identifying Information”. This is a description of the birth family/adopted family. Both sides are able to apply for this info.

For provinces that have open records, you can apply for a copy of the original/amended LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE. Again, both sides can apply for this – Adoptees, original long copy; Birth family, amended long copy. To find out if the province that handled the adoption has “Open Directories”, check out our reference page Open Directories. Check back often as provinces are opening up records all the time. For some of the provinces that don’t have open records, you can apply for your adoption order which may give you your birth name.

City Directories

Checking City Directories is an older method, but still a good one. It may give you other names to check.

Sample Listing:

Name	Occupation	Address
Smith, John (Carol)	Butcher	124 Gladstone Ave
Betty	Student	124 Gladstone Ave

List shows head of house, (spouse), occupation, address, with children over the age of eighteen listed on new line with occupation (student). A person must be over the age of 18 to be listed in a city directory. For more on this, see Searching City Directories.

Other Online Resources

A particularly useful tool is "Ask a Librarian", especially if you do not live near the city where the adoption took place. This service is also available on our website. If born in Toronto, for example, but adopted in Sudbury, then check where the adoption took place as the child was generally returned to the county where the birth mother had permanent residence.

The internet is a valuable resource for obituaries. Through an obituary, you may be able to obtain married names, siblings, where a person lives, etc. Key in birth surname/adopted surname and include the word “OBIT”. For example – Tom Jones OBIT – no commas.

And of course, high school yearbooks are a great source.

Reminder

If you are listed on the Canadian Adoptee Registry, please remember to update your info/contacts regularly and often. This allows us to be of service to you in a timely manner!

>> Start Search Here