On a spring day in 2012, my original birth certificate arrived in the mail. What am I going to find out, I wondered nervously. Taking a deep breath, I opened the envelope from the state of Illinois. Inside, a non-certified copy of my original birth certificate gave me my mother’s married and maiden names (her first name is Lillian), her age (28), address at the time of my birth (Northbrook, a suburb of Chicago) and her birthplace (Washington, Indiana).
Up until then, I had imagined my birth mother as a scared, unmarried teenager. So I was stunned to learn she was 28 when she gave birth to me. My husband, Tom, and I questioned her married status. That seemed unlikely.
Of course, this document did not answer all my questions, including one very big one: “Who was my birth daddy?” (He was “not legally known,” according to the birth certificate.) Still, it was thrilling for me to get answers to very basic questions about my life, questions non-adopted adults never have.
Law Unseals Original Birth Certificates for Adoptees
Illinois is one of the latest states to unseal birth records, the Associated Press reported. Some 350,000- adoption records were sealed in Illinois beginning in 1946 and, since 2010, close to 9,000 people have claimed their birth certificates from the state.
The Associated Press interviewed adoptees from Illinois who got in touch with their birth mothers. I haven’t done that. Other than visiting Ancestry.com and similar sites, I have not made any real attempt to find her. She could be dead for all I know.
It must be amazing to meet the woman who gave you life only to give you to another family. If you have made contact with your birth mother, I would love to hear your story.