The first and most important part of your search, and that most likely to
yield useful information is to thouroughly understand who you are, and to learn as much
about your adopted and bilogical parents as you can from people who knew them.
You should ask questions about you, and your parents, and your adoption
from anyone who knew your either set of parents at the time: Your parents, your relatives,
friends of the family, the family doctor, the pastor at their church, co-workers,
class-mates, etc etc. The idea being that even if your parents are not willing to
cooperate, there are gobs of people who might remember something about the circumstances.
And don't forget other sources, such as high school year books, and hospital bills, and
family photos. For example, is there a photo of a family vacation to Niagra Falls that
occurred just after you were born? Were they going to pick you up? Did a photo studio
stamp their address on the back of your baby pictures?
You are looking for names, places, people, and dates associated with your
family and your adoption. Most adoptions occur close to home, so knowing where your
parents were living at the time you were adopted may provide a valuable clue.
