JOIN THE FIGHT TO UNSEAL ADOPTION RECORDS
please read this link, it explains all adoption laws, dates when they started sealing records, birth certirficates an dmore.
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/samuelsarticle2.htm
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
we need to get the laws changed for all adoptees.
Sarah McLachlan, “Angel”
Something I learned tonight: Orphan Trains Refers to the era of 1854-1929 when an estimated 150,000 homeless children were placed on trains and taken to rural sites concentrated in the Midwest and West in search of homes where the children could live and work. The children ranged in age from as young as about one year old to age 16 or 17. Limited follow-ups of the children revealed that then, as now, the children who adapted the most readily were usually the younger children and the older teenagers faced the greatest difficulty in adjusting to a radically different environment. These homeless children came primarily from large cities on the Eastern Seaboard, such as New York City. Most were poor, and many had been involved with minor or serious infractions of the law. Many also had siblings and were separated from them for life as a result of the move. Yet most of the children made successful new lives for themselves, leaving behind them severe poverty and desolation. The Orphan Train era was initiated by social welfare reformer Charles Loring Brace of the Children's Aid Society in New York. Brace urged that children of paupers not be left to languish in large crowded institutions but instead be given an opportunity to live and work in a family home CUT Catholic Church and other groups; for example, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and the New York Foundling Hospital were both actively involved in the Orphan Train movement. The children were accompanied on the train by adults, often Catholic nuns, who rode with the children to their destinations and destinies. The movement was also known as the "Placing Out" program and preceded adoption as we know it today. The children left the train at each stop and were chosen or not chosen by people who came to the station to see them. In some cases, the match was made ahead of time, and the couple would present a number to the children's chaperone who would match the number to the child wearing the same number. In other cases, the matches were far more informal. One train rider reported that her adoptive mother wanted a brunette girl, but the child with the right number refused to leave the nun. The red-haired and fair-skinned 18-month-old train rider happened to look at the woman and say, "Mama." She was chosen. Some of the Orphan Train riders were ultimately adopted, while others were not. Some were "indentured," which means their labor was sold to waiting farmers, but many were taken in as one of the family and raised as if they had been adopted, whether or not an adoption was ever legitimized. Brace was opposed to indenturing children because it didn't work and too often the children ran away. Instead, he believed the children should be treated with dignity and respect, and they would respond admirably. Wrote Brace in 1859 in his book The Best Method of Disposing of Our Pauper and Vagrant Children, The children of the poor are not essentially different from the children of the rich; the same principles which influence the good or evil development of every child in comfortable circumstances, will affect, in greater or less degree, the child of poverty. Sympathy and hope are as inspiring to the ignorant girl, as to the educated; steady occupation is as necessary for the street-boy, as the boy of a wealthy house; indifference is as chilling to the one class, as to the other; the prospect of success is as stimulating to the young vagrant, as to the student in college. The Orphan Train riders continued their treks west until about 1929. Although today the idea of sending homeless children to strangers in other states may sound cruel and inhuman, it must be remembered that diseases abounded in the almshouses and orphanages and that yesterday's orphan trains were not all that different from today's "Adoption Fairs," wherein caseworkers bring adoptable children to a picnic or party that is attended by previously-approved prospective adoptive parents. There were critics of Brace and the New York Aid Society. Brace's organization did not attempt religious matching, and often children of Catholic immigrants were placed in Protestant homes. Concern over this practice grew and ultimately resulted in attempts to place children in homes with the same religious background as their parents. Critics also said Brace did insufficient investigations of the foster or adoptive homes and little follow-up or documentation.
The laws for most states including ny
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/samuelsarticle2.htm
Something I learned tonight: Orphan Trains Refers to the era of 1854-1929 when an estimated 150,000 homeless children were placed on trains and taken to rural sites concentrated in the Midwest and West in search of homes where the children could live and work. The children ranged in age from as young as about one year old to age 16 or 17. Limited follow-ups of the children revealed that then, as now, the children who adapted the most readily were usually the younger children and the older teenagers faced the greatest difficulty in adjusting to a radically different environment. These homeless children came primarily from large cities on the Eastern Seaboard, such as New York City. Most were poor, and many had been involved with minor or serious infractions of the law. Many also had siblings and were separated from them for life as a result of the move. Yet most of the children made successful new lives for themselves, leaving behind them severe poverty and desolation. The Orphan Train era was initiated by social welfare reformer Charles Loring Brace of the Children's Aid Society in New York. Brace urged that children of paupers not be left to languish in large crowded institutions but instead be given an opportunity to live and work in a family home CUT Catholic Church and other groups; for example, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and the New York Foundling Hospital were both actively involved in the Orphan Train movement. The children were accompanied on the train by adults, often Catholic nuns, who rode with the children to their destinations and destinies. The movement was also known as the "Placing Out" program and preceded adoption as we know it today. The children left the train at each stop and were chosen or not chosen by people who came to the station to see them. In some cases, the match was made ahead of time, and the couple would present a number to the children's chaperone who would match the number to the child wearing the same number. In other cases, the matches were far more informal. One train rider reported that her adoptive mother wanted a brunette girl, but the child with the right number refused to leave the nun. The red-haired and fair-skinned 18-month-old train rider happened to look at the woman and say, "Mama." She was chosen. Some of the Orphan Train riders were ultimately adopted, while others were not. Some were "indentured," which means their labor was sold to waiting farmers, but many were taken in as one of the family and raised as if they had been adopted, whether or not an adoption was ever legitimized. Brace was opposed to indenturing children because it didn't work and too often the children ran away. Instead, he believed the children should be treated with dignity and respect, and they would respond admirably. Wrote Brace in 1859 in his book The Best Method of Disposing of Our Pauper and Vagrant Children, The children of the poor are not essentially different from the children of the rich; the same principles which influence the good or evil development of every child in comfortable circumstances, will affect, in greater or less degree, the child of poverty. Sympathy and hope are as inspiring to the ignorant girl, as to the educated; steady occupation is as necessary for the street-boy, as the boy of a wealthy house; indifference is as chilling to the one class, as to the other; the prospect of success is as stimulating to the young vagrant, as to the student in college. The Orphan Train riders continued their treks west until about 1929. Although today the idea of sending homeless children to strangers in other states may sound cruel and inhuman, it must be remembered that diseases abounded in the almshouses and orphanages and that yesterday's orphan trains were not all that different from today's "Adoption Fairs," wherein caseworkers bring adoptable children to a picnic or party that is attended by previously-approved prospective adoptive parents. There were critics of Brace and the New York Aid Society. Brace's organization did not attempt religious matching, and often children of Catholic immigrants were placed in Protestant homes. Concern over this practice grew and ultimately resulted in attempts to place children in homes with the same religious background as their parents. Critics also said Brace did insufficient investigations of the foster or adoptive homes and little follow-up or documentation.
The laws for most states including ny
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/samuelsarticle2.htm
Do You Know Me?
A question I have asked all my life.I never got the answears i have been looking for and maybe i never will.
I can't explain why my birthmother had so many kids before me and maybe after me, dumped them or gave most up for adoption to the Ny Foundling,she may of been that bad off to care for herself let alone babies.
I always wonder who her husband was,while she was having affairs and having other men's babies,to keep a big secret like that had to be guilt ridden to her.
If i dug deep down into her mind,her was a woman who just didn'tknow what to do,how to gain help and instead she did give birth,blessings from God but she also took something from all her kids, Family.
Can you imagine going through life and your siblings never kenw you exsisted?My Goodness and agencies act as if you don't exsist when you call and ask"who was my mother,do i have siblings"? To them your just a person who came through their doors and was adopted, forgotten about,like a grocery store,ring em, bag them and it's on it's way out the door,Thats how I feel.
My concerns are my siblings but will they ever know me, will we ever meet and be reunited.I searched for 15 yrs for answears to who i was and who i cam from,now the other 5 years have been spent searching for my big brothers and sisters,it's not an act of meaness or to disturb them,it's an act of love,i made a promise to God and it was never made in vain.
So how can Ny allow adoptees of ag never to know their backrounds, withholding medical imformation or never telling them they have siblings,Because they can.It's the laws in New York that need to be changed now.Every adoptee has the God Given Right to know their siblings, their medical history{all of it} ,their past is important to them, agencies may not see it that way but it is a gift.I am thankful the birthmotehr gave us life but I am not happy that I have to comb every site looking and searching,I have probley place close to 900 hrs on the internet posting and searching.
I now know i have alot of siblings prior to me, isn't that a whoot,I am the baby of ten to mroe siblings, i have been told theres 11 ,actually 12 one died when i was born,i was a triplet and to make matters worse because she or he died they were not accounted for,so now I have to dig for the name or make sure it had a name,I promsied God.
How awful it is growing up in a deep dark place, my heart and confused about things."OH NO" I'm not confused on my parenst who love me,who adopted me and gave me a loving home,I'm confused on why an adoption agency was allowed to lie and withhold things for so many yrs.I struggled in school sometimes, the abuse by nun wasn't fun,i rememebr one nun pinching me and hitting me,calling me cruel names,My father rememebred to well driving home from work crying when my mother told him and she remoevd us from the school.Things that were never brought up during doctors visits and all you'd get is"I don't know"what a crock of poop.
My heartc aches every time i hear of a child dumped,i hurt when i read about an adoptee being treated unfairly and why?because laws in states don't allow adoptees accesse to their own files,they don't allow adoptees much and it's because tehir affraid you'll find the birthmother.
I am not interested in finding my birthmother although she holds alot of answears but I don't want to upset her and i don't want to make her feel bad,dose that make sense?
My brothers,I wish i had them when i was a kid,i need to be protected because kids can be cruel.I wished i had known them,to much of life has been past,we missed out on alot.I have so much to say to them one day,I love them,I may not know them or may of not been there,they didn't know about me but still I love them,i don't like the word"half" to me my siblings are my siblings.
My sisters befor me,I wished i had known them,although i have a feternial twin and found an older sister five yrs ago who fileld me in on alot,theres still three before me,i wished they had been around when i needed sisterly talks,to learn about life, tobe there when the chips were down.I know they don't know me but i didn't know them and why becaus enobody knew each other exsisted.
back in the day,i figure ny was good for this,siblings were adopted out and never ever told of siblings before or after them this explains why my siblings only know of the ones before them not after and thats wrong.
So here i find myself still trapped with emotions,i find myself still looking ans asking,when life gives you lemons you make lemonad.
I can't explain why my birthmother had so many kids before me and maybe after me, dumped them or gave most up for adoption to the Ny Foundling,she may of been that bad off to care for herself let alone babies.
I always wonder who her husband was,while she was having affairs and having other men's babies,to keep a big secret like that had to be guilt ridden to her.
If i dug deep down into her mind,her was a woman who just didn'tknow what to do,how to gain help and instead she did give birth,blessings from God but she also took something from all her kids, Family.
Can you imagine going through life and your siblings never kenw you exsisted?My Goodness and agencies act as if you don't exsist when you call and ask"who was my mother,do i have siblings"? To them your just a person who came through their doors and was adopted, forgotten about,like a grocery store,ring em, bag them and it's on it's way out the door,Thats how I feel.
My concerns are my siblings but will they ever know me, will we ever meet and be reunited.I searched for 15 yrs for answears to who i was and who i cam from,now the other 5 years have been spent searching for my big brothers and sisters,it's not an act of meaness or to disturb them,it's an act of love,i made a promise to God and it was never made in vain.
So how can Ny allow adoptees of ag never to know their backrounds, withholding medical imformation or never telling them they have siblings,Because they can.It's the laws in New York that need to be changed now.Every adoptee has the God Given Right to know their siblings, their medical history{all of it} ,their past is important to them, agencies may not see it that way but it is a gift.I am thankful the birthmotehr gave us life but I am not happy that I have to comb every site looking and searching,I have probley place close to 900 hrs on the internet posting and searching.
I now know i have alot of siblings prior to me, isn't that a whoot,I am the baby of ten to mroe siblings, i have been told theres 11 ,actually 12 one died when i was born,i was a triplet and to make matters worse because she or he died they were not accounted for,so now I have to dig for the name or make sure it had a name,I promsied God.
How awful it is growing up in a deep dark place, my heart and confused about things."OH NO" I'm not confused on my parenst who love me,who adopted me and gave me a loving home,I'm confused on why an adoption agency was allowed to lie and withhold things for so many yrs.I struggled in school sometimes, the abuse by nun wasn't fun,i rememebr one nun pinching me and hitting me,calling me cruel names,My father rememebred to well driving home from work crying when my mother told him and she remoevd us from the school.Things that were never brought up during doctors visits and all you'd get is"I don't know"what a crock of poop.
My heartc aches every time i hear of a child dumped,i hurt when i read about an adoptee being treated unfairly and why?because laws in states don't allow adoptees accesse to their own files,they don't allow adoptees much and it's because tehir affraid you'll find the birthmother.
I am not interested in finding my birthmother although she holds alot of answears but I don't want to upset her and i don't want to make her feel bad,dose that make sense?
My brothers,I wish i had them when i was a kid,i need to be protected because kids can be cruel.I wished i had known them,to much of life has been past,we missed out on alot.I have so much to say to them one day,I love them,I may not know them or may of not been there,they didn't know about me but still I love them,i don't like the word"half" to me my siblings are my siblings.
My sisters befor me,I wished i had known them,although i have a feternial twin and found an older sister five yrs ago who fileld me in on alot,theres still three before me,i wished they had been around when i needed sisterly talks,to learn about life, tobe there when the chips were down.I know they don't know me but i didn't know them and why becaus enobody knew each other exsisted.
back in the day,i figure ny was good for this,siblings were adopted out and never ever told of siblings before or after them this explains why my siblings only know of the ones before them not after and thats wrong.
So here i find myself still trapped with emotions,i find myself still looking ans asking,when life gives you lemons you make lemonad.
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