Help!! How to find my half-sister with little information

[ashley8042]

Hello, for the past 3 years i have been trying to find my half sister. My mom told me about her in 2016 but has very little information. All we know is the year she was born, the state & city she was born, and the hospital she was born. Sadly, that hospital closed down in 1996. It was a closed adoption and I'm finding it very difficult to find anything other than what i already know. Is there a possibility of finding her with such little knowledge?

Does anyone have any advice? Thank you so much.

I posted this same question in the UK forum but added it to the US because that is where this took place. Here is the link to that one: https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=809514.msg6692172

[shellyesq]

The laws and available records vary by state, so the advice may be different based on where she was born/adopted. 

If the paper trail doesn't pan out, I would recommend DNA testing with Ancestry.com, which currently has the biggest database. 

[aghadowey]

DNA testing was already suggested, along with other things, in topic started last month 
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=809514.msg6692172

[Mart 'n' Al]

There's no harm in asking twice.  Different people read different things at different times.

New joiners etc.

Martin

[majm]

Yes,  I agree Martin that there's no harm in asking for further help, and I also agree that we should be aware that the question has been asked previously, so I thank aghadowey for taking the time to post the earlier thread.  That way we can avoid duplicating information already given.


JM

[oldohiohome]

post deleted

[ashley8042]

DNA testing was already suggested, along with other things, in topic started last month 
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=809514.msg6692172

Someone suggested i ask in the US rootschat rather than the UK rootschat, since im in the US.

[oldohiohome]

I Googled "adoption privacy laws Massachusetts" just as an example. Put in your state when you search.

This was about the 4th or 5th hit on the page. Results may vary depending what state you put in the search term.

Adopted Child's Right to Information as to Biological Parents

https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/adopted-childs-right-information-biological-parents

The article is completely about the child's right to find their biological parents, not the other way around. And it comes from one law office, not from "on high", so it might be slanted or at least not the source of absolute truth on the matter. Look for a few other opinions before coming to a conclusion.

Then I Googled "biological parents rights massachusetts" and found this:

Massachusetts law about adoption:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-adoption

You will probably find a similar page for your state.

I am starting to think that neither you, nor your mother, will be able to find your half-sister through the records. She can probably find your mother, or some information about her, but not the other way around. I might be wrong.

Which brings you back to DNA. Watch for a sale on autosomal or "family finder" DNA. For example, familytreeDNA is having one now until April 25, https://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2019/04/dna-day-special-offers-from-family-tree.html

[I am not connected to familytreeDNA.]

First find out if you will be able to upload the results to other sites like ancestry.com. That way you will be able to compare the results with more people. Or wait for ancestry.com to have a sale, and upload it to familytreeDNA. There probably have been rootschat threads that answer which sites will take other sites' results.

I think it would be better to submit a sample from your mother, if she is still alive, than from you. That way you will eliminate matches from your father's side. Ask someone else to be sure.

Then hope your half-sister has submitted a test as well. If so, it should be a close enough match to identify her to you and you to her.


Edited to add: I just noticed that Shelleyesq suggested ancestry.com, since it has the biggest  database.

Of course, for $49 apiece on sale, you might do tests on a couple sites.

[shellyesq]

I think it really depends on the location.  For example, California has relatively recent birth information online.  If the birth was there, it may be a matter of searching for a female born on a particular day and in a particular location.  If there are multiple females listed for that day and town, you may have to try to search for more information on them going to the present day and see if they're a likely match.