Reunion Registries, Page 2
Choosing a Registry You do not need to limit your postings to one registry only. If you know specifics about the adoption, do look for targeted registries but don't overlook the more general ones. Remember that the person you are searching for may not have the same information you do.
Some things to consider when choosing a registry are:
- Cost. Carefully check the information provided about fees to register, fees to search the registry, fees if you find a possible match, etc. All information about fees should be clearly stated and easy to find. Free registries abound and the word "free" should be prominently placed.
- Target audience. If you know the name of the agency or maternity home and there's a registry for their adoptions, or if there's a registry targeted to your ethnic, cultural, or religious group, you may want to post your information there, in addition to other more general registries for your state and/or country of birth.
- Exposure: The more well-known registries will generally have a wider audience than those that are hard to find. In addition to our list of registries here at the site, you can locate registries using search engines.
Using a Registry Posting your information Look at how much information is posted for other entries on a registry, and decide how much you want to use. Some are comfortable posting everything they know, others prefer not to disclose some names or other details. Remember: if it's on the Web, it's public.
Search Note: You may want hold something back as an identifier for reunion match if possible. How many people will know the adoptee had a certain condition or birthmark at birth? Just two, right? However, disclosing the information on a registry may be the one item that leads to a match for those without many additional details.
Searching through listings As we learned in the section about
birth certificates, everyone may not have the same information. A birth parent may not have an exact date of birth, an adoptee may not have the correct place of birth, and birth siblings may have even less information. If you have access to online registry listings:
- Search dates a bit forward and backward.
- If the registry has an "Unknown" category, search this as well. "Unknown" usually means that the searcher has little specific date information.
- If the gender is different, but everything else looks like a match, try it. Especially in older adoptions, many birthmothers were sedated during the entire birth process and some may not have been told their child's gender, or may have been given the wrong information.
- Check back on a regular basis to see if new listings have been added.
Search Notes:
Write it all down! Write down the names of registries and the Web address (URL) so you can update your information if necessary, check for new listings, or notify the registry owner when you make a match!
Remember that not everyone uses a computer. Just because you don't find a match through an online registry does not mean someone isn't looking for you too.
Find a Registry Now © Nancy S Ashe
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