Deborah and Listmembers, Perhaps I can offer some general information and thoughts on the adoption issue and Hillsborough County. Regarding adoption in General, I think the most important thing I can say to anyone interested is not to immediately give up and believe that ALL RECORDS ARE SEALED. This is not true. While it is pretty much standard today, some legal jurisdictions, at various times in history, did not seal adoption records. Some court systems only sealed them when the presiding judge ordered them sealed. If the presiding judge failed to pronounce that order during the adoption hearing and the clerk did not remind him, the record was not sealed. Every person searching for adoption information should learn from an experienced courthouse researcher what information might be available from the different departments in each jurisdiction. It is not enough to ask to see a sealed file, be refused, then give up. In the state of Pennsylvania, the office of the Prothonotary records every civil action. While doing some random searches of 1950-1990 civil documents in a PA courthouse this past summer, I stumbled onto information regarding three separate adoptions in my paternal line. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. Out of curiosity I checked for the actual adoption records and they were sealed! However, all information was available in other documents. Having a lot of curiosity and a little time, I continued to search records prior to 1950 and found two more adoption cases that were not sealed, both from about 1940. Both files contained information as to why the children were placed for adoption and there were signed statements in the files from birth parents! Regarding Hillsborough County, there were, indeed, many homes for orphans or adoptable children, most run by the state, church or sometimes private. Some were good, some weren't so good. Remember that Pre-Disney, Tampa was the only "major" city in FL other than Miami. An unwed or widowed mother can find anonymity in a city that can't be found in rural areas such as Hernando or Pasco Counties. No one "back home" would have to know. As a former state employee who was frequently involved in adoptions, I can say that there is still a tendency to do this. The surrounding rural communities frequently send their children to Tampa and Tampa sends their children to other cities. Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater) has always had a small tax to fund child welfare programs, including adoption. Their services are unequaled, in my opinion. There is also a tendency for northern mothers to come to Florida to have their baby, place him or her for adoption, then return to the north. A young mother would not stop in the rural communities looking for services and assistance. She would go on to Tampa, Orlando, Miami or Jacksonville. I have an adopted friend whose birth mother came from a town outside of Boston, had her baby in Clearwater, placed him in a home/orphanage in Tampa and went back to Boston...perhaps to create as much distance as possible. Another friend's mother was from Chicago, left her baby in a hospital and went back north. For those curious, one of the two has been reunited with his birth parents. For those who are searching for their parents...or their child, I wish you the very best. There is information out there somewhere that will help you in your search. Don't take no for an answer. Marc ----- Original Message ----- From: Deborah Byrd <dbyrd@lightcom.net> To: <FLHILLSB-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2000 2:08 PM Subject: [FLHILLSB-L] Help finding sites and information > As webmistress for the Hillsborough Genweb site, I get a fair amount > of questions about adoptions in Hills. county. Not living anywhere > near the east coast or Florida, I am at a loss for information to help > those seekers. > > If anyone has general information to share about adoptions in Florida > and Hills county in particular and if you feel comfortable sharing > that information please contact me. I would like to add that to the > Hills. county genweb page. Also if you know of any web sites that > help adoptees and birth parents find each other please forward them > to me. > > I had no idea that so many people were adopted out of Hills county. > My two Georgia counties and Hernando county don't have anywhere near > this amount of traffic on adoptions. Did Hills. county have a number > of foundling homes and orphanages in the early to mid 1900's? > > Deborah Byrd > > > ============================== > The RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > 12.8 million individuals and counting. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ >