Hi listers, Just want to share this with you. I was at a wake last night and was reacquainted with a late cousin's son. My cousin died in 1972 when his son was two years old. My cousin's wife remarried in 1974. Her new husband wanted to adopt the son but the son didn't want to give up his surname. When the son was 16, he agreed to be adopted by his step father as long as the son could keep his surname. Apparently that is allowed at 16 (New York State). Fast forward to this year. The son wants to apply for Irish citizenship (his paternal grandparents were both born in Ireland) and tried to get a copy of his original birth certificate. He couldn't. It was expunged at the time of adoption. Fortunately for him, his mother did have a copy of the original. Has anyone ever a problem like this? Nora Hopkins FitzGerald Searching for Fahey/Hogan/Keane/Hopkins in Chicago Hopkins - Castlebar, Co. Mayo/New York City Grant - Drumboniff, Co. Down/NYC