Cape Breton Post - 11 Oct 2013 Friday B.C. woman seeks information on Cape Breton grandparents On a recent trip to Sydney, I enjoyed reading the Cape Breton Post every morning as I drank my coffee. It has the same qualities I found in many people I met during my stay in Sydney and environs - warmth, spirit and helpfulness. I hope this letter might spark a memory or willingness to share information about the past. My mother was born in Sydney on Feb. 8, 1926. Her parents were unmarried and she was given up at birth to be raised in a foster home in Halifax. Her mother named her Shirley. I believe that her surname, MacDonald, was her father's surname. She always told me that her mother's surname was McDougall. Her foster mother knew the names of both birth parents, and my mother told me that her foster mother also had a copy of her birth certificate verifying the identities of her birth parents, but somehow my mother never received this birth certificate and I can find no trace of it now. My mother died in 2010, never having known her birth parents. This was not unusual for the times, of course, but I believe that she deserved to know who her parents were, and I am determined to find out as much as I can. It's too late for her, but not for her four children and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom are just as interested in family history as most Canadians. Because my mother was never formally adopted, the Nova Scotia adoption disclosure services program is of no help to me. I was very surprised to learn from the Nova Scotia Vital Statistics Agency that I can't have a copy of my mother's birth certificate until 100 years after her birth. That's 2026. It's unlikely my mother's biological parents are still alive. But perhaps there are others, related to her parents and thus to me and my extended family, who might be willing to provide me with information. I would love to know where her parents came from, and something about their lives, gifts and histories. If any of the details I've provided ring ancient bells, I would be grateful to hear from readers who might be able to share something of my mother's family history with me. Theresa Kishkan Madeira Park, B.C.