This is a real long shot, but the people on this forum never cease to amaze me, so here goes. I come from a large family, I'm one of 47 grandchildren. One of them was born out of wedlock in Montreal, Quebec on April 21, 1954. His mother was my aunt, now deceased. She gave him the names of Gerald Thomas, or George Thomas. Her maiden name was Gauley. I know two other women who were adopted in Montreal during the early 1950s and they ended up in Vermont and Denmark, so George/Gerald could be almost anywhere. If you happen to know an adoptee that fits this description and who is looking for his birth family , please pass this on. It would be a miracle if this works, but if I don't try it's guaranteed not to. Thanks Gang.
This is cool, I hope it works.
Fellow who works for me had TWO people contact him who found they were brother and cousin that he didn't even know existed. Ancestry or whatever put them together.
We've used Ancestry and several other sites. If Gerald ever takes a DNA test there'll be a half-sister and two first cousins show up. I continue to hope.
Mndsm
MegaDork
11/12/19 5:11 p.m.
I did some basic digging (I've done this before) and I came up dry. Canadas rules are different than the US.
In reply to Mndsm :
If Quebec had open records this would be easy, but they still cling to the old ways.
That name makes it tough. There are a few hundred people in just the US with that name born around that time. I've never searched for anyone in Canada. (I didn't dig too deep. I'm still at work. ;) )
Mndsm
MegaDork
11/12/19 5:50 p.m.
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:
In reply to Mndsm :
If Quebec had open records this would be easy, but they still cling to the old ways.
Yeah, that was the roadblock I ran into- along with the name not pinging any public people searches.
Woody
MegaDork
11/12/19 6:37 p.m.
Just be ready for what you might find.
A couple of years ago, I found myself at the same event as a long lost relative. I walked up and introduced myself. It did not go well. He seems to have led a very bitter life, and directed a great deal of anger toward me for something that happened before I was born. It was like he had been waiting to be discovered for many years, and was prepared with a well rehearsed diatribe. I let him say his piece and then wished him well.
We've crossed paths a few times since then, and I am always cordial and say hello as we pass. He just sort of grumbles. I don't regret having introduced myself, but I don't feel as if I'm missing out on anything either.
I know a guy who fits that description.
Born in Montreal, adopted and around that age. Does anyone in your extended family have CRAZY BAD eyesight? Asperger's?
I'm not totally sure about the Asperger's, but he is very socially challenged. Heart of gold though.
In reply to akamcfly :
Jesus, wouldn't it be weird if..?
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:
In reply to akamcfly :
Not that I'm aware of.
TGTBT anyway. But could you imagine?!?! I really do know this guy, however given the Catholicism of "La Belle Provence" there was a LOT of adoption. Hell, my ex was born in Hull (Gatineau now) and was adopted. Rampant may be a strong word, but Ima go with rampant. Which is why their adoption records and birth registration system are so berked up.
In reply to akamcfly :
Rampant is a fitting word. I know a woman from Lachute, Quebec who found out she was adopted after her parents had passed away and she found her own adoption papers while cleaning out the house. She was 58 years old and ran into a stone wall with the government agencies. A DNA test quickly revealed a first cousin and she easily found her birth family, but as the adoptee she shouldn't have to go through hoops to find out who she is.The system is designed to keep birth mothers and their children apart. That may have been socially acceptable in 1954, it's not today.
You really need to look deeper into the DNA results than hoping for him to show. It's more likely that his descendants (if he has any) would take the test, so you would need to look at all the 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins to possibly find a match. Look for any family names that show up as shared matches, or deep in other's trees. I've had to do this many times, as we are still searching for an unknown great-gpa. Extremely time-consuming and frustrating. Good luck.
For the US, you can do a zabasearch and then look for people age 65:
https://www.zabasearch.com/people/gerald+thomas/
Of the hundred+, that should narrow it down to a few.
In reply to llysgennad :
Oh, we have a cousin doing exactly that. She is also adopted and found the family after 26 years of searching. She has various methodologies she's used before and is using all of it in this instance. I'm the one hoping, she's doing the sleuthing.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Good for her! There are a lot of ways now that help immensely, but it still takes work. I was able to reconnect my MIL to her half-siblings and families, without Ancestry or DNA, and they had been separated since 1945, before she was even born. The internet is a wonderful thing.
In reply to Dr. Hess :
That looks like it could be a pretty handy site. Thanks
Gary
SuperDork
11/14/19 10:35 p.m.
DNA
We have a close friend who was adopted as an infant seventy years ago and never knew who her real parents were. She was always curious and searching. Numerous searches were fruitless. This year, through a simple DNA test (initiated by her son ... his DNA), she found out most of her heritage. The remainder will come in time. She has recently met her biological brother and his extended family. They've accepted her, which is great. She's ecstatic. DNA is the best way to go.
I also agree the DNA angle is likely to pan out these days.
Lots of people are avoiding the DNA testing due to privacy concerns, though.
Regarding DNA, I did a 23andMe several months ago and one of my links turned out to be a granddaughter of an aunt. She's the daughter of a son my aunt had as a teenager and gave up for adoption. Her pre-amble mentioned my aunt by name and she was looking for info about her dad's family history. I totally jumped in and offered up all I knew. I made sure she had what I knew about medical history and answered her questions as best as I could.
I know with my ex (because we discussed it often) that she wasn't interested in reuniting so much as knowing things like medical histories. Things like heart disease and diabetes.
In reply to akamcfly :
I briefly dated a girl a long time ago who was adopted, but we talked now and then online after she moved back home after college. When my half-sister found me (long story), I happened to see that girl online and I asked her if she ever looked up her birth mom. She got really upset very quickly, apologized for blowing up at me, and explained that it was a really bad decision to do that, her "b'mom" basically was annoyed that she was talking to her, and mainly assumed that she was looking for money. Which, apparently is not uncommon.
After that, and hearing other stories from my sister, I lost all interest in meeting with the rest of her family. She's awesome though.
