I was adopted, surname changed, limited info on mother's side?

Question:I'm curious to know where I should start as I'm looking for info regarding my ethnic heritage. I was adopted at three months old, my surname legally changed. Yet, I know my birth name, but unfortunately, my biological mother was adopted as well, therefore, that name is not true to her lineage. She knows her siblings, but does not know who her father is, she only has a photo of him. This is without a doubt going to be the most challenging. My bilogical father's family will be very easy, as they have already tracked their heritage, so no help needed there.
But any tips on what I can do about my mother and her family? There's rumors of Italian ancestry, but that's all they have is rumors, no real facts.
Thanks in advance.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm curious to know where I should start as I'm looking for info regarding my ethnic heritage. I was adopted at three months old, my surname legally changed. Yet, I know my birth name, but unfortunately, my biological mother was adopted as well, therefore, that name is not true to her lineage. She knows her siblings, but does not know who her father is, she only has a photo of him. This is without a doubt going to be the most challenging. My bilogical father's family will be very easy, as they have already tracked their heritage, so no help needed there.
But any tips on what I can do about my mother and her family? There's rumors of Italian ancestry, but that's all they have is rumors, no real facts.
Thanks in advance.

Whew. Sounds all very interesting but I think you'll need some some of professional helping you.

Why not cling to your loved ones, instead of honouring a parent who gave you away long ago?

Does paternity earn you an inheritance?

Of course, the older you are, the more difficult it's going to be. If you are patient and have the time to devote to it, you may have success in finding the genealogy of your mother's side. Try to find people who have done similar searches and had success, maybe they can give you some pointers. Good luck.

Hi: When was your mother born? If she was alive in the 1930 census, it may be possible to find her and her siblings together before they were adopted out. Does she know where she was born? That would be the place to start looking for a birth registration, which would hopefully have her parents' names. There is a website called www.deadfred.com which allows people to post pictures in the hopes of finding someone who recognises them. If you can tell where your grandfather lived, someone from that area might recognise a picture of him. You can post the picture on www.rootsweb.com in the localities section for the state and county where your mother was born. You might get some luck from that.
Another idea is to contact www.raogk.com (Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness), and look for volunteers in the county you are interested in. An adventuresome volunteer could try to match the photo with highschool yearbooks, which some libraries keep, (particularly the high school itself).
This is going to be a very difficult search, but you have some things to work with. You might be able to find someone in your mother's adopted family who knows what her biological name was.

Good luck

Norm Dawson
Calgary AB

Yeah, you've got a puzzle.

You need your biological mother's adoption records. What are the state laws where her adoption was legalized? She might be able to request and receive a copy.

How is it that your biological mother knows her siblings? Were they all adopted-out? If they were, and they reunited as adults, you need to speak to each one of them to find out what paper trail they followed. If they were only looking for each other, records that included information they didn't think necessary, will probably be invaluable to you.