If you were an orphan how can you find your real parents without knowing their r

Question:

If you were an orphan how can you find your real parents without knowing their real names?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There are no FIXED answers for genealogy. The solutions depend on exact circumstance.
One, when you say "orphan"... you don't tell me when this happened. Today.. if someone is orphaned and then adopted, the birth certificate is AMENDED and shows the name of the new parents. Today, hospitals almost have to have their arms twisted to give a person their own records, much less ones from 25-50 yrs ago (and those records may or may not exist anymore). And one has to have proof of being authorized to have those records.
Today, if a child loses both parents, the law would normally look first to family members to appoint a guardian. Since guardianship is not the same as adoption, the birth certficate is not being changed. So, if you are the child, it is possible that the records have not been sealed.
Orphanages are not as common now as at one time. Now, most children would be placed in a foster home. I know of one orphanage in the Dallas area, that is still in existance and has an alumni group. I believe (no experience) that they show that they would have a policy of making historical records open. Another agency in the area was used by the family of someone I know, and they were not helpful at all in providing records. So.. I think it is a matter of policy, and that policy MAY or MAY NOT distinguish between an orphan or an adoptee (whose parents did not die).
IF this is a recent issue, where the persons who raised the child are still alive... that would be the first place to ask. They may not have the names..but the date of birth and location, and WHEN THE CHILD WAS ORPHANED might open the door. If the deaths happened in a small town, as the result of something like a accident or other disaster, it is possible to go through newspapers around that date. The chances to find info are always better in small towns... large cities don't take note of everyone who dies. One also needs to ask if there were siblings. Those siblings may well know the answer, and have a message somewhere, looking for their family members.
The process would be close to an adoptive search, and records are often sealed. This is to protect the privacy of the birth family, who, for various reasons, do NOT want the child to make contact.
Knowing the date and place for any genealogy event is critical to what the solution might be. My comments are generic, since I don't know the exact details. If you have an estimated date and place, I'd be happy to see what I can find. You can email me through my profile.