Searching in Court Houses

Some Court houses allow you to wander through the document storage areas much like you might have access to library.

The strategy here is similar to searching the birth books but will uncover only adoptions. The goal is to accumulate likely documents filed within several days after the birth and adoption documents that are filed six month's after the birth (statutory waiting period for adoptions). The adoption documents will have the new name of the child. Email or contact the Texas State Library and see if the child was born on the date in question.

 
Things to look for
  • Look for handwritted notes scribbled in the margins.
  • Some adoption agencies use there own homemade forms. Get familiar with the format of the forms so you can spot them.
  • When you find a document of interest.
    • Look and see who paid the filing fee.
    • See if there are any mailing addresses. The original document after being filed is mailed by the Court somewhere.
    • Usually the name of the law firm that handeled the paperwork is around somewhere.
  • You would expect that if the adopting family lived in another county or state there would be filing in both places. This is not always true. Similarly you would expect that if you were born in one county then adopted in another there would be filings in both places. This is not always true. However, for sure there are filings in the county where the adopton occurred.