I recently worked a case that took me into new territory. My client had reconnected with his birth mom about 20 years ago, but now desired to try and find his birth father as well. He had done some searching of his own over the years, only to hit brick wall after brick wall. So he finally decided to enlist some help.
I started off by speaking with my client’s birth mom. She is elderly and told me what she could remember of the birth father. She remembered a potential name, his approximate age, and that he had a dimple in his chin. She also remembered that his mother had a traditional Native American name, possibly Moonbeam or Moonlight*.
My client was hopeful that I could not only identify his birth father, but also determine what paternal Native American ancestry he has. So I went to work.
His story started unfolding in pieces, as it often does. I cracked the first part of this case with the bit of information that the birth father’s mother had a name of Moonbeam or Moonlight. I was certain I had found my client’s birth father. The name my client’s birth mother had given was actually the birth father’s first and middle name, not his first and last name. Other points matched as well, even down to the chin dimple.
I determined my client’s birth father was 1/4 Chickasaw and 1/2 Cherokee. I learned that my client has two half brothers and one half sister. I found some really solid historical information about my client’s birth father and paternal family. I found several photos. But the trail ended in the early 1980s. I couldn’t locate any records to indicate that my client’s birth father was deceased, but it’s also as if he disappeared into thin air.
So with my client’s permission, I contacted a 1st cousin to the birth father. He was very kind to speak with me and fill in a few more holes, but he lost touch with my client’s birth father back in the late 1970s. He had no idea whether he was still living or deceased. Back to square one.
As I reviewed all the information I had gathered, I noticed three names I didn’t recognize on the birth father’s database report as “associates” to the birth father. One of them sounded more like a nickname… Buster**. So I started looking into this Buster.
I discovered that my client’s birth father and Buster shared the same historical address from the 1970s-1980s. They also had the same date of birth and social security number. As I dug further into Buster’s past, I discovered he didn’t really seem to have one before the 1980s.
I had two potential scenarios running through my head. Either my client’s birth father changed his identity to Buster in the 1980s or Buster got rid of the birth father, then assumed his identity.
When I uncovered photos of Buster and spotted his chin dimple and overall appearance, I knew I was looking at my client’s birth father. Buster even self-reported in an interview I located that he is Native American. Other pieces started falling into place.
Sometimes, my work only opens the door to more questions. Although I have a happy client who is now in direct contact with his birth father, I wonder why he changed his identity back in the 1980s and refuses to speak about it today?
More research for another day…
*These are substitute traditional Native American names, so as to protect the actual identities of my client, his birth father, and other family members.
**This is a substitute name, so as to protect the identity of my client’s birth father.