Capturing adoption stories from decades past

Adoption touches millions of lives. And every adoption sparks a story. Our mission is to collect and showcase stories from the modern era of adoption (1920 to 2020), before these cherished, and sometimes challenging, experiences are lost to the passing of time.

We invite you to help us preserve this history by sharing your own adoption story and by providing financial support for the project.

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Explore our growing collection of adoption stories.
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Support our effort to preserve and share adoption history.
Your story »
Share your adoption story and add to our inspiring library.

Why is this era so important?

The field of adoption has a story all its own, sculpted by decades of changing practices and policies.

Between 1854 and 1929
Orphaned and homeless children were transported from Eastern cities to Western farms by train with little regard for maintaining birth family connections.
1939
A book titled The Chosen Baby ushered in an era characterized by closed records and secrecy pertaining to an adopted child’s family history.
In the late 1900s
Foreign countries like China and Russia opened their borders and provided a new avenue for family building in the U.S.
During the 1990s
The term “open adoption” emerged and birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees became seen as an interconnected system of family members.
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Featured stories

Anne B
Adoptee
Anne B
 April 5, 2025
Valerie V
Adoptee
Valerie V
 April 4, 2025
Marianne C
Adoptee
Marianne C
 March 12, 2025
View all

One mission,

many points of view

We’re here to shine a light on the adoption experience from all perspectives – adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents and even social workers – so their stories can live on for decades to come.

It all started with one adoption worker’s professional journey and a remarkable collection of stories and photos.

Learn more