Martin Hauser was adopted in 1962, when he was just a baby. As a result, he had gone his entire life without meeting a single biological family member. Until recently. Hauser was ready to begin his search when he had kids, and over the years he tried the typical routes: Facebook, DNA testing, ancestry websites. The problem Hauser ran into was he didn’t have access to any names.
… The key to finding his family was the North Carolina Adoption Statute. The statute gives permission to certain organizations to release select information to adopted children about their biological parents. Through the organization Children’s Home Society, Hauser was able to find his biological father’s death certificate and his legal name. In the “next of kin” section, Hauser saw his brother’s name for the first time: Joseph B. Shaw Jr. He had a name, now it was time to circle back to his search. And, within 15 minutes, Hauser found his biological brother’s Facebook profile and made the two connected.
… Five months after that initial outreach, the two finally met, with Hauser and his wife flying from Phoenix to North Carolina. Prior to meeting in person, they’ve gotten to know one another better, talking nearly every day. Hauser flew to North Carolina not only to meet his brother, but to attend his wedding. Also attending the wedding were many extended family members that were excited to meet Hauser before Shaw tied the knot.