Introduction and history

I created this database after I was successfully reunited with my daughter who was given up for adoption some 30 odd years before.
That was fourteen years ago. I was a novice to the programming and building of web sites and databases. I managed to piece together the original Lost and Found registry from reading examples from books and borrowing snippits of cgi code from the public domain. The site became very popular and grew to thousands of registered adoptions. I had to increase the size of my hosting site and in increase the bandwidth allocation several times to meet the demand of the users. The site became so popular that other database builders were writing application that they used to query my database so that the could extract, duplicate and incorporate records here into their own databases. I had to block those users in order to stay within the bandwidth limits I had purchased. I continue to maintain the site and the database using the tired old scripts that I began with fourteen years ago. However from time to time the database has become corrupted and needed to be rebuilt several times from backups that I had made. One time it was so corrupted that I lost several thousand records. I thought I would blame it on vandals but I am near certain that it is the antiquated cgi scripts that I began with. I needed to make a decision. Abandon the Lost and Found or upgrade . I decided to upgrade to newer software. Quit using freeware and purchase some commercial products and do a respectable job that is stable and reliable and does not require the hours of maintenance like before.
To that end I begin again from scratch. The only thing I will keep is the records stored in the database. Everything else will be replaced. Over the years the searching of the database and entering records has been free. All expenses for web hosting and domain registration and site maintenance have come from my pocket. In the past I have solicited for donations and placed sponsors click ads on the website. To date I have not received any click ad revenue and in fourteen years I received one generous ten dollar donation. I can no longer bear the cost of the website alone. Therefore the Lost and Found will no longer be a free registry. I will try to keep the fees at a minimum but I must be able to cover cost.

If you are looking for someone, I am of the opinion that you will not find them unless they want to be found and they are also looking for you. I spent many hours searching for my daughter. I have even paid search agencies. However, I was unsuccessful after years of searching. My daughter found me only because she decided to look for me. However, She would not have been able to find me if I had not left my tracks on the internet. Therefore I encourage you to register yourself here, and keep your record updated . Come back and browse often. The person you are seeking may have registered here and not known enough information about you to be able to pick you out of the registry.

Accurate Information is Essential It is important to enter accurate and complete information. If you are using the email system at work or at college think what will happen to that email address when your changes jobs or leave school. Also if you change your ISP, your email will change. Come back here and update your record. That old information may lead your loved one to a frustrating dead end. I suggest you get a permanent (free) email address from one of the big outfits like Yahoo, Lycos or Hotmail so it will never change for as long as you live. Do not use these .EDU or GOV or .MIL. They are almost guaranteed to change in the course of your search. Get a Free Permanent Email Account like Yahoo, Lycos, Hotmail.
When my daughter was searching for me she failed on her first attempt to contact me because: (guess what) my email address had changed.

Terms and Policies

Professional searches are prohibited. If your account is abusing this policy your account will be terminated and you will be blocked from future registration.

You are allowed use of this database for the sole purpose of registering an adoption or for searching for matching adoption records in which you, a relative or friend are a principal party..

You must enter at least one method to contact you otherwise the record you enter is useless to anyone who matches your search.
The information you enter here is available to anyone with enough patience to do the searching.
By entering your email address and or phone number into this database you hereby give permission to the searching party to contact you by either of those means.
The database NEVER displays the address of the contact. The contact address is for my records only. The contact address will never be given to a third party.
If a potential match is found the database will present the name, email address and phone number of the person to contact (usually the person who entered the record).

Brief Instructions

Searching: From the home page click the Database Button. next click Search
To locate a record that you previously entered, type in contact first and last name, then click Search the data base
To search for a matching adoption record, enter information you know (for certain) about the adoption and press Search the Database
. Important Hint: when searching for a matching record enter only information that you know to be true. If you enter one item that is not correct the entire search will fail even though everything else you entered was correct. In this case less is better. For instance just use birth state and month to get you in the ball park then add more details to narrow it down. Browse if you have to. It would be a shame for you to miss a match because you entered Dallas and the matching record was Fort Worth. See what I Mean?

New Entry: From the home page click the Database Button. next click the button Add an Item. When the form appears fill out as much of the information as possible. You must fill in the state where you live. When finished then click the button. You are done ! To see your new entry go back to the home page and follow the instruction for a search. You should always find and check your record!

Modifying: From the home page click the Database Button. next page click Modify an Item. Enter your first and last name then click