What is a Census?
Hi Ember - Yes, they come out every ten years in the USA as well.
For orphans, there's a bit of a head-start, insofar as they are likely to have retained both their birth name and birth certificate. It's going to be slightly harder, but not impossible, to get back 100 years.
For adopted people, who didn't keep their birth details, then there are more steps to take. I can only speak for Britain here, but at 18 years old, an adopted person can apply to receive their original birth certificate and access to any related court documents. These are kept for 75-100 years, depending up on the authority.
However, that's only the case for people born after 1975. Before that, it might still be so, but it's more hit and miss. This is because there were a wide range of societies arranging adoptions, which each had their own internal policies.
JoHarrington, Feb 4, 2012
