Legal Question in Family Law in California
My grandmother was born in 1923 in Monterrey California and when she was 3 her mother gave her, away to a family she had never met until that day. She does not know her last name that was recorded on her birth certificate she isn't even real sure of her exact birthday.
So when the only father she knew (the family that took her home) died, her mother (not birth) became abusive and she ran away. I believe more than once. She finally was sent to juvenile hall and from there a judge (I believe she even knows the judges name) sent her to a convent. She was a ward of the court until she turned 18, never actually being adopted by anyone. She has never had a copy of her birth records because just like in all good stories the convent burnt down and hers was some of the records that was burned in the fire. Now that my grandfather has passed away she has the need to get an I.D. to do banking and all the things my grandfather did for the family. So where and how do I go about getting her records that the courts or some such agency keeps of these things.
1 Answer from Attorneys
That is a very difficult thing to do, given she does not know her real last name or birthdate. Probably the best thing to do is to hire a private investigator. Good luck to you and your grandmother.