Erie County Court Response to Adoption Search Inquiry


1999- no response


2001 response

Clerk of Records 
Register of Wills and 
Clerk of the Orphans’ Court Division 
Erie County Court House 
140 West Sixth Street 
Erie, PA  16501 
814-451-6260 

Dear Ms. Shay: 

In response to your inquiry of April 4, 2001, I am enclosing herewith a 
Petition that may be filed by any adoptee over the age of 18 who is searching 
for his biological parents. 

If we find that the adoption has been held in Erie County and the Petition 
has been filed, it is turned over to Ms. Carole VanDuzer,Adoption 
Investigator for the Court. She does some of the investigation and it is then 
turned over to an agency. 

A birth parent may put a form in our file giving their name,location and 
permission to give this information to the adoptee. 

They can not instigate a search for the child. 

I cannot tell you the Agency that would be conducting the search after Ms. 
VanDuzer has done her search. There are different Agencies. Mrs. Van Duzer’s 
address is: Erie County Court House, Erie, PA 16501 

Sincerely, 

Betty Flanagan 
Assistant Clerk of Records 

[Enclosed was information regarding adoption search requests.]

The Erie County Court of Common Pleas Family/Orphans’Division has established 
procedures to handle adoption search requests.  The following outlines those 
procedures. 

If you file a petition and the Court approves it, you are entitled to 
non-identifying information (e.g., nationality, religion, etc.) available in 
the Court’s file.  If you are interested in receiving this information, 
please fill out the form entitled Petition for Release of limited information 
and forward it with a check for $75 made payable to “Clerk of the Orphans’ 
Court” to the Register of Wills office, Erie County Courthouse, 140 West 
Sixth Street, Erie, PA  16501. 

In addition, if you wish to initiate a search for the birthparents to obtain 
their consent to release their identity, the Petition for Release of 
Identifying Information must be completed and filed.  The fee for this 
service is $150.00, and would be forwarded to the Register of Wills Office in 
the same manner. 

Please understand that legal obligation of confidentiality prevent the Court 
from doing anything other than what has already been stated. 

+++++++++ 

Note:  the forms can be obtained from the courthouse in Erie or if someone 
wants me to scan and mail them a copy I will do so if they send me a self 
addressed stamped envelope.  Due to limited space here I am not going to type 
and include the petitions. 




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