I know I have a birth certificate because it had to be provided years ago when registering for the draft. But it’s a strange one. You see, I was adopted and the certificate was filled out much later.
It’s a Texas certificate (because that’s the form that was available). Everywhere the word “Texas” appears it’s xxx’d out and the word Louisiana is typed in.
Everywhere the word “county” appears it’s xxx’d out and the word parish is typed in.
I’ve tried the county where I was raised. I’ve tried Austin. I’ve tried records in New Orleans. So far they’ve come up empty.
Hmmmm…that’s tricky. Well, if you’ve exhausted the Departments of Vital Statistics in all possible counties you could’ve been born or raised perhaps you could go to the Social Security Administration and see if they can track anything using your SS number. When you registered for the draft did you ever get called up? The military may have access to that info if you had to serve.
Other than that, I’m not sure what to do.
Good luck!
My level of confidence in what I’m about to say is low. Although IAAL, this isn’t my area and I’m not licensed in Louisiana. (That distinction means more than usual, because Louisiana law is quite different than that of the other 49 states.)
In at least some states, adoptions are a judicial process. That means that there would be a court order entered in the county/parish where the adoption took place accomplishing the adoption. That county may not be the county where you were actually born. Until very recently, almost all adoptions were confidential - the identity of the birth parents was concealed. In other words, your original birth certificate would not be available to you.
As adoptees need birth certificates for various essential purposes, the court overseeing the adoption would issue a new birth certificate without the confidential information.
In your case, my guess is that you were born in Louisiana, but that you were adopted in Texas. This would explain the use of a Texas form. (Texas forms would have been readily available to a Texas court, and Louisiana forms would not.) You may want to shift the focus of your search to Texas.