Are you searching for you natural parents? Your child? Need some facts, some things to trace down? On this page we will list some common themes we have seen with the agency adoptions. We hope they are helpful to you!

The details below have been gathered by interviews, email conversations and more with EH natural parents, adopters and our children.

• It has been confirmed that the agencies were accepting children surrendered to one agnecy and placing them with families who were adopting via another. In a recent case, the child was born in AZ and surrendered to Birth Hope. However, they were adopted by a family that was a client of Friends of Children in Georgia. Do not assume your agency of record is the agency your child was adopted through.
• CHECK FRANKLIN COUNT, IL - Searching for you records or your petition to adopt notice? We have been advised by a reputable source that the agency alledgedly published their petitions to adopt (and other legal notices) in Franklin County, IL. This means if you gave birth or were born in Cook County, your peition to adopt could have been published in Franklin County -- nearly 300 miles away. Benton, IL is the county seat.
• Many adoptees seem to have been adopted in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio. Given the proximity to the agency headquarters, this is not surprising. However, there are adoptees in Connecticut as well as New Jersey and New York. Consider adding those States to your possible search states.
• Adopters were generally older and could not qualify for adoption through other agencies.
• Adopters were generally upper middle to upper class (wealthy) families.
• Several adopters were referred to the agency by their gynecologists.
• On average, adoptees report good families and happy lives.
• The agency placed advertisements in local yellow pages. This is often the place where pregnant women found the agency.
• In the Chicago Area, the agency boarded pregnant women at a maternity home known as Gehring Hall. Gehring Hall was located on the DePaul University campus on North Kenmore Street.