About the Adoption Search

My name is Angie, and I’ve started this blog to help my husband, Bill Atkinson, to locate his birth family.

Here’s what we know.

The Search:

My husband was born on or about June 6, 1972. Within 12 hours of his birth, he was found by a passerby in a telephone booth at 7-Eleven at 4039 Metropolitan Ave. in Kansas City, KS around 9 a.m. on June 7, 1972.

According to an article we found about his situation, he was taken to a state foster home until authorities could either locate his mother or birth family or until he could be adopted.

He was adopted by his adoptive parents by June 20, 1972.

His adoptive father passed away when my husband was 12, and his adoptive mother continued to raise him. He has always been loved, cared for and generally treated well by his family and in fact had no desire to replace them–we just wanted to learn about his birth family.

We did obtain his original birth certificate from the state of Kansas, and his name was listed as “Stephen Michael Doe.” We assume the name was given to him by someone who found him, the nurses at the hospital or maybe the foster family.

His mother tells us she and her husband were visiting family at a home in Kansas City, KS, where a mutual friend (a Missouri judge) knocked on the door, with a baby. Bill’s mother was able to feed and hold him all night. The next morning, the three went to the courthouse and met with a social worker, who produced a semi-detailed report about the visit (we have a copy, and I will upload it as soon as I can).

The Atkinsons, my husband’s adoptive parents, left the courthouse that day with him and the adoption approved. It was finalized sometime later.

Since the first time my husband told me about his story, I’ve been very curious about his birth family. But once I gave birth to his children, my curiosity changed into an intense need to learn about his biological family.

My husband never attempted to search on his own, but when I told him about my search and showed him what I had found, he was excited couldn’t wait to meet them in-person.

 

We hope to find someone who is biologically related to him (or who might have any information about him and his biological family) to offer insight into his genealogy and, if all parties are comfortable, maybe to form a friendship or to at least open the lines of communication.

Update by Bill Atkinson 22Feb2023:
My late wife, Angela Atkinson worked tirelessly to locate my birth family for many years. She spent a lot of time contacting the media, requesting adoption and court records and even traveling to Kansas City and knocking on doors to speak with the community, hope was thought to be lost until my DNA revealed my relation (2nd cousin) to Marilyn Monroe.

Since then we have located my birth-mother, my two half-sisters and my birth-father.

 

Do You Have Information Concerning a Baby Born and Abandoned in June 1972?

If you know anything about this situation, please don’t hesitate to contact us at billhtml at gmail dot com. We will respect your privacy, and we promise not to cause you any harm, trouble or money. All we seek is knowledge and understanding, and we hope for you to have the same.