Hoping to find my family.

I know this is a strange request, but I was born in the USA (Salt Lake City, Utah to be exact) to a man I think was named Sampson Fatunmbi from Nigeria. He attended school in Logan, UT USA. I was put up for adoption and I'm hoping to reunite with him or any family. My birth name was Adeola Fatunmbi. I was born in 1979. If you have any knowledge of this can help please send me a message.
Thank you.

emj · Aug 7, 2008 , 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Adeola_USA

I know this is a strange request, but I was born in the USA (Salt Lake City, Utah to be exact) to a man I think was named Sampson Fatunmbi from Nigeria. He attended school in Logan, UT USA. I was put up for adoption and I'm hoping to reunite with him or any family. My birth name was Adeola Fatunmbi. I was born in 1979. If you have any knowledge of this can help please send me a message.
Thank you.

Hmmmmm....Adeola, you will have to post more..u cannot receive Pms(PRIVATE MESSAGE) till you get to ur 20th post...and BTW the spelling of his name might be Samson, dat's how we spell it back home in Nigeria.

Goodluck and welcome to the square

blooming_i · Aug 7, 2008 , 04:34 AM

Originally Posted by emj

Hmmmmm....Adeola, you will have to post more..u cannot receive Pms(PRIVATE MESSAGE) till you get to ur 20th post...and BTW the spelling of his name might be Samson, dat's how we spell it back home in Nigeria.

Goodluck and welcome to the square

Adeola may be right. I used to know one Sampson in Nigeria but his last name is not Fatunmbi.

Adeola,

You never know. One of the villagers may know him or know people who know him. So, like Emj said, keep posting. Cheers.

Isho · Aug 7, 2008 , 11:48 AM

Serious case Adeola.....to start with

-where is your mum?
-who put up u for adoption ?
-is ur mum American or Nigerian?

Pls villagers help Adeola.
_________________________
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I've just googled your surname "Fatunmbi" there are few, and i noticed
some Fatunmbis are on the "facebook". i dont know how it works, but
I'm suggesting maybe if you join the social network thing, probably
might give u some leads in your searching.

lumidii · Aug 7, 2008 , 12:36 PM

There are so many tools out there you could explore, most from the comfort of your home with internet access, and for next to nothing. Isho mentioned Facebook. You could also access US census records, ancestry records, birth register, marriage registers, death records(sorry, but you've to brace yourself).

You have asked for help in tracing your roots, it is good for you to trace your roots, but, have you been counselled on how to handle any discoveries you come up with? I'm not trying to discourage you here, it is only for you to be braced for the consequences of whatever your search leads to- a loss, or even a possible rejection for the second time.

I don't know much about the US social services, but such a developed society would provide counselling services for free for citizens in your situation. There are so many issues involved here, you may not be able to handle this on your own, brace yourself before going any further.

Other folks will give you some more advice in your search.

Adeola_USA · Aug 7, 2008 , 05:05 PM

Isho - I don't know where my mother is either. The culture in Utah during that time was one that did not favor biracial relationships. It is believed by my adopted mother that my birth mother belong to the Church or Latter Day Saints LDS (Mormon). She may have been under pressure to not have anything to do with me. I think that my father tried to take care of me but when faced with deportation back to Nigeria he decided to leave me here in Utah. I was in foster care for a while and finally adopted by a loving family when I was 3. You are right about Facebook. I was very surprised to find so many people with the same Surname. I have sent them all a message and am waiting to receive any info.

lumidii - You are very right about the need to be prepared for any discoveries that I may make as well as possible rejections. I have a feeling because my father did try to keep me even without the help of my mother that he may be more open to knowing me. I have kept my expectations to a minimum if I do find him or his family. I don't want to replace mine as I have been raised by an amazing family. If I was only able to say thank you to him and to let him know that I am alright would be enough. Thank you for both of your responses. They are truly appreciated.

Exxcuzme · Aug 7, 2008 , 05:34 PM

Adeola,

You might want to shed more light on the name of the school your dad went to, maybe a classmate may help out. If you know the name of the school, see if they can help you out with a Nigeria classmate the school still have contact with. Other information you might want to provide is what he studied at the school.....ati bebelo.

Ajanlekoko · Aug 7, 2008 , 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by Exxcuzme

Adeola,

You might want to shed more light on the name of the school your dad went to, maybe a classmate may help out. If you know the name of the school, see if they can help you out with a Nigeria classmate the school still have contact with. Other information you might want to provide is what he studied at the school.....ati bebelo.

I think his alma mater and probably the Utah's social and welfare department is a good place to start. They may have enough information that may lead to the next level, like his birthplace in Nigeria etc.

Ph3y · Aug 7, 2008 , 09:49 PM

Adeola. I think it's better you try to contact one of the newspapers. The punch just finished helping an old man locate his wife and kids whom he abandoned a long time agoin the UK. Internet access is not very common in naija but i think using the print media would give you a wider reach/coverage...if the sampson guy does not read it, someone who knows someone who knows him will...[Forgive my pun].....Good luck

Soul Sista · Aug 7, 2008 , 11:38 PM

Adeola:

It is such a pleasure to have you in the village. I am not surprised that you say your father wanted to keep you. He gave you a very beautiful name. Do you know what it means? If not, Adeola means:

The crown of my wealth/my riches/my honor.

I am always a bit concerned when children who have been adopted set out to contact their birth parent(s). So, I was very glad to read your response No. 6 above.

You have been given very good advice. If you have not already done so, you should also try other Nigerian websites. If they don't have an interactive format such as we have in the village, you can try the webmaster's address which is usually on the website. Here is a non-exhaustive list of websites you can go to:

www.nigeriaworld.com
www.nigeriansinamerica.com
www.gamji.com
www.nigeriamuse.com
www.nairaland.com

In addition, you can join a Nigerian YahooGroup known as Naija-Politics. Naija-Politics has a number of related groups. If you post on Naija-Politics, you can ask for information on how to post to the related groups.

I have sent your message to a number of people in my network of friends. If anything comes up, I will let you know. Good luck and all the best!

Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

MrsChocT · Aug 8, 2008 , 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Adeola_USA

I know this is a strange request, but I was born in the USA (Salt Lake City, Utah to be exact) to a man I think was named Sampson Fatunmbi from Nigeria. He attended school in Logan, UT USA. I was put up for adoption and I'm hoping to reunite with him or any family. My birth name was Adeola Fatunmbi. I was born in 1979. If you have any knowledge of this can help please send me a message.
Thank you.

Ok, I know some Fatunmbis from Osun and Oyo state. They are related to me by marriage...my aunt is married to one of them. One of the sons is actually in Yankee.

I am not sure if it's the same family but I can ask for you...i.e. after my uncle don coolu down......I don harass am dis pass week..

But I will send him information...maybe he can help.
_________________________
_________________________
Good news- I just finished talking to my uncle and he said you have to know the state your dad is from. It helps. If he's from Ogun state, then he can't help.

If they are from Osun or Oyo, then he can proceed by notifying the elders and doing an investigation for you.

Is your mother still alive?

enna inot · Aug 8, 2008 , 10:00 AM

Hello Adeola,
Am happy with all the responses you have got so far,trust NVS-ers to rise to the occassion.!!!!!Pls follow-up on all the leads you have been given. You could also check up the site
nigeria-friends.com . I found a long lost friend via this means. Another means that you may wish to consider is to go thru the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA). There is a programme called Newsline on sundays which have featured stories like yours and viewers are subsequently informed that the child searching for birth parents had been successfull,partly becos the NTA has a wide coverage to all parts of Nigeria and some parts of Africa.So anyone who knows any Fatunmbi may likely see the programme on air and inform the family.I do not know if the TV station offers that service freely,but i do know that it seems to have had some success.But the snag is you have to come to Nigeria to do that and i do not know what your plans are in that regard.whatever you decide to do,NEVER LOSE HOPE and keep praying to God.It works

,trust me. All the best

Adeola_USA · Aug 11, 2008 , 05:52 PM

You have all given wonderful advise/leads. I can't begin to thank you for the time that you took to respond you are all amazing! Thank you and God Bless.
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_________________________

Originally Posted by Serious_Naijababe

Ok, I know some Fatunmbis from Osun and Oyo state. They are related to me by marriage...my aunt is married to one of them. One of the sons is actually in Yankee.

I am not sure if it's the same family but I can ask for you...i.e. after my uncle don coolu down......I don harass am dis pass week..

But I will send him information...maybe he can help.
_________________________
_________________________
Good news- I just finished talking to my uncle and he said you have to know the state your dad is from. It helps. If he's from Ogun state, then he can't help.

If they are from Osun or Oyo, then he can proceed by notifying the elders and doing an investigation for you.

Is your mother still alive?

I don't know if my mother is alive. I don't know her either. I will try to find out what state he is from by checking if school records are available as another kind poster suggested. THANK YOU for checking!!!
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_________________________
_________________________
_________________________

Originally Posted by Soul Sista

Adeola:

It is such a pleasure to have you in the village. I am not surprised that you say your father wanted to keep you. He gave you a very beautiful name. Do you know what it means? If not, Adeola means:

The crown of my wealth/my riches/my honor.

I am always a bit concerned when children who have been adopted set out to contact their birth parent(s). So, I was very glad to read your response No. 6 above.

You have been given very good advice. If you have not already done so, you should also try other Nigerian websites. If they don't have an interactive format such as we have in the village, you can try the webmaster's address which is usually on the website. Here is a non-exhaustive list of websites you can go to:

www.nigeriaworld.com
www.nigeriansinamerica.com
www.gamji.com
www.nigeriamuse.com
www.nairaland.com

In addition, you can join a Nigerian YahooGroup known as Naija-Politics. Naija-Politics has a number of related groups. If you post on Naija-Politics, you can ask for information on how to post to the related groups.

I have sent your message to a number of people in my network of friends. If anything comes up, I will let you know. Good luck and all the best!

Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling

Yes, I had looked up the meaning of my name online, thank for confirming that. I will check the web sites that you have suggested. Most of all I am grateful that you passed on my story the more people who read the greater my chances.

virtue · Aug 13, 2008 , 01:21 AM

Hello Adeola,
A friend just told me about this post becos i bear the same surname with your father and i decided to register and respond. I will try and find out if there is any link in my family and get back to you. Actually i have an uncle whose name is similar to your fathers but i really dont know any details about his sorjourn outside the country. Im quite busy at the moment but will try and fit this into my schedule.
We are from Ogun state.
Take care and i wish you all the best in your search.

Abraxas · Aug 14, 2008 , 02:24 AM

Hi, Adeola!

What if your dad has settled down happily with another woman,and has his happy family going, and may not have any desire whatsoever to have you around, for obvious reasons of not wanting to hurt the feelings of either his wife or her children. Would you still want to meet him?

If so, for what? Love? Warmth? Curiosity? What, precisely?

Furthermore, what if a woman shows up, just like that, and tells you that she is your long lost mother, what will you do?

Muchas gracias.

Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III)

omojeje · Aug 14, 2008 , 02:27 PM

Deola your story touches my heart not because you are seaching for your father but because you overlooked the fact that he left you. Keep praying, I believe there is a reason that now more than ever you want to meet him.

Do not be discouraged, do not give room to negative thoughts(e.g asking yourself questions like what if he denies me again? or what if he does not want to have anything to do with me?).

When David's brother discouraged him from the war zone, he asked this question: IS THERE NOT A CAUSE ? You and I remember the story that at the end of the day he actually defeated Goliath.

I strongly believe that you are closer to your goal now. Dont give up, you are somebody and you have a root. Remember the movie Antwone Fisher? He met his mother but his mum was not so enthusiastic about him. While humanly thoughts may run through your mind, the Lord will give you the grace to hold on to the very end.

Lastly, the lord will restore unto you those years you have missed with him. I believe there is nothing impossible with God, and He will do it again.

I will be waiting to hear of this awesome testimony.
Remain blessed
Omojeje

Mikky jaga · Aug 14, 2008 , 05:12 PM

I believe I have the solution to your problem.

Your father is a Yorubaman from the South Western part of Nigeria.

I hope I have been of help. If so Doxology.

virtue · Aug 25, 2008 , 06:29 PM

Hello Adeola,
I got in touch with my father as promised. It looks like he might know your father as he gave me your name and a bit of information that tallies with your story over the phone this includes your name which i didnt tell him beforehand. He is not your father but his cousin might be. im not sure, he wants to get in contact with him and we will see how it goes from there. Take kia

IZONERE · Aug 25, 2008 , 06:33 PM

Wow! That's all I can say!

katampe · Aug 25, 2008 , 06:54 PM

Good job, Virtue!

Potentially, Adeola might be your cousin, eh? This must be surreal for you both.

If this works, and I pray it works, this would be a great moment to witness on NVS. Back here, some Nigerians get phone calls from Canadian women because they have similar names with people that fathered their children.

It also happens in some churches when you attend, and you introduce yourself as Nigerian, they want you to help find and link up with the fathers of their kids.

Originally Posted by virtue

Hello Adeola,
I got in touch with my father as promised. It looks like he might know your father as he gave me your name and a bit of information that tallies with your story over the phone this includes your name which i didnt tell him beforehand. He is not your father but his cousin might be. im not sure, he wants to get in contact with him and we will see how it goes from there. Take kia