From ABC7 New York · · 1m
James Dorsey gets birth certificate after decades of waiting
95-year-old James Dorsey, born on a Louisiana plantation after Emancipation Proclamation, finally receives birth certificate after 30 years of searching.
In brief
95-year-old James Dorsey, born on a Louisiana plantation after Emancipation Proclamation, finally receives birth certificate after 30 years of searching. James Dorsey, 95, obtained his birth certificate after decades of waiting, proving his identity as an American citizen born on a plantation in Louisiana. Originally…
James Dorsey's birth certificate
95-year-old James Dorsey finally has his birth certificate after decades of waiting.
Born on plantation
Dorsey was born in August 1931 to a midwife on Ellerbe Plantation, 25 miles out of Shreveport, Louisiana.
No birth record
His birth was never recorded, and he had to stop working as a truck driver without his birth certificate.
Family search
Dorsey's daughter Barbara Dorsey-Curry helped fill out the application, but weeks went by without an update.
Attorney helps
Attorney Raynique Keelen helped locate the birth certificate under a different name and date of birth.
Identity confirmed
Dorsey now has proof he is an American citizen born on a plantation in Louisiana.
The main idea
James Dorsey, 95, obtained his birth certificate after decades of waiting, proving his identity as an American citizen born on a plantation in Louisiana.
