# 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.
- Title: James Dorsey gets birth certificate after decades of waiting
- Summary: 95-year-old James Dorsey, born on a Louisiana plantation after Emancipation Proclamation, finally receives birth certificate after 30 years of searching.
- Keywords: james dorsey, ellerbe plantation, emancipation proclamation, birth certificate, louisiana, houston, 95-year-old, american citizen, cotton fields, shreveport, vital records, ktrk-tv
- Source: ABC7 New York — https://abc7ny.com/story/great-grandfather-95-born-plantation-emancipation-proclamation-was-signed-obtains-birth-certificate/20035892
- Published: 2026-11-12T15:14:17+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: james dorsey, ellerbe plantation, emancipation proclamation, birth certificate, louisiana, houston, 95-year-old, american citizen, cotton fields, shreveport, vital records, ktrk-tv
## 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.
## Key takeaway

James Dorsey, 95, obtained his birth certificate after decades of waiting, proving his identity as an American citizen born on a plantation in Louisiana.