My father was adopted and grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. However, he passed away in 1994. His name was Donald "Don" Lee Morzfeld and born 09/22/43. He was adopted around 3-4 years of age by Rebecca and Fredrick Morzfeld. He was abandoned by his birth mother and his birth father was unknown. I found social security record with birthplace Waukesha, Wisconsin that I'm sure my dad wasn't aware he was born there.

The family legacy regarding his adoption spoke about two young boys who were abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves in mid-late 1940s. The older boy assumed the role as parent and took care of his younger brother, my father. My dad was told his brother foraged food for them by stealing and rummaging in trash cans. When the boys were picked up, the older brother was claimed by his biological father. But my dad was sent to live with a foster family, who eventually adopted him. He never saw his brother again.

He tried to search for him off the information provided to him by his adoptive mother. But his efforts were unsuccessful due to the limited information and resources available and sealed records. He vaguely remembered living with young boy, who wasn't his adoptive brother. He was told his brother was older by 2-3 years and assumed to be a half brother, since the older boy's father didn't claim him as his son. The names Bobby and Billy seem familiar to him and remained stuck in his head, but he's not sure whether his brother was named either of those. Before my dad died, his only regret in life was never finding his brother. 

I have high percentages of Scandinavian, Western European and Italian/Greek ethnic DNA I was unable to trace to ancestors on my maternal line. I traced of my mother's direct ancestors to England, Ireland and Scotland. I can probably conclude I inherited the other ethnicities from my dad. In addition to, the population in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and its surrounding areas have a high percentage of Scandinavian, Danish, German, Polish and Italian/Sicilian ethnicities. 

His stature was on the shorter side, averaging 5'6" in height. In his younger and teenage years, he was slim. As an adult, his girth increased a little with added on muscle mass and body fat he gained as he aged; regardless of his body changes, he always been able to maintain a healthy weight with minimal effort. His complexion was pale olive during fall/winter seasons; but as he spend more time outdoors in Spring/Summer seasons, his skin easily tanned to a golden hue, with minimal to no sunburn. His hair color changed during the seasons too, it darkened to medium brown in cooler months, and lightened to light brown with sunbleached blonde and red highlights in warmer months. Also, his hair was straight and silky in texture. It receded a little as he aged, but never enough for bald spots. He had a round face and slight cleft chin (without the dimple). His other facial features consisted of full lips, light brown eyes and broad nose bridge and nostrils. His facial hair grew out fast. He had a noticeable 5:00 shadow and needed to shave every day. In addition to, he had a lot of arm, leg, chest and back hair. His forearms were unusually large and unportionate to rest of his body, similar to the cartoon character "Popeye." However, he did spend several years in the Navy that probably contributed to his enlarged forearms. 

I never thought of asking specific questions when my dad and grandmother were alive, so I'm not sure if the date of birth was actually his, if Donald was his birth name or if he was born in Kenosha County, WI. His communication skills were limited to a few unrecognizable words when he was sent to live with his adoptive family. Since his name rhymed with his adoptive brother's name, I personally believe his name was changed. This search is not only for me to honor my father's last wishes, but I have my own a personal agenda as well. I would like to research more about on my ethnic background. In addition to, I want to learn about genetic disorders that my father's biological family suffered.

If anyone in Kenosha and surrounding counties (including Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois) familiar with this particular adoption tale please contact me at bsmonsiv@gmail.com.