Hello,
I have been researching my paternal family since 2007. I was adopted in 1955 (born in New york city) Briefly, I have re-united with my biological mother, unfortunatley she can not offer me very much information on my bio-father. My biological mother claims that my father's surname is Hoffman and he called himself "Jack" (for william?? or John??)
In anycase, I have a brother,our mother was extremely young,when she gave birth to my brother in 1952, she was 15 yrs. old.
My brother and I, know that we have the same father (DNA tests proved this) My brother does not know more than I do about our father.I assume that bio-father was born between 1925 and 1937 (bio-mother born in 1937, she lived in Washington Heights NY.City and in 1950,in the Bronx)I have been trying to use "cluster genealogy" and am thinking of making a map.

I do know these things: He has Puerto Rican blood lines through his maternal family (again DNA tests and help from a genetic genealogist proved this)
The maternal surnames concerning his P.R. heritage would most likely be:Arroyo-Otero-Morales-Miranda-Vazquez-Gonzalez-Rivera-Matos. "RIVERA" being the most prevelent surname.

I know too, that there were HOFFMAN families in Puerto Rico abt.1800/1850 they were managing plantations there.Some immigrated to new York City.

I also know that many Puerto Rican families during the late 40's and into the 1950's and 1960's lived in the Bronx, Brooklyn (Kings point) Red Hook (cobble Hill).
I have noted a number of these families through Ancestry.Com. but I can get no closer to finding the correct family.I was going on the lines that perhaps bio-father was a Merchant Marine or in the Navy.I've tried to obtain information from the USMMA to no avail.
Other Hoffmans(n) that I have found in yearbooks Universites, these Univerities in question, will not give out information on their alumni student's families, (as I am interested in the maternal surnames of the mother or grandmother who would have been of Puerto Rican descent)

My mother mentioned that bio-father was an attorney for the goverment,not sure of this.
Have you any suggestions,I would love to have some help.I now live in France,so it would be difficult or costly to go somewhere directly, for further information.

lorrainef