95-year-old James Dorsey receives delayed birth certificate in Houston
Attorney Raynique Keelen helped locate records from 1931 that were filed under a different name and date.
By Lorenzo Marshall ·
James Dorsey, 95, spent nearly nine decades without an official record of his birth. The missing document prevented him from continuing his career as a truck driver and created uncertainty about his legal status as an American citizen. On Thursday, he received the certificate in his home in Houston.
Dorsey was born in August 1931 at Ellerbe Plantation, located approximately 25 miles from Shreveport, Louisiana. A midwife attended his birth, but no record was filed at the time. He did not discover the gap in his paperwork until he was preparing for marriage. He believed his mother held the document. By the 1950s, he had moved from Louisiana to Houston.
The Louisiana Department of Health directed the family to the state's vital records department when local media reported his story in summer. His daughter, Barbara Dorsey-Curry, submitted the application. Weeks passed without a response. During that waiting period, Dorsey celebrated his 95th birthday.
Attorney Raynique Keelen, who practices in Houston and New Orleans, stepped in after seeing the coverage. She agreed to handle the case at no cost. Keelen said the process involved locating vital records that were stored under a different name and a different date of birth. The name differed by one week off, and the date was totally different. She then traveled to a courthouse in New Orleans to complete the verification.
"Mr. Dorsey, we have something for you," Keelen said as she entered Dorsey's home. The attorney explained that the document proves his birth and citizenship. "He's come full circle, a chapter in his life. He has proof that he's here," Keelen said.
Barbara Dorsey-Curry described the outcome as a blessing. She noted that her father had wanted the document for a long time but did not know how to navigate the process alone. "I appreciate your help because he'd been wanting it forever," she said.
Dorsey said the document resolved a long-standing worry. "I didn't know what was going to happen to me if I didn't have it," he said. He now holds the paper that confirms his identity after 95 years.
