Here's a follow-up to my original post. Since then I have tracked my mother's side of the family and know for sure that I have identified my birth mother up in the St. Lawrence area. Last night I spoke for over an hour with my 1st cousin who is the daughter of my mother's brother (ie my 1st cousin). She is a hoot.
Our only are of disagreement is that she is a Patriots fan, having practiced as a psychologist in Boston for years. We both agreed, however, that getting rid of Garoppolo was a huge mistake. I was very happy about that and she wasn't.