How would I research something I registered at the United States Copyright Office in 1995?

Back in 1995 I drew a picture and wrote a story which I distributed widely. Someone recommended that I copyright this piece, which I did—not so much for money but because I didn’t want anyone else to steal it, distribute it, etc etc. And I always assumed I would want to possibly do more with it someday.

I DID fill out the paperwork and register the work at the U.S, Copyright Office—- and guess I am lucky no one ever distributed the piece because it was widely distributed by me. It was good enough that some doubt I am the author and artist.

What concerns me now is, there is a similar work that is extremely popular right now in bookstores and film. No, nobody ripped me off, and the ideas are dissimilar enough that they are comparable but not identical enough to really be from the same source. But there will be those who say I ripped this idea from the more famous one, even though the famous one was written twelve years after mine. In fact, there may be those reluctant to publish if I cannot prove that I produced mine years ago.

I know I registered mine and received verification in the Spring of 1995— and there are about twenty people I still know who can verify my work (for what their testimony is worth, probably nothing) but don’t have my paperwork from then though I’m sure its still there and registered.

Mine is as good as the similar one that is out there, actually maybe inspired from some of the same tropes, and had I known how, probably should have tried to get my work published back then.

How do I find out about how to prove my work is my work?

Again, no one ripped ME off, but many will believe I ripped this later work off if I were to develop it for later work.