Have you been trying to locate a lost family member that you have lost contact with? Reconnecting with someone can be a great feeling. But where do you begin in the process of locating them? This guide will explain the easiest methods you can try right now. Because this question is asked by so many we decided to write down and explain the ways to get started.
So, What are the 5 ways to locate a lost family member? Using online tools is the quickest way to get the ball rolling and start finding information as to where a family member can be that you lost contact with. Search services will provide the information easily and quickly online with just a first and last name. However, we use other methods as well to try and build a picture of where your family members could be.
Search Service
When using a search service it works only within the United States. If you think your family members or even lost friends are still in the U.S. and you want to connect with them this is a great resource and tool to use. You can expect to find the following pieces of information when performing a simple name search online:
- Full names
- Address history
- Alias
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers (Cell and Landlines)
- Social Media profiles
- Relatives
- Criminal records
- Court records
- And much more…
Public Records Search
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BeenVerified background check service searches through billions of records and dozens of databases.
Keep in mind that if you have a phone number you can reverse phone search that number using a search service. This can be valuable when wanting to find address information and other public data but you only have a phone number.
Google probably won’t allow you to find phone numbers or emails but it is a very quick method to use and it could lead to other clues as to where a family or friend is. Two-part method to use:
Simple Google Search
First, Simply Google your family members name and see what comes up. Do you see any web pages on them? These could be social sites or even a bio page where he or she works?
Image Search in Google
Second, try an image search. The process is the same except you will now use the image search instead of all at the top. It will look like this:
Do you see any images of your family member or friends? If so, click on that image to learn more about where the picture came from. This could lead to more valuable information on your family member.
Social Media Profiles are a great way to locate a lost family member
A lot of people are on social media, in fact, millions of people are so you cannot overlook the importance of searching through these types of applications. A big reason is that if you can locate a family member or a friend this way there is a high chance of communicating because you can now private message them through the application itself.
If you find someone on LinkedIn, for example, they may even provide a business contact number that you could call or an email. The following are some of the most popular social media profiles to search:
Learn the best ways to locate a lost family member online. Reconnecting with someone can be exciting if you know where to start your search.
Talk to another family member to gain some insight
Sometimes the best method is to just ask another family member if they know how you can contact them or if they have some information to share. There are times that this method will work great and it will easily help you find information to reconnect with that person.
While this method has worked in the past it may lead to dead ends or provide information that gets you to know closer to finding the person you’re looking for.
Court records can shed light on where someone lives
This method would require for you to know what area the person may still be located in. You can search county court records like real estate records directly online through the clerk of court office. This actually can be done either in person or online.
You would search the county records by accessing the property appraiser records search from that county. You can search by name and access these public records to see if your family member still owns property within that county.
Although this method will not locate contact numbers, it will provide address information. Here is how to find the county courthouse in your area, or in the area you think your family member would be in.
Google the following:
In google input the County + Property appraiser search
So for example “Los Angeles County Property Appraiser search”
This should bring up the appraiser official website for you to start a search.
Locating family members from back generations
This is more of a way to locate more historical family members rather then family members you either grew up with or lost contact with overtime. The best services would be from Ancestry.com they can help build a family tree that you can learn more about where you came from and who your ancestors where. They also provide a DNA service that can tell you more about what region you would be from.
A few things to remember
Remember reconnecting with family or friends can be an exciting time, however, it could also bring disappointment if the family member does not want to speak or reconnect. There are many reasons that this could happen so keep this in mind when you start your search.
The perceptions of what you think should happen and what could happen if you do find that person can be completely different. The above methods all kind provide ways to start searching and to locate a lost family member to reconnect. The search service will be the quickest and most effective way to find contact information on someone all within a single search.
