Search Tips
Adoption agency – This is a good resource for adoptees since non-identifying information can be obtained from the placing agency. There often is a fee but it can be worth the fee.
Alumni -- There is only one alumni website that I recommend because it is 100% free and does not lead you to someone trying to make money. I do recommend that you register at Alumni-Find because you might find who you are looking for registered or someone could find you.
Backup - Along the way those who use computers might find themselves entering notes on the computer. By all means back up whether it is to a CD or external hard drive. I don't think that anyone can say for certain just how long a CD might last. It is recommended to use a CD brand that uses phthalocyanine dye but there is no guarantee that they will last forever. It is always wise to give an extra CD or two to someone living in another home just in case of fire or a natural disaster. Lots of copies will keep your data safe!
Books - There are books with helpful tips on how to locate persons. Some are more helpful than others so I do recommend checking some out from your local library. If you find one quite helpful and feel that you might want to refer to it over and over, you can always purchase it from Amazon.com. At Amazon you can often find used copies of books for sale. For those of you who don't live close to a library you can do a search at Amazon (finding missing persons).
Cemeteries – Interment and perpetual care information can be helpful in locating relatives of the deceased. Always check nearby graves for possible relatives.
Census – The most recent available at this time is the 1930. When you have located the family you are looking for, always check the next-door neighbors listed. Neighbors could be relatives or someone who has stayed in touch with the family. Rolls of census film are housed at historical societies and libraries. Always inquire about inter-library loan if your library does not have census rolls. There are online genealogical resources too who offer the census along with other databases to check.
Churches – Baptism, marriage, and death records are available from some churches while some only provide the records for genealogical purposes after many years have passed to protect the privacy of individuals.
City directories - They differ from telephone directories in that they can indicate whether a person listed owns or rents. Sometimes the name of a spouse is given and the name of an employer and occupation.
County courthouses – Not all courthouses allow someone to come in and check public records but it is always a good idea to inquire about it. If they don’t, ask about an index that you can check for probate records, civil law cases, criminal cases, and vital statistics (birth, marriage, divorce, and death). If you can find someone on an index, it might be worthwhile to request the record. Not all counties will issue a birth, marriage, or death record to just anyone but if you are a relative, you will stand a better chance of getting it. Real estate records are kept at courthouses and you never know what you might find on them. Sometimes property is passed down in families or purchased from a family member. Probate files can consist of alot of information and a will could state guardianship of minor children. So if you discover that someone has died, don't give up but instead pursue checking out probate records. Voter’s registration records can be referred to as precinct books or rosters.
End of the road - there were times when I could not think of another avenue to search. Then I would set my search aside to relax. When I went back to my search, I would think of what to try next.
Errors - On death records I have found names misspelled and wrong dates of birth. The information is only as correct as the informant was knowledgeable. Plus errors could have been made from a family informant being distressed over the death of a loved one. There are similar errors made on census records and I have found a male (Lewis) listed for a female (Louise). Census takers were only human and could have misunderstood or possibly just jotted it down wrong. After all a young girl with short hair can resemble a boy. So just always keep in mind that the information you obtain from a vital record, the census or other source could have errors.
Historical Societies – A good place to find census rolls, city and telephone directories, county histories, newspapers on microfilm, and many miscellaneous forms of information. Newspapers are a good resource for engagement/marriage announcements and publishing of vital records.
Internet Mailing Lists - Being a subscriber can lead to learning a wealth of information. Rootsweb and Yahoo Groups both offer many different lists. I am the list administrator for the HEDEL, KNOPF and IL-RHBAL lists with Rootsweb and FamAdopt with Yahoo Groups. But there are many, many lists to choose from at both Rootsweb and Yahoo Groups.
Libraries – A good place to find newspapers on microfilm. Some libraries do have old telephone directories and not always limited to that particular city.
Marriage license - can't find one? Check all anniversary announcements you can find in current and old newspapers. Even if you don't find an anniversary announcement for the person being sought, you could find one for their parents and learn the married name that way, with possibly their city of residence being included.
Non-Acid paper - Do not use this for preserving documents or photos. Post-it notes are great for writing notes to yourself or someone else. But do not attach them to documents or photos. Cover sheets should always be non-acid as well as any glue sticks you might use for scrapbooking.
Occupations - Many of the older occupations are not familiar to us. This is a great glossary website that translates to what does sound familar to us.
Online resources - There are several phone search engines on the Internet. One thing to keep in mind is that when there is a fee to obtain more information about someone you think that you have located is that it might not be up to date. I recently checked for someone who died 15 years ago and was asked to pay a fee to obtain her phone number. I don't expect any online database to be up to date by the minute but to be 15 years behind and charging people is not good. One day I checked for someone in a small farm community town and I was appalled to see an address for someone that does not exist. That led me to searching for someone else who does not have a land phone but yet the company claimed to have one available. Unforunately when trying to locate someone, there is no way to know if the person is alive or deceased. There are Social Security Death Indexes online to check. Don't count on all deceased persons to be listed on the SSDI. Many of you know about the google search engine and there is the dogpile search engine too. It is a good idea to search on spelling variations of a name. Another tip is to enter the surname first, first name last, with or without a middle name or initial. If you have no luck, try the first initial plus the surname. Always experiment if you don't succeed with the first try or two. Quotation marks around a name will eliminate some pages too not related to the person that you are searching for. A google or dogpile search will sometimes result in a family website URL being shown. I advise to always click on these, especially with uncommon surnames. You could end up learning alot of information about the family. Many do not list living members on a website or they might be listed with no birthdate to protect the privacy of the individual. But family websites can indeed be a good resource. In fact, one thing you might try with searching for a family website is to type a person's name in the search engine and include the word "family" (Diercouff family is an example.) Reverse phone look up searches can be of great help but if one does not lead to learning the name or the person or business that the number is listed to, try spelling variations or a category search for businesses. I have done phone number lookups up before with no person or business being found when there should have been.
Reunion Registry – All searching adoptees and birthparents should register with the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR). Requests for a form should include a SASE (self-addressed-stamped envelope) and be mailed to: ISRR, P.O. Box 371179, Las Vegas. NV 89137. See www.isrr.net for more information.
Social Security Death Index (SSDI) - Although not all deceased are listed on this index it is a great resource to check just in case. Learning where someone died can lead to obtaining an obituary and they can be a great resource - definitely a way to sometimes learn a married name. An SSDI that is free to check online is at Family Legends.
Telephone Directories – These do not list unlisted phone numbers. So if you don’t find a listing for the person you are seeking, call directory assistance. The number won’t be given to you but it is a way to confirm that the person is living in the area you suspect. Don’t forget that you don’t need to have a particular city in mind, just an area code will work and you can always try more than one area code. This is especially good for a name that is not too common. There are online telephone directories (switchboard, anywho, etc). Whether you are searching in a paper phone directory or online be certain to check every possible name and combination of names while keeping in mind that there are misspellings of names too.
Webpages - Search engines are of course a good resource for locating webpages but some are not the easiest to use. Webpages by Stephen P. Morse, San Francisco is a great resource since he has created alternate ways to use what could otherwise be a difficult webpage for you to utilize. You could be surprised at how easier it might be to check the census, do phonebook lookups, and search Ellis Island and Castle Garden.
Search Tips were revised on 5/8/10.
If you would like to be e-mailed when I update the search tips or any part of this website, just email me and I will put you on a list to notify. I'd appreciate it if you would let me know about any broken links.
