How to Find an Old Friend

Losing touch with an old friend is easy to do. Busy lives, home relocation, marriages, divorces and career changes can all lead to loss of contact. Don't just wonder what happened. Read on to learn how to find an old friend.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Check with mutual friends to see if they have any contact information. Others may have kept up with the "lost" friend.

2. Perform a search of the friend's name using online search engines. Remember to use any variation of the name, such as "John" and "Johnny" or "Mary Smith" and "Mary P. Smith." For very common names, use additional search parameters to limit the number of results, like "Mary Smith" and "Boise, Idaho."

3. Look at possible professional organizations, special interest clubs or alumni associations that the old friend might have joined. For example, if the friend is a lawyer, contact the state bar association. If the friend was interested in fly fishing, check for organizations of fly fishing enthusiasts. Some membership records are available online or names can be found in online newsletters. Write the organization and ask if they will forward an email to the friend.

4. Explore online directories of telephone numbers and email addresses. Most of these directories will offer an advance search to narrow the results to a geographical area. Also examine other online public records, such as county deed records and voter registration lists.

5. Use genealogy websites, which contain modern as well as historic records. Modern marriage licenses, divorce records and obituaries are among the genealogy records often available. While some genealogy sites charge a subscription fee, many are free.

6. Search popular personal website locations, such as MySpace and Facebook.

7. Explore the possibility of paying an online search company. Be careful to pick a reputable company. Ask about their refund policy and complaint resolution. Look for comments about search companies at referral and review sites. Be certain to ask for what type of information they will provide; sometimes this information comes from free public records sites.

Tips & Warnings

• Any clue is a good clue. Don't hesitate to use even the smallest piece of information about the old friend to narrow a search, including birth date or favorite song.

• For assistance with Internet searches, check with a local librarian.

Resources

• Cyndi's List Website for Genealogy Resources