How to Find an Old Friend by Name & State
As life churns on, time tends to wedge a gap between friends who have slowly drifted apart. Friends graduate from high school and go off into the world to begin new lives. Contemplating how to get in touch with an old friend after some time has past is a good way to renew a friendship. Getting in contact with an old friend is simple if you know their name and the state they reside in.
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Instructions
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Search the white pages. All areas of the United States have a phone book that will allow you to look for your friend by name. If you are unsure what county they are in, start in the most populated areas for those with matching names. Online white pages are available for these types of searches, as well.
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Perform a public records search. Your local courthouse allows for you to perform these types of searches on names. Information such as marriages, births, divorces and tax property records can be searched, if they exist. Doing a public search can be done partially online, and if done in person at the courthouse it is free.
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Dial 411 and give the state and name. Using the information line may be helpful and will be more effective if you can narrow down your old friend's city of residence. If you can not find the city then asking the 411 operator for all of the numbers under that name will help. In case they can not give you all the numbers at once then keep track of the numbers that you already have. Call each number after you get it to see if that is your old friend's number first, however.
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Look at online social networking websites. Most popular online social networking websites allow you to search for a person by name. If that person has an account on the website under her name, you will be able to find her quickly. Oftentimes if there is more than one person with that name, pictures can be provided to help in the process of elimination.
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Hire a private investigator. Although this can be costly, it may be worth it if you are unable to make contact with your friend through other means. Beyond being able to re-establish a friendship, using a P.I. will also be helpful if you are unable to search on your own because of time constraints.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are in contact with other friends who may know some of your old friends, using them as a word-of-mouth networking system to find your old friend may be helpful.
Resources
- Photo Credit Picture provided by lusi.
