How to Locate Relatives
Locating a family member can benefit the entire family. Whether you are seeking to connect with your ancestral roots for historical purposes, send out invitations for the family reunion or match a kidney, locating relatives can be a fulfilling experience.
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Instructions
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Locating Lost Relatives
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Discuss your intentions with your family. Grandma might remember where her father's journal is located with detailed information about his cousin, your uncle might have a few letters from a long-lost cousin or they may recall the location of various documentations, like birth, marriage or death certificates. Ask your family for ideas and support.
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Determine general location. Start with the last place your family recalls the relative. Go to the neighborhood or community to meet and talk to neighbors, religious centers or schools. If the location is in another state, region or country, look up community centers in the general area.
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Follow the paper trail. Check the library for scanned newspapers to track historical events, local school lists of graduates, home buyers, historic censuses, religious ceremonies or weddings. Look in phone directories for similar names. You will come across significant events in your long-lost relative's life that may contribute to the success of bringing them back into your family.
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Research religious affiliations and directories for updated information on your relative. Most religious communities maintain lists of members and their addresses, and may even have forwarding addresses. Contact churches, synagogues, mosques or temples that your relative may have been or may be associated with.
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If you are lucky enough to know the missing person's social security number or passport number, contact the IRS to forward a letter. Consult with the IRS website for information such as date of death and related inheritances if you think the relative is deceased.
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Use the website FamilySearch.org to locate a family member by name, years, special life events and geographical region. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints funds and maintains this project, which is an excellent resource for locating family members domestically and internationally.
Having basic information of your relative can help you find chronological events and even their social security number. This service is non-denominational. Learn more about genealogy and searching for relatives through the online lessons on Family History, including topics such as research, interview techniques and writing a family history. These tools will benefit your family in locating relatives currently and in the future.
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