How to Find Stuff About People

Anyone can be a people-search detective with the right tools.

The Internet is a goldmine of information about people. Whether you're searching for a lost childhood friend or for information about your great-great grandparents, there are online tools that can help you find out more information about the people in your life. Best of all, some of the most powerful people-search tools are absolutely free of charge.

Instructions

1. Start with what you know. Compile information that you already have about the person you are looking for.

   Start with the person's name. Someone you know as "Chuck" may very well be named Charles. Last names, too, can change, especially when people get married or divorced. Write down all the possible variations of the name you're looking for.

   Then add additional information, such as schools attended, previous addresses, jobs, notable achievements, marriage or any other pertinent information. All this will help in your search. Other people may be able to add details, especially if you're searching for family history information.

2. Devise a strategy. Looking for someone who is alive now requires a different set of tools than looking for an ancestor who lived 150 years ago. Looking for ancestors in Europe requires a different focus than looking for ancestors in the U.S. Decide what dates you want to focus on, and what geographic areas are your best starting point for your search.

3. Search for living people. Your best starting points are the national online phone book, a general Internet search engine such as Google, and a comprehensive business directory such as Jigsaw.

4. Search for the recently deceased. Use the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) to look for information about Americans who have passed away any time in the past four decades.

5. Look for family history information. Free sites like FamilySearch.org or pay services like Ancestry.com are fast, comprehensive tools for searching broad historical records from around the world. These sites include immigration information, vital records (birth, marriage and death records), newspaper accounts, military records and many other sources of information.

Tips & Warnings

• People who know (or knew) the person are your best source of information about the details of their life and, for living people, their current whereabouts and activities. Make sure to reach out beyond the Internet and talk to your own social circle.

References

• Google Knol: People Search
• Xooxle Answers: Top Ten People Finding Sites

Resources

• SuperPages: People Find
• Jigsaw Business Contacts
• Social Security Death Index
• Family Search
• Ancestry