How to Find Living Family Members

Find your family on Myspace or Facebook.

Many people want to reconnect with family members for a variety of reasons. Some simply want to reminisce about past family gatherings, while others desire a reunion to meet again, see how the children have grown and share news or a home-cooked meal. Fortunately, valuable resources exist that can assist you in reuniting with relatives.

Instructions

1. Plan and host a family reunion. Ask family members to prepare a favorite dish and bring along photo albums, family Bibles or any other helpful information to share during the celebration.

2. Call, email, or send letters asking uncles, cousins or any of your eldest relatives to provide contact information for family members.

3. Join a social network site such as Facebook or Myspace. Register for either service and complete a personal profile. Post a bulletin in your status update or "Notes" section of your Facebook or Myspace page, detailing your search for living relatives. Select the public profile option to attract more people to your individual page.

4. Visit and join a family search site. For instance, one website offers services such as birth, marriage and death certificate viewings, and city, state and obituary searches. Many of these resources contain information for both living and deceased relatives. Some sites require fees for more detailed searches.

Tips & Warnings

• Take advantage of free trial periods before fully committing to family locator websites.

References

• SAMHSA: Create a Family Tree
• Ancestry: Death, Burial, Cemeteries and Obituaries
• Ancestry: City and Area Directories

Resources

• US Search: People Search and Background Check
• Family Reunion Ideas: Homepage