How to Find People I Haven't Seen in a Long Time

A good friendship can last a lifetime.

Old memories can grow into fond memories over time and make you long to see a person you haven't seen in many years. Childhood best friends or old girlfriends and boyfriends may never leave your memory. Whatever your reasons for wanting to find the person, your search starts with what you remember about them.

Things You'll Need

• Internet connection
• Computer
• Telephone

Instructions

1. Gather all the information you can about the person, including full name, date of birth, telephone numbers, addresses, past employment information and schools they attended. Write down these details.

2. Start with the phonebook of the town where you last knew the person. Look up his or her name. If the name is fairly common, you might end up with several entries. Check for the address where the person last lived or middle initials that could possibly distinguish them from the others listed.

3. Call an old mutual friend who you may still be in contact with. Ask if he knows of the person's whereabouts or where he lives now.

4. Type in the name in a search engine. For common names, you will have to go through hundreds of pages to find anything of use. Don't sign up for a people finder services unless you are able to speak with a live representative who can tell you about their search process.

5. Search the name on the social networking sites. You can compare pictures of the people whose names pop up, but keep in mind the person may look different.

6. Read their profiles for hometown information or some indication that this person might be the one you are looking for. Send them an email or a letter saying you may know one another.

7. Use reputable people-locator services online. Ask your friends and relatives for recommendations before paying any money.

8. Search for public records at courthouses and government agencies. But, only 20 percent of public records are online, so you will have to travel to the courthouse if you are looking for someone who is local, according to Carole Levitt in the book "Find Info Like a Pro." For national information searches, you may have to call the courthouse in the town where you think the person lives and request that the information be sent to you. There may be a fee and it could be $30 or more.

9. Hire a private detective if your searches through mutual contacts and other means are fruitless. But, be prepared to pay $2,000 or more for time and expenses.

10. Send a letter by mail once the person is located. Don't blindside him with a phone call. You can also send an email if you happen to know the email address. This gives the person the opportunity to respond if he or she is interested in seeing you again.

References

• "Find Info like a Pro: Mining the Internet's Publicly Available Resources for"; Carole A. Levitt; 2011
• "Facebook For Dummies"; Leah Pearlman, Carolyn Abram; 2010

Resources

• Classmates.com
• "Naked in Cyberspace: How to Find Personal Information Online"; Carole A. Lane; 2002