How to Find a Relative you recognize Nothing About?

How to find a relative when virtually nothing is known about the person can be a challenging task. A number of websites facilitate this job by listing genealogy information and data from public records, such as marriage, birth, death, and census records. Oftentimes, it only takes a name, or the names of the parents, to find out a great deal of information. It will require becoming a touch of a detective, but the method will likely convince to be enlightening.

Where to start

Ideally, the name and date of birth of the relative are available. One of the best sites to start searching is Familysearch.org. The site is free, doesn’t require any sort of registration, and contains birth, death, marriage, divorce, probate, and military records. The census records are some of the most valuable entries. A search can be conducted on the name of any person in residence at the time the census was conducted. Thus, albeit the name is unknown, checking out the names of oldsters or maybe siblings can reveal the knowledge.

Additional sources

Another source of information that can aid in the research task is the Social Security Death Master File. The file includes listings of people issued Social Security numbers who are now deceased. In addition, other records are being integrated, numerous entries contain information regarding marriages, divorces, children, and spouses. The file is searchable by name, year, or Social Security number. Oftentimes, information listed within the SSDMF helps to verify previously gathered data.

Search tips

Lest relevant entries are excluded, keep search parameters to a minimum. If the search results prove too numerous, add more qualifiers like the mother’s name or first initial. Beware, records dating from the mid-1900s and earlier, tend to have estimated dates of birth consisting only of the year born and often contain variations in the spelling of the names. 

Finding current information

Once you've gathered sufficient data, start searching social media sites for contact information. Countless websites offer background checks, usually for a fee. However, some provide basic information for free.

If results are unsuccessful, a more intensive investigation that reaches beyond the scope of public records could also be required.