A couple of things to keep in mind while reading this article, and before you start using any of the resources listed here:
Be patient. Have you ever heard the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? If the person you’re looking for hasn’t left much of a trail, you probably won’t find success in one simple search. Give yourself time and realize that you may need to run multiple searches in several locations to find the information you seek. Use all the tools in your toolbox. Don’t limit yourself to one search engine or one website. Search tools can give surprisingly different results, and each tool adds just a bit more information to the overall summary. Keep your money. The resources listed here are free and don’t require financial or personal information. There are situations where paying to find people is useful, but only after you’ve exhausted the resources below.
Sites that focus only on people-related information are incredibly valuable tools when you’re trying to dig up as much information as possible. Andrew Bret Wallis/Getty Images If you don’t have the hometown but have the person’s first and last name, try the free Social Security Death Index at Ancestry.com. It may lead you to the date of death and the city or town where the person was living. Then, you can check the local newspaper. You need to have a free Facebook account to access all the Facebook information that is available to you. There are plenty of ways to use Facebook to find people, starting with your high school classmates. If you have a phone number, try using a reverse number lookup on Google, or search the social media websites for the number.
