You are not alone if you have lost contact with someone from your family. There are many people like you looking to reconnect with long-lost family members, but don’t even know where to start.
Sometimes we can do little or nothing about the factors that lead to the separation, as it can be caused by many reasons. However, whatever these reasons are, if you want to reconnect with your relatives, there are many ways to do this. Let’s talk about them in detail.
1. Gather as much information about them as possible
The first step in finding a family member is gathering as much information about them as possible. You will need their full name, date of birth, place of birth, their siblings and other relatives, parents’ names, pictures, a spouse’s name (if they were married), children’s names (if any), occupation, and last known address. The more details you have, the better.
Whatever relates to your relatives can play a vital role in finding them, so put together all the information you can get. Doing this may take time, but it is one of the most important aspects of finding the person. If you can get other family members or people who may know these relatives to help you with this information, ask them for help.
One or two pieces of information from other relatives or close family members can lead you to find the person. So ensure you do a thorough job at this stage; even if you don’t find the person, the details you will gather will play a vital role in any other step of the process.
2. Register on DNA websites
Today, DNA tests are quite a popular option for those who want to reconnect with relatives. Ancestry DNA, Cruwys News, DNA Painter, Guild of One-Name Studies, and FamilyTreeDNA are some resources you can try.
One heart-warming story of 2 sisters reuniting with each other demonstrates that DNA websites are a good choice when all the others simply don’t work. Natalia Vodianova, a Russian supermodel, found her half-sister via a DNA website. After Jenna, Natalia’s half-sister, was adopted by an American couple, the two sisters got separated. However, many years later they found their way to each other, all thanks to a DNA service.
3. Use Google
Google has proven to be a vital tool for finding information about anyone. Use the search engine to find basic details about the person. You can start by inputting their name into the search bar to see what pops up. You can also search for the names of their spouse, children, relatives, or mutual friends. Add additional details like an address, phone number, or anything else in the search.
Google will go through all the indexing pages that are related to the person’s name, including social media, and provide the results in a matter of seconds.
4. Turn to a people search engine
To find someone’s details on a people search engine, you either need their full name, phone number, email address, or regular address. Even the number they no longer use or the address they no longer live at will do, as most people search websites provide the timeline of the number and the history of the address with all its previous and current owners.
Here’s how you can perform the search:
- Go to Nuwber, a people search engine.
- Type in the person’s full name, address, email address, or phone number.
- Click Search.
Note, however, that only a name without a surname is not enough, and the address has to be in this specific order: street number, street name, city, state, and zip code.
5.Consider using social media platforms
Social media has transformed how we connect with people and is a valuable tool to reunite with long-lost family members. There are billions of social media users, and the person you are looking for is likely one of them.
Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn are good places to start. If you didn’t find the person on any of these popular social media platforms, don’t stop there; try others, and if possible, try as many as you know.
Some social media forums help in finding those people lost contact with. For example, on Facebook, there is a forum called “Finding Long Lost Family Members And Friends.” This Facebook forum has over nine thousand members looking for someone, so it is a good place to join.
You may be surprised that the person might be searching for you on the platform. If that is not the case, you may have someone who may know the relative in question or who may provide information that can be helpful.
6. Hire professionals
Finding a family member you are no longer in contact with requires a whole lot of things. Sometimes, you may be required to travel outside your country or spend months searching online. Not everybody has the time and energy for all these.
There are people whose profession is all about finding people. Aside from having resources that search faster, they also have access to certain databases that help fast-track the search. Private investigators can help you look at places you may not be able to go to or have access to.
This option, however, is the most expensive one, but if you desperately wish to find that relative and have the necessary resources, it is worth a try.
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Final Thoughts
The process of finding a long-lost family member is not a piece of cake. However, with all the resources available today, it is possible.
Gather as much information as possible, register on DNA websites, turn to people search engines and social media, get professional help, or simply use Google, the world’s biggest search engine. Each step is to be taken dedicatedly, starting from gathering information. If step one is done well, you may not need to go through all the others.
