Do you have a lost relative? Many people have lost relatives they don’t know much about. Whether it’s a relative that’s been estranged from your family for many years, an extended family member you don’t know much about, or even a relative who became lost through adoption, it’s common for there to be parts of your family tree that are difficult to uncover. How can you fill in those gaps in your tree? Here are five potential tools you might be able to use.
Ancestry Websites
Ancestry websites are designed for this exact kind of thing. With an ancestry website, you can trace your family tree and find out exactly where the gaps are. Then, using censuses, birth records, death records and other vital records, you can fill in things like these people’s names and their relationship to you. While ancestry websites often can’t connect you directly with these relatives, they can usually give you more information about your family tree, giving you some information about your family as a whole.
Genealogy Tests
A genealogy test with one of the largest companies can sometimes connect you directly with lost relatives. While the usefulness of DNA testing for understanding your racial and health background may be a bit murky, DNA testing is extremely effective at determining close family members. That means if multiple members of your family have taken genealogy tests with these companies, you can fairly easily trace through multiple steps to find those long-lost siblings. They may even be on these websites, allowing you to reach out to them directly.
Social Media Sites
Sometimes, it’s as easy as using a social media site to search for people with the right name. Especially if you’ve already used an ancestry website to determine the names of these lost relatives, as well as the fact that they’re still alive, you can just input that information into various social media sites. If the name is especially common, you might be able to narrow it down by age, location and other familial relationships. That way, you can make sure you’re only sending queries to people you’re relatively certain might be related to you.
Existing Relatives
Do you have any relatives that may know where your lost relatives are? This is most frequently an option if you’re dealing with relatives that have been estranged, rather than relatives that were lost through adoption or relatives that are extremely distant. However, if you are dealing with a relative that previously had some contact with family members that you’re still in contact with, consider talking to those relatives. They may very well be able to reconnect with you, especially if you’re able to express why you want to reconnect.
Public Record Search Engines
This is one of the easiest ways to find contact information for a variety of people. Even if you find someone on a social media site, you might not be able to get in contact with them through that social media site. Instead, it’s much easier to get in contact with someone when you have information like their phone number and email address. PeopleFinders can help you do that.
With the help of PeopleFinders, you can more easily do research on your own ancestry. Whether you’re trying to find a long-lost relative, looking for someone who’s been adopted out, or just attempting to make your family tree as big as possible, PeopleFinders can help. It’s much easier to get back in touch when you have a direct line of communication, after all.
Conclusion
Finding a lost relative is rarely easy. It doesn’t matter if your family lost contact with them before you were born or if you’re looking for someone that you used to know and just don’t anymore. However, these tools may make it easier. Remember that you don’t have to just stick to one of these tools. You can use some or all of them together. From social media to PeopleFinders, it’s possible to get back in touch with lost relatives. You just need to know how to do it.
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