Losing contact with a close friend or family member is a challenging situation.

Even more difficult a task is trying to find that person again years down the road.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Over time DNA testing and ever expanding genealogy resources can help with this process.

Reasons Why People Get Separated

So friends and family can become separated for a variety of reasons.

If you are familiar with the television shows The Locator or Long Last Family, I’m sure you have seen many of these unfortunate scenarios as well.

(I watched The Locator years ago but it was just added to Hulu if you are interested in checking it out!)

One of the most common examples is a child being adopted at a young age. Either on their own or with other siblings.

Or a family is divided due to a divorce or other situations.

Sadly in some cases the father of the child does not know they even exist, if the partner did not tell them.

Some other popular reasons for people disconnecting is due to a family moving, or simple things such as change of phone number and address.

Growing up I remember having friends that I would know in June but once September rolled around, that child was no longer in school because they moved during the summer.

I do wonder if over time if some of these factors will decrease due to all the technology available to stay in touch.

Related Article: DNA Tests Risks & Rewards

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Three Sides of the Story

Unfortunately in a lot of reunions I see on tv shows or through people I personally know, there are a lot of unanswered questions.

In most cases those questions are what led the person to start searching for the missing person.

They wonder what happened to them, do they think about them, do they have other siblings, did the father know, are they looking for them too, are they close by or far away, are they still alive or deceased.

The list could really go on, but those are the topics I tend to see the most.

A tough situation is also when it is a Parent Vs. Parent issue and the child is stuck in between not knowing the details.

In a recent episode I watched, the son was told very different things between the Mother’s perspective and the Father’s perspective. But after all the years, will he ever truly know the full story? Probably not.

Because everyone remembers and perceives things differently, and he was a child too young to understand and form his own opinion.

What is heartbreaking in seeing these stories, is the time that is lost for all the years of the unknown. They can’t get those years back together.

When I see episodes that the person is searching for someone else because they are chronically ill, while I feel bad for the Searcher, I also feel bad for the person they are looking for.

Because if they do reunite, there is a chance they don’t have very much time to reconnect before they may be separated again in a tragic way.

Lastly, there are situations in which the other person does not want to be found. And there is the risk for more damage to be done in those scenarios.

It can be very difficult to simply accept the answers, or lack there of, and move forward.

Troy Dunn of The Locator often says, “You can’t find peace until you find all the pieces.”

In my personal opinion, I think accepting you will never fully fill in all the blanks, is also a way to find peace.

Related Article: Ancestry DNA Test Results

Tips for Searching

Looking for a lost loved one is really quite similar to doing family history research.

In both searches, the person is looking for answers in one way or another. They are trying to find out the details about someone else’s life.

The one main difference is, ancestor’s are usually in the past and deceased (except for current living descendants obviously.)

But you can still use all the same genealogy tools for finding a living person, it may just be more challenging.

One of the first places to check would be social media: facebook, instagram, linkedin, youtube, twitter, or a personal website

Try googling phone number listings online. Don’t just search that person’s name, but also any family related to them. You never know if they could be in the same community and chances are their relative will know where they live.

Always try alternatives in spellings of names, incase it is listed incorrectly somewhere online such as a newspaper clipping.

You can use Newspapers.com to find old articles that may mention them in directories, community organizations, special announcements etc.

For tips on searching Newspapers.com and Ancestry.com for Yearbooks click here:

How to Use Newspapers.com

Ancestors in Yearbooks

If you are a parent searching for a child, it may be possible to look for medical records. However this usually depends on age and privacy laws per the State.

You can also search for records in the United States Census, depending on when the person was born, this is limited but a still option. Census records are released every 72 years.

The most recent census publicly available is from 1950.

To watch two Census research tip videos click the youtube icons here:

• YouTube
• YouTube

These resources are just a few basic tips for getting started on looking for a loved one. I am by no means at all an expert on this topic but I do truly think there are so many ways genealogy information can help find a friend or family member.

How can you help?

While I have not personally tried this, there is a volunteer option through The Locator website, click here to learn more: https://www.thelocator.org/pages/volunteer

There are also many Lost and Found and Genealogy groups on Facebook. Just please use caution when posting personal information.

Also check resources in your local area that you may be able to assist with.

Another way to help, is volunteering your time to add photos or transcribe details on Find A Grave. You can learn more about is here: Cemeteries Help Family Research

Obituaries are often times added to a cemetery listing which can provide key details about a family.

Conclusion

If you are searching for a lost loved one, I wish you the best of luck and hope you get to have a happy reunion!

I hope these tips can help in some way to assist you with your search!

Thank you for reading!

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