find 7074 961109 How to find anyone, anywhere. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ HOW TO FIND ANYONE, ANYWHERE +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ A JewishGen InfoFile Compiled by: Bernard Kouchel Here are some resources that can help: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o Search a national telephone directory [CD-ROM], available at many public libraries, containing nearly 100 million U.S. residential and business listings that cover virtually all the nation's 5,600 printed phone books. Search by name, address, phone number or business type. See below for online national and international versions. o The Social Security Administration forwards letters to lost friends and relatives free, if they believe there is a compelling reason. You must supply name, birthplace, approximate birth date and other basic facts, but you don't need the missing person's Social Security number. Call your local Social Security office or the national office at 1-800-772-1213 for more information. o Search the Social Security Death Index [SSDI CD-ROM], available at some public libraries and LDS Family History Centers. It contains a list of persons receiving death benefits from the Social Security Administration (mostly since 1962). After locating an individual in this index, you then may be able to obtain detailed records from state offices. Also search for a living relative at the death benefit ZIP. For online version, url to: Ancestry's Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Online Search http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/main.htm o The Salvation Army does lost-relative searches from national phone directories, Social Security records and other databases. Relative's addresses and phone numbers are released only with their permission. The search fee is $25. (914)620-7389. o The International Committee of the Red Cross does free, international searches for relatives separated by war or natural disaster. It also conducts specialized searches for close friends and relatives separated by the Holocaust, using resources of the Holocaust War Victim Tracing Center in Baltimore, MD, and the International Tracing Service in Arolsen Germany (which has more that 48 million documents). Call or visit your local Red Cross office for details. o The Search Bureau for Missing Relatives helps reunite family members and can locate almost any living person in Israel. Write The Jewish Agency, Search Bureau for Missing Relatives, P.O.B. 92, Jerusalem 91920, Israel. Fax 972-2-202730 [Please include a donation.] o The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Location Service does lost-relative searches. Write or call HIAS Location Service, 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10001. (212)613-1424, Fax (212)967-4442. The search fee is $25. o As a last resort, place a classified search ad in selected publications, asking those with information to come forward. A directory of Jewish periodicals can be found in _American Jewish Yearbook_ available at some public libraries. o An official certificate of almost every U.S. birth, death, marriage and divorce should be on file in the locality where the event occurred. The records are filed permanently either in a State vital statistics office or in a city, county, or other local office. See _Where to Write for Vital Records_, by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 93-1142. Or, email to: and for Infofiles with current information. o Phone the US Military Worldwide Locator Service US Army (317) 542-4211 US Air Force (210) 652-5774 US Navy (703) 614-9221 US Marine Corps (703) 640-3942 Books & Guides: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o "How to Locate Anyone Anywhere", by Ted L. Gunderson and Roger McGovern (Penguin, $11.95 paper). o "How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military", by Richard S. Johnson (MIE/Independent Publishers Group, $19.95 paper). o "How to Find Almost Anyone Anywhere", by Norma Mott Tillman (Rutledge Press, $14.95 paper). o "A Handbook for Adoptees and Birthparents", by Jayne Askin with Bob Oskam (Harper & Row). o "How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust", by Gary Mokotoff (Avotaynu Inc, $25.95 paper) http://www.avotaynu.com o To trace persons through professional associations or clubs, try the "Encyclopedia of Associations" and "Encyclopedia of International Organizations" which can be found at your local liobrary. o The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census has issued a booklet called "Age Search Information". It explains how to get census, citizenship and military records and gives information sources for birth, marriage and death records. There is also a section on "missing persons". Write: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D. C. 20402. o City Directories contain information of families and occupations. They may be found at your local library, or phone R.L. Polk, publisher, (214)631-8210. o The Haines Criss-Cross Directory lists every street in alphabetical order, with names, addresses, telephone numbers in sequence. Copies may be found at your local library. o Newspaper indexes of back issues. Phone local paper for access information. Finding People on the Internet: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Additionally, you can try to locate people using any one of the following Internet address finders on the World Wide Web. o Alta Vista: Digital Computer's Web Index and Usenet search engine. http://www.altavista.digital.com o Bigfoot http://www.bigfoot.com o Four-11: White Pages. Search for e-mail address or web page. Allows search for hobbies, past schools, research interests, etc. http://www.four11.com o GTE's Interactive Yellow Pages: Business directories http://yp.gte.net o Inter-Links: An index of sites for Finding People on the Internet http://www.nova.edu/Inter-Links/phone.html o Internet Address Finder http://www.iaf.com o LYCOS People Finder http://www.lycos.com/pplfndr.html o Okra http://okra.ucr.edu/okra o SwitchBoard: Online version of a phone CD-ROM. Find people. Find businesses. http://www.switchboard.com http://www3.switchboard.com o Telephone Directories on the Web: *International*, comprehensive index of links to online telephone, fax and business directories. http://www.infobel.be/infobel/infobelworld.html ------------ [09Nov96]bik Copyright 1996 Bernard Kouchel +---------------------------------------------------------------------+