To embark on a successful People Tracing exercise (unless you strike lucky) requires patience, fortitude, attention to detail and an analytical mind.
We here at friends Reconnected have acquired a wealth of experience in this field of people tracing, people searching, seeing, and learning from most of the pitfalls. That’s not to say our learning curve is over. Indeed, every day we learn something new in this sphere of lost friend finding.
Friend Finding. Is Really Not So Easy.
Friend finder extraordinaire is us. Generally, our people tracers cover all the UK, and occasionally abroad. Many of our enquirers are disposed towards thinking with all the high tech, and digital stuff around, the task of finding a lost friend is very much easier. They mistakenly see Facebook as a magic wand!
Unfortunately, that is usually not the case. Unless the person you are seeking has only recently vanished from your life. In that case, assuming there is enough data online usually it’s quite easily to find them.
In these circumstances, there is a deep footprint to latch on to.
If you find yourself struggling there are a number of people-finder agencies online who can assist. Just enter “find a person” (or equivalent) and a good few will appear.
These organisations are predominantly debtor tracers who can access a person’s current location, over and above the open voter’s register. They are often used by Utility suppliers to trace non-payers.
Usually, their charges are modest ranging between £30.00 -£50.00.
Some advertise a “no find no charge” service. Be careful here though, sometimes things are not always as they seem.
Generally these people searcher services ask a previous address within the last five years as a prerequisite. Or it’s going to cost a lot more money.
Turning now to what we specialise in! Its very different.
We do not seek to find people who have absconded, debtors, or anything of that nature. Ours are non hostile with intention of delivering happy ending. Tracing old school friends, childhood sweethearts, absent friends, lost loves and family members.
We work much further back in history compared to the type of service levels described above.
Our searches begin by going back as far as we can go.
Assuming we have no solid lead say within the last 50 years or so, we have to take a look sideways too.
All cases are different.
But locations, date, or year of birth is always a good start. If we do not have much in the way of this basic information, we look if there were any brothers and sisters. If they have, it can prove very useful down the line.
If the first connection began in your teens we would still ask for the information about your earlier life, but not so important.
If we see no connection in your youth era we then move on to a marriage listing.
If nothing on that we move possible emigration, deaths records and extending the search in detail to a worldwide search.
If no-go, we move on to relatives.
If at the end of the process we are stuck in a corner we stop reconsider everything, and start all over again.
We have only just barely touched on all the aspect of people tracing but hope it had given some insight into what’s it all about.
If you find yourself stuck feel free to drop us an email, we might be able to help. Take care and good luck!
