Locating living relatives has always taken a different set of skills than chasing down dead ancestors. The one thing that both types of research have in common is that the genealogist is looking for the “place” where an ancestor resided.
Researchers doing pedigree research work backwards in time, looking for clues that typically tell where people came from. Those working forward in time, tracing the descendants of a particular person must deal with the fact that they must ascertain where individuals and families went. That can be a headache. However, knowing the place is paramount. Once you know the place, then you can search for local records found in that place.
Following are just a few techniques that are typically used to locate where individuals went.
Obituaries: One of the most common is the use of obituaries. A typical obituary will list sons, daughters, siblings and other close relatives with their city of residence. Most local libraries will have microfilm of their local newspapers. With luck, you might be able to get a reference librarian to check for an obituary for you – if you know the exact date of death. Every state has repositories for microfilm versions of their newspapers. Typically it will be a state library, historical society or university. You can often obtain copies of this film by interlibrary loan.
Funeral Home Records: The Funeral Home from which your ancestor was buried will usually have records listing who paid the funeral bills. The bills were typically paid by a spouse or adult offspring. The record usually includes the payee’s address. This record may lead you down another generation in time.
Deeds: If your ancestor moved prior to completing the sale of their real estate, the deed may state where they moved.
Death Certificate: The death certificate will often give the address of the informant. If this person is a child of the deceased, then you’re in luck.
Old Post Office Forwarding Address Books: These are hard to find, but they are out there. At one time, the Postmaster would keep a book in which forwarding addresses were recorded. If you can locate these volumes for your town of interest, they can be very revealing.
Probate Files: The address of the administrator is the minimum that will be found here. If property was to be divided among the heirs, then you may get addresses for numerous people.
Soldiers Home Applications: Many of our ancestors applied to enter one of the various Solders’ Homes that are scattered nationwide. These applications nearly always list the names of the applicant’s children and their addresses.
The Social Security Death Index: If the person you are attempting to locate died after 1962, there is a good chance you will find an entry for them in this index. Not only can you get a birth date, but the city of last residence and the city where any death benefit was sent can be obtained from this index.
Yahoo People Search: Search for anyone’s mailing or E-mail address at no charge. People.Yahoo.com
White Pages: Search for any person in the United States and get their home address. WhitePages.com
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