Locating Lost Family Members & Friends : Modern Genealogical Research Techniques for Locating the People of Your Past and Present (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Trying to find a living or recently deceased person is often more difficult than locating one's Civil War ancestor. A professional genealogist and private investigator, Hinckley uses case studies and illustrations to highlight the wealth of information that can be gleaned from 20th-century records. Each chapter examines the types of records that researchers might employAfrom city directories and divorce records to voter registration and real estate records. She discusses what to look for in each record category and where to find the records. Helpful icons, similar to those in Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's Organizing Your Family History Search (LJ 6/15/99), point out tips, definitions, and reminders. The appendixes contain loads of addresses for vital records offices, web sites, libraries and repositories, databases, and reading lists. Hinckley's book parallels Joseph Culligan's You Too, Can Find Anybody (Hallmark, 1993) in terms of the variety of records covered, but hers goes further in its discussion of Internet and CD-ROM databases and the vast holdings of large genealogy collections. Highly recommended for public libraries.AElaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Fort Wayne
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Lost loves. War buddies. Biological parents. Estranged siblings. Distant cousins.

Where are they now? Locating Lost Family Members & Friends has all the answers. Author Kathleen W. Hinckley combines her skills as a professional private investigator and Certified Genealogical Record Specialist to lead the way on the search for lost loved ones, no matter who or where they might be today.

"This book will teach you how to be your own detective," says Hinckley. "You'll not only discover how to search for people on the Internet, but you'll learn how to access public records in courthouses and how to find information in libraries and archives." Quick-reference lists, tables and charts make it easy to locate the crucial documentation needed. Names, addresses, phone numbers, occupations and other current data are included as Hinckley shows how to access and utilize resources such as telephone and city directories, birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce records, military records, high school and college transcripts and much more.

"Locating a living person can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. You sift through records and databases that list hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people, yet you do not find the person you seek," explains Hinckley. "This book will describe several avenues that your search can take. An organized search will point you down the proper roads."

Chapters include instruction for conducting research on the Internet, and Hinckley also demonstrates how to overcome common 20th-century research obstacles, such as privacy acts, record destruction and more. Whether searching for a person from the past or piecing together family genealogy, this guide is the key to unlocking the answers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: Betterway Books (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558705031
• ISBN-13: 978-1558705036
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,163 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Search for Me., June 16, 2000

By	Donn Martin (Stroud, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

I was skeptical about persuing a search, and very ignorant about where to start, and how to find what I needed to know, the "Locating Lost family and Friends: Modern Geneological Tequniques for locating people of your Past and Present", gave me an insite and where to start. I started with the person I knew best, Me. Branched to Mom and Dad, found updated addresses for the rest of my immediate family and branched to locate my graduating class of 1968. I took a class in geneological research, and with the help of this book, my homework was made easier, and was able to accomplish more. This book is a blessing in diguise, the help it can give, is without a doubt, astounding. I feel this is a MUST for any Geneological Library.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource and Starter Book, February 17, 2001

By	Courtney L. Lewis "Sassy Librarian" (Kingston, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kathleen Hinckley should be commended for her accessible and very thorough introduction to genealogical techniques. She introduces each of the major information sources (census records, Social Security Death Index, requesting vital records, Naturalization/Immigration records, military records, etc.) with good writing and lots of examples. I especially appreciated her ability to write to both the paper based and the computer based genealogists (she includes both web sites and snail mail addresses for each category). Especially helpful were the excellent tables of availability of documents within the Family History Library System or within individual states (letting you know what years and materials are available and if any special restrictions apply).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Locating Lost Family Members & Friends, August 22, 2001

By	White 'n Nerdy "wanamoka" (Texas) - See all my reviews

My library just happened to have this book. It was so good I checked it out 3 times. Probably one of the best genealogy books I've read. Easy to read format. Lots of extra tips in the margins. Recommended for those just getting started in genealogy and also those that have been searching for several years