What is the easiest way to locate a relative that you haven't seen in yrs.

[chozen]

I haven't seen my bio father for 40+ yrs. I have tried to locate him a couple of times with no luck. I don't know his ss# and his name is fairly common. Where should I start?

[BunnyBee]

If he's on your birth certificate, his SSN may be on it. That would make it easier to use a pay search site like Intelius.

Google search with as much information as you know, like location, occupation, even close relatives' names. That can turn up obituaries.

Search through online ancestry sites

Hire a private detective

[rin]

Do you have any information about other relatives of his? Do you know his hometown, or any other information about where he grew up? If you have that, you might be able to track down someone who knew/knows him (relative, friend, etc).

[Reader]

I really don't like the principle of spokeo.com but when I have repeatedly gone there to take myself off their site, I usually find myself & my address. You can narrow it down by state, and it puts several of my closest relatives on the list as well.

[larig]

You might be able to find some information about him on Ancestry.com. Or the free familysearch.org. Those sites are targeted to genealogists, but you might find some more recent information there too. Ancestry has a free short-term trial membership.

[trcy]

I have actually found some people just doing a search on Facebook

[Gena]

I'm an adult adoptee who searched for my birthparents. I've met my birthmother, but my birthfather died before I found him.

The first step is to gather any documentation about your bio father you might have, including vital records, photos, notes, newspaper clippings, etc. Make a list of all the information you have: date/place of birth, parents names, occupation, physical description, military service, etc. Keep all this information organized and in one place.

If you are not sure if your bio father is still alive, check the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) at ancestry.com . If you have his full name and date of birth, that should be enough to check the index.

You can register with the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR). This is a free mutual consent registry. It may be a long shot that your bio father is registered, but you never know. www.isrr.org

How to proceed from there depends a lot of the specifics of what information you have. I suggest that you contact a local adoptee search and support group. These groups have tons of experience helping people search for lost parents. It's a safe place to share your information and also gives you a support network to work through the roller coaster of emotions that such a search can involve. You don't need to have in a legal adoption too contact these groups and get help. My adoptee search/support group gets a lot of inquiries from people who have lost contact with their parents through various ways. They may be able to help you for free, or they may ask you to pay a modest membership fee.

Hugs. It's a hard decision to search and the process can be frustrating and difficult. There are a lot of emotions involved. I understand. I've been there.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions, or just want to "talk".

[larig]

the SSDI (social sec death index) is available for free on familysearch.org.
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1202535

ETA: you can try searching with his name + parents' name(s)

[Smillow]

My BIL recently found his birth mother by hiring a PI that specialized in finding adoptees/birth parents. His birth mother had very little online presence outside of an email address, so he feels he would never had found her otherwise. It took the PI less than 24 hours to find her (he knew her name).

[chozen]

the SSDI (social sec death index) is available for free on familysearch.org.
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1202535

ETA: you can try searching with his name + parents' name(s)

Can't find him on here, guess that's a good thing.