How To Find Your Long Lost Father For Free

Somewhere, peradventure halfway across the world or even just down the street, could exist a distant cousin or a biological sibling you didn't know you had. Here, we share our tiptop tips for finding those long lost relations in your family tree.

Yous might know your close family, your aunts, uncles, and cousins. They'll be on the family unit tree yous've already fabricated a good kickoff on. Merely what most your grandmother'due south cousin: do you know what happened to him?

He may have married, had children, and who knows, perhaps his descendants went to the same school as your own children. Imagine that, sitting in a maths lesson not knowing you were sitting next to a distant cousin.

Or perhaps yous never knew your birth family. Maybe yous take a half-brother you lot've never met. If you've ever thought well-nigh how to find lost relatives, let us aid yous, just how Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell reunite family members in ITV's Long Lost Family.

Looking at your family history research forwards, instead of backwards, can be fascinating, rewarding and often life-changing. One ancestor in your distant past may have descendants from all over the earth. Tracing a family forward uses the aforementioned tricks as y'all would with normal family history. Hither'south what you'll need to get started with your search.

Accept an ancestry Deoxyribonucleic acid test

With a DNA test, you'll non only discover your genetic roots, but you'll also be able to connect with living relatives who share segments of your DNA. Even ameliorate, the Findmypast DNA test also allows you to get in touch with your DNA matches. Before you know information technology, you'll be discussing who inherited corking aunt Bessie's curly hair or planning a family reunion later comparing DNA results.

Private Messaging and tree-to-tree hints

If yous've started building your family tree on Findmypast, y'all'll discover the orange bubbles which appear from fourth dimension to time. These are hints: we think we've institute details in our family history records that lucifer the information you've entered. Merely we don't just observe new details in historical records.

We likewise lucifer against other Findmypast family copse. So, if in that location's a co-operative that is similar to someone else's, we'll let yous know with a tree-to-tree hint.

Better withal, everyone with a Starter, Plus, or Pro subscription can message the tree owner with Individual Messaging. Not just will you have someone to compare genealogy notes with, but chances are, yous'll too find a living relative. And y'all'll already take something in common: a honey of the past.

Search the records

One of the almost bones methods of genealogy is to employ civil birth and wedlock records together to move farther back. Well, you tin use that same method to find long lost family as well.

Find a relation on your family tree and if you've not looked yet, step into the union records to see who they married. And so, armed with those details, search for children built-in with the surname of the father, and the maiden proper name of the mother, with a broad year range but after the marriage.

Our MarriageFinder™ tool gives the spouse's total name, to save you lot trawling through the marriage index to find it. Keep repeating these steps until yous reach the end of the online indexes in 2005, and remember that further indexes tin be explored at your local tape office.

Check the electoral registers

In the UK, each time someone over the age of xviii registers to vote, their proper noun and accost are entered into the electoral register. Though someone tin can cull to withhold their details from the public register, this is a great manner to trace your living relatives.

Exploring historical newspapers

Another dandy source is our newspaper collection, especially if you come up across a family announcement such as a wedding or a funeral. In these, y'all can often see whole families listed by name, helping you paint a better picture of the line y'all're tracing.

Ask the community

Nowadays, many of us are on social media. In that location are numerous groups and societies out there who might know someone who knows someone. And if yous're subsequently advice, our official Facebook group The Findmypast Forum is a wonderful place to look.

All it takes is for 1 person to help, and it can open a number of doors for your research.

What about adoption?

If you were adopted in the UK, to brand contact with your birth relative you'll need to add yourself to the Adoption Contact Annals. For contact to be made, your relative will need to be on the register too. If you don't accept your birth records, you tin get them from the General Register Office.

Retrieve, in that location are lots of charities and organisations out in that location to support y'all through this emotional fourth dimension.

Making contact

If yous've come up this far, well done: you've identified a possible living relative. The adjacent step is perhaps the hardest. When making the get-go contact, send a letter or an e-mail rather than telephoning them. Include your name and home address, and inquire them to politely acknowledge receipt, even if they're not in fact a relative, or just not interested. If you can include a stamped addressed envelope for their reply, even better.

If you have a family tree nautical chart or a photograph to transport likewise, this can increase the chance of a response and it'due south also great for jogging the memory. Go on an open heed when making contact, and exist enlightened non everyone will have the same interest in connecting with distant relatives.

Has Findmypast helped you make contact with a long lost relation? Nosotros'd love to hear your story. You can email us at discoveries@findmypast.com.