Sometimes you just can’t find the people you are looking for. You have tried everything you can think of, but still no joy. You have spent money on searches, you have scoured the web for hours, but you are still not getting anywhere.
BUT, before you give up I suggest that you should be proactive and take steps to make it easier for the people you are looking for to find you.
Think about it, we all spend time putting our names into Google at http://google.co.uk/ or trying Pipl at http://pipl.com/ so wouldn’t it be good if when you put in your name, up popped links to the people who were looking for you?
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Yes, it would be brilliant! But how can it be achieved?
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The magic of Web 2.0:
The thing that makes it possible is a major change in the way the internet is working. The major change has been in the development of social sites like My Space at http://www.myspace.com/ and Face Book at http://www.facebook.com/ Here are a few more at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites For a more complete list take a look at http://www.go2web20.net/
The big change is in the realms of reciprocity and interactivity. In the past someone would put up a website and others would use it or not. Now you can interact with much of the material online. You can add to it, criticise it, create your own projects, and share it with others. The media can be words, pictures, video, music, poetry or what have you.
Most of the services are part of the big Internet Service Providers and web search tools. It is mostly free to the user.
Most of the services allow you to post your pieces onto their servers and it will be stored there. Gone are the days when you had to store everything on your own computer. More and more can be accessed remotely.
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So, how can this help me?
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What I am suggesting is that you create a place of your own on the Internet. Maybe lots of places!
Places where you can tell your story … leave your details … post some photographs … even a family tree!
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The aim is to make yourself findable by the people you are looking for.
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How and where to do it?
Message Boards:
I would start by using all the free Message Boards you can find on the internet. Try the forum on my website at http://www.blood-ties.com/findforum/index.php or try Friends Reunited at http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/ or Missing You at http://www.missing-you.net/index.php or Message Match at http://www.ukpeoplefinder.com/about_messagematch.asp and another good one is Look Up UK at http://www.lookupuk.com/
Social sites:
Be young and cool and sign up for a My Space page at http://www.myspace.com/ It won’t take long to make your first page, but remember to keep going back to update and add to it and to check who has been visiting.
In the same vein are ICQ at http://www.icq.com or Friendster at http://www.friendster.com/ or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com and loads of others
Genealogy sites:
Genealogy has become extremely popular and there are many sites to help you become more visible.
You could try Genes Reunited at http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/ which makes the whole process really easy. You start by creating your family tree with the information you already know, then you start to search for more family and finally you contact other genealogists who have other branches of your tree.
To find others who are studying a particular family you could take a look at http://www.genforum.genealogy.com/ and get connected. All you need to do is post looking for the person with a few details. You may find them, but just as importantly you have left a link that can be found by anyone following you who enters their name into Google.
Create a Blog:
You can create a blog for FREE at Blogger http://www.blogger.com or at Word Press at http://wordpress.com/
Search engines like blogs when they are regularly updated. So add one piece at a time and keep coming back with more information and photos etc.
Blog and Ping!
After you have posted to your blog you will need to let the search engines know that you have new material on there. You need to Ping them. Try Ping-O-Matic at http://pingomatic.com/ to make the job easier.
Write articles and post them on the web:
Any articles you write on your family and your searches can be posted on your blog. However, you can also post them on article sites like http://www.EzineArticles.com or http://www.ArticleCity.com or http://www.GoArticles.com this could mean your articles appearing all over the web and all linking back to your blog. Very powerful!
How to promote your page:
If you are interested in this mysterious art perhaps you should read the Authority Black Book, which you can download from http://www.authorityblackbook.com/ this book will open your eyes to how to make your mark on the web.
The Risks:
So what are the risks of creating a presence on the internet?
Identity theft? … False applicants? … Spam?
Well yes, you need to be careful that you are not giving away information that will make you or your family vulnerable to attack. However, you don’t need to give away all your personal information on your blog. You may well get more spam in your inbox. I get stacks! You may also be approached by some strange people …
But, you may also be contacted by members of your family and old friends. I know which I prefer … and I think it’s worth it!
Conclusion:
If you can’t find people through the skills and tools of the Private Investigator, you may think of making yourself easier for others to find.
As we have seen, it is not an enormous task to create your own presence on web. I hope that you will do it and be seen by those looking for you.
Good luck!
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Saturday, 28 July 2007
Sunday, 22 July 2007
Where there is a Will there is a Way
This article is about a useful tool in the People Searcher’s toolbox – the Last Will and Testament. Wills are public documents and they can help fill in gaps in your family research. In this article I will explain what you may learn from a Will and how to get a copy for yourself. I also ask who writes a Will and why so many people don’t ever get around to it.
What is a Will?
A Last Will and Testament is a legal document that is drawn up in life and while in sound mind that expresses a person’s wishes for winding up their affairs after death. The will can specify the nature of the funeral wanted, any donations to charities and who is to inherit any property.
The Will names one or more people to be Executors to the estate. An Executor is charged with the responsibility of carrying out the wishes of the deceased. An executor may also be a beneficiary named in the Will. It is the job of the Executor to obtain Probate. Most people will instruct a solicitor to help them, but you can do it on your own.
A Will is only valid if it is witnessed by two people who are not related to the person writing the will and who are not going to benefit under the terms of the Will.
What can you learn from a Will?
A Will is useful in family research as it is another source of names and addresses of family members and other beneficiaries. This can help develop your knowledge of the family.
Some wills have additional information in them that could enlighten you about the Testator’s life and wishes. These insights can be very useful in your researches.
How to find a Will
If you are based in London, or can visit easily, you may visit:
The Principal Probate Registry
First Avenue House
42-49 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NP
Tel: 020 7210 2266
You can do a postal search by writing to:
The Postal Searches and Copies Department
York Probate Sub-Registry
1st Floor
Castle Chambers
Clifford Street
York
YO1 9RG
You will need to give the full name, address and date of death of the deceased, stating what you require and enclosing the appropriate fee, which presently is £5.
Here is the website of the Probate Service http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/wills.htm
A form that you can fill in to request a search can be found at
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/pa1s_0405.pdf
Why write a Will?
I would strongly recommend everyone to write a Will and to keep it updated. This so that your property and savings will go to the people you love and who love you.
How to write a will:
You can use a solicitor to help prepare your Will. I would recommend this if you have a complicated estate with money abroad etc.
You can also employ a professional will writer, who will visit you at home. Check that they are members of the Institute of Professional Will Writers or the Society of Will Writers.
You can also buy Will packs and forms at most stationers and bookshops. You will need to make a bit of study before doing this as you need to think about all the possible outcomes. You and your partner may need to create mirror Wills that allow for either to die first. Remember to get two witnesses to sign them.
Will storage:
Having written a Will it is worth considering where to keep it safely. The important thing is that the Will can be found after your death. You may choose to keep it at home, or in the bank or with you solicitors. You can also keep your will at Probate Registry. For details see http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1218.htm
Why people don’t want to write a will?
Less than half of us ever make a Will. This is disappointing to family researchers, but a tragedy to family and friends of the person who dies.
I am not fully sure why we put off the decision to write our will until it is too late. Maybe it is really human nature not to do today what we can put off until tomorrow, but I suspect it is also distaste at looking death in the eye. Sadly we are all going to die, so it makes sense to plan for it.
What happens if you don’t write a Will?
If you don’t write a Will your property will be divided amongst your family according to the Rules of Intestacy. This could mean that your money will go to people who might not be your first choice.
If no close relatives can be found the estate will eventually be passed to the Crown, which in my view is a waste. To learn more about this take a look at the Bona Vacantia website at http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/
As can be imagined, there may be funds, investments, bank accounts etc. that are never found and just lie idle as no one knew of their existence. This could be more money to add to the millions of pounds of unclaimed funds in this country alone.
Conclusion:
To write a Will is a very kind gesture to make to your family and dependants. It will help to continue your care for them after your death.
It is not too hard a task to do nor too expensive and it makes sorting out the estate much easier and quicker.
And remember you are helping to create another helpful document for the genealogist and the family researcher!
What is a Will?
A Last Will and Testament is a legal document that is drawn up in life and while in sound mind that expresses a person’s wishes for winding up their affairs after death. The will can specify the nature of the funeral wanted, any donations to charities and who is to inherit any property.
The Will names one or more people to be Executors to the estate. An Executor is charged with the responsibility of carrying out the wishes of the deceased. An executor may also be a beneficiary named in the Will. It is the job of the Executor to obtain Probate. Most people will instruct a solicitor to help them, but you can do it on your own.
A Will is only valid if it is witnessed by two people who are not related to the person writing the will and who are not going to benefit under the terms of the Will.
What can you learn from a Will?
A Will is useful in family research as it is another source of names and addresses of family members and other beneficiaries. This can help develop your knowledge of the family.
Some wills have additional information in them that could enlighten you about the Testator’s life and wishes. These insights can be very useful in your researches.
How to find a Will
If you are based in London, or can visit easily, you may visit:
The Principal Probate Registry
First Avenue House
42-49 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NP
Tel: 020 7210 2266
You can do a postal search by writing to:
The Postal Searches and Copies Department
York Probate Sub-Registry
1st Floor
Castle Chambers
Clifford Street
York
YO1 9RG
You will need to give the full name, address and date of death of the deceased, stating what you require and enclosing the appropriate fee, which presently is £5.
Here is the website of the Probate Service http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/wills.htm
A form that you can fill in to request a search can be found at
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/pa1s_0405.pdf
Why write a Will?
I would strongly recommend everyone to write a Will and to keep it updated. This so that your property and savings will go to the people you love and who love you.
How to write a will:
You can use a solicitor to help prepare your Will. I would recommend this if you have a complicated estate with money abroad etc.
You can also employ a professional will writer, who will visit you at home. Check that they are members of the Institute of Professional Will Writers or the Society of Will Writers.
You can also buy Will packs and forms at most stationers and bookshops. You will need to make a bit of study before doing this as you need to think about all the possible outcomes. You and your partner may need to create mirror Wills that allow for either to die first. Remember to get two witnesses to sign them.
Will storage:
Having written a Will it is worth considering where to keep it safely. The important thing is that the Will can be found after your death. You may choose to keep it at home, or in the bank or with you solicitors. You can also keep your will at Probate Registry. For details see http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1218.htm
Why people don’t want to write a will?
Less than half of us ever make a Will. This is disappointing to family researchers, but a tragedy to family and friends of the person who dies.
I am not fully sure why we put off the decision to write our will until it is too late. Maybe it is really human nature not to do today what we can put off until tomorrow, but I suspect it is also distaste at looking death in the eye. Sadly we are all going to die, so it makes sense to plan for it.
What happens if you don’t write a Will?
If you don’t write a Will your property will be divided amongst your family according to the Rules of Intestacy. This could mean that your money will go to people who might not be your first choice.
If no close relatives can be found the estate will eventually be passed to the Crown, which in my view is a waste. To learn more about this take a look at the Bona Vacantia website at http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/
As can be imagined, there may be funds, investments, bank accounts etc. that are never found and just lie idle as no one knew of their existence. This could be more money to add to the millions of pounds of unclaimed funds in this country alone.
Conclusion:
To write a Will is a very kind gesture to make to your family and dependants. It will help to continue your care for them after your death.
It is not too hard a task to do nor too expensive and it makes sorting out the estate much easier and quicker.
And remember you are helping to create another helpful document for the genealogist and the family researcher!
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Change of Name
Many people chose to change their name in the course of their lives. They may have many reasons for taking this step, but under common law a person may take a new name without drawing up any formal documents so long as it is not done for the purpose of fraud or the avoidance of debt etc.
Reasons for a change of name:
Good reasons: -
A new name may be chosen for various reasons. These include on marriage and divorce, because of preference of one name over another, to anglicise a foreign name, to create a name more suitable for show business, or to adopt a new name when they enter or are confirmed into a religion or faith.
Bad reasons: -
Dodgy reasons for changing name might include: fraud, child abuse and murder. Take a look at this article on the BBC website for thoughts on this. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series11/week5_deed_polls.shtml
Common usage:
Most name changes fall into this category. It is perfectly acceptable to alter your name if you want to.
It is traditional for a woman to take on her husband's surname on marriage, but it is not automatic and there is no legal requirement for her to do so. Effectively if a woman does change her surname to her husband's name it is done through the common usage route. If a woman decides to retain the surname in use prior to the marriage, she is not required to do anything legally to keep the surname except to continue to use it.
After a divorce a woman can go back to her previous name again if she chooses.
This situation will also apply to same sex couples who will be entering into a civil partnership from 5th December 2005.
It is easy to deal with authorities by giving a copy of a marriage certificate or divorce decree to banks, the DVLA, the local council and so on.
As mentioned in other articles, some people choose to be known by their middle name instead of by their first name. This is fine, but it can make locating them much more difficult.
How to change your name:
As mentioned above this can simply be achieved by means of common usage, however there are legal ways to change a name as well. These include:
Change of name by deed pool, enrolment, royal licences and acts of parliament. Of these the most common is to change name by means of deed poll.
A deed poll for change of name is a document drawn up, signed and sealed that makes plain the intention to live under a new name. Deed polls can now be created on the internet and become legal documents once they are signed and witnessed. They can be drawn up by a solicitor, who can then enrol them for safekeeping in the Close Rolls of Chancery or the later Enrolment Books of the Supreme Court of Judicature. The process of enrolling was in fact rarely done as it is an extra cost.
Names can also be changed by swearing before a Justice of the Peace or a Commissioner of Oaths, but in these cases they cannot be enrolled.
Some people change their name by means of an advertisement in the newspapers or in the gazette. Please see the gazettes http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/
Please see below for more information:
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/files/deedpoll_notes_0906.doc
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/Leaflets/ri2250.htm
How to find if someone has changed their name:
There is no central source of information that records all changes of names. Deed polls are not in fact recorded unless an extra payment is made to have them enrolled. The deed poll would have been given to the person who changed their name and no other certified copy would have existed.
If the deed poll was enrolled, it may be found initially at the Royal Courts of Justice at: Room 81, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2 A 2LL (Tel: 020 7947 6656).
After about 7 to 10 years they are transferred to the National Archives, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444 Fax: +44 (0)20 8392 5286
Conclusion:
As you will have guessed, a change of name makes the job of finding someone much more difficult. Where there is no paper trail to follow you will need to look at trying other avenues. This is where it is useful to practice a little lateral thinking and instead locate the subject’s friends, colleagues or family as they may be able to help you find the person you are looking for.
Reasons for a change of name:
Good reasons: -
A new name may be chosen for various reasons. These include on marriage and divorce, because of preference of one name over another, to anglicise a foreign name, to create a name more suitable for show business, or to adopt a new name when they enter or are confirmed into a religion or faith.
Bad reasons: -
Dodgy reasons for changing name might include: fraud, child abuse and murder. Take a look at this article on the BBC website for thoughts on this. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series11/week5_deed_polls.shtml
Common usage:
Most name changes fall into this category. It is perfectly acceptable to alter your name if you want to.
It is traditional for a woman to take on her husband's surname on marriage, but it is not automatic and there is no legal requirement for her to do so. Effectively if a woman does change her surname to her husband's name it is done through the common usage route. If a woman decides to retain the surname in use prior to the marriage, she is not required to do anything legally to keep the surname except to continue to use it.
After a divorce a woman can go back to her previous name again if she chooses.
This situation will also apply to same sex couples who will be entering into a civil partnership from 5th December 2005.
It is easy to deal with authorities by giving a copy of a marriage certificate or divorce decree to banks, the DVLA, the local council and so on.
As mentioned in other articles, some people choose to be known by their middle name instead of by their first name. This is fine, but it can make locating them much more difficult.
How to change your name:
As mentioned above this can simply be achieved by means of common usage, however there are legal ways to change a name as well. These include:
Change of name by deed pool, enrolment, royal licences and acts of parliament. Of these the most common is to change name by means of deed poll.
A deed poll for change of name is a document drawn up, signed and sealed that makes plain the intention to live under a new name. Deed polls can now be created on the internet and become legal documents once they are signed and witnessed. They can be drawn up by a solicitor, who can then enrol them for safekeeping in the Close Rolls of Chancery or the later Enrolment Books of the Supreme Court of Judicature. The process of enrolling was in fact rarely done as it is an extra cost.
Names can also be changed by swearing before a Justice of the Peace or a Commissioner of Oaths, but in these cases they cannot be enrolled.
Some people change their name by means of an advertisement in the newspapers or in the gazette. Please see the gazettes http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/
Please see below for more information:
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/files/deedpoll_notes_0906.doc
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/Leaflets/ri2250.htm
How to find if someone has changed their name:
There is no central source of information that records all changes of names. Deed polls are not in fact recorded unless an extra payment is made to have them enrolled. The deed poll would have been given to the person who changed their name and no other certified copy would have existed.
If the deed poll was enrolled, it may be found initially at the Royal Courts of Justice at: Room 81, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2 A 2LL (Tel: 020 7947 6656).
After about 7 to 10 years they are transferred to the National Archives, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
Tel: +44 (0)20 8876 3444 Fax: +44 (0)20 8392 5286
Conclusion:
As you will have guessed, a change of name makes the job of finding someone much more difficult. Where there is no paper trail to follow you will need to look at trying other avenues. This is where it is useful to practice a little lateral thinking and instead locate the subject’s friends, colleagues or family as they may be able to help you find the person you are looking for.
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