Tracing - Private Detectives and Tracing Agents
What do private detectives do ?
Tracing covers locating missing persons: old friends, relatives, abducted children, natural parents, witnesses, probate beneficiaries, business associates, debtors ...
You may be involved in tracing livestock: pets, farm animals ...
Tracing also covers finding assets: vehicles, boats, property, equipment, tools, stock, raw materials ...
Status enquiries
Status investigations are undertaken to establish the financial / debt / asset situation of a debtor, before deciding on further action ...
Due diligence
Due diligence reviews for business clients includes checking business credentials, credit rating, personal background reviews, pre-employment screening, verifying qualifications ...
Background checks
Background checks for private clients includes establishing the background / financial situation / activities of new associates. Instructions include pre-marital or pre-relationship lifestyle checks, checks on new friends of family members, nanny checks before employment ...
Process Serving
The service of documents as prescribed under the Civil Procedure Rules, ensuring the correct person is served at the right address.
A statement of service or affidavit is prepared as required ...
Recovery
Recovery includes debt collection, the repossession of property and assets, and collection of credit cards ...
Surveillance
Covert surveillance is used in many circumstances to gather evidence. Situations include insurance claims investigations, suspected theft and fraud by customers and staff, checks on nannies and domestic staff, suspected infidelity of a partner, peace of mind enquiries of new friends of your children ...
Statement taking
Attend on the behalf of a solicitor or client to take a statement. Locations include accident location, private home, police station and HM Prison ...
Accident investigations
Attend at the scene of an incident or accident and prepare a location plan and photographs to illustrate the events that took place ...
Property checks
Locality checks for people and businesses moving to a new area ...
Specialist services
Provide specialist services such as polygraph lie testing, computer forensic examination, fraud investigations, DNA paternity testing, semen detection ...
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Some Key Facts About An Adoption
Key Facts about Adoption
1 in 4 people in the UK have an adoption connection – adoption is part of the fabric of modern family life
There were approximately 65,000 children in care in England and Wales at the end of March 2005 of which around only 40% will return home
It is estimated that just 1% of children in care go on to university - a statistic that has huge knock on effects for society as a whole
People who have been in care are 66 times more likely to have their own children taken into care
Only 4,000 children were adopted during the year ending March 2005 just 210 of these children were under age one
The average age at which children are adopted is four years and two months
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 (enforced December 2005) was the first piece of adoption legislation in over a quarter of a century. The Act gave unmarried and same sex couples the right to jointly adopt
The Act also gave birth relatives the right to request that their local authority or relevant adoption society make contact with their birth children, provided they are over 18 and are happy to be contacted
1 in 4 people in the UK have an adoption connection – adoption is part of the fabric of modern family life
There were approximately 65,000 children in care in England and Wales at the end of March 2005 of which around only 40% will return home
It is estimated that just 1% of children in care go on to university - a statistic that has huge knock on effects for society as a whole
People who have been in care are 66 times more likely to have their own children taken into care
Only 4,000 children were adopted during the year ending March 2005 just 210 of these children were under age one
The average age at which children are adopted is four years and two months
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 (enforced December 2005) was the first piece of adoption legislation in over a quarter of a century. The Act gave unmarried and same sex couples the right to jointly adopt
The Act also gave birth relatives the right to request that their local authority or relevant adoption society make contact with their birth children, provided they are over 18 and are happy to be contacted
Does A Birth Father Have Any Rights - Adotion
Judgment November 23, 2007
There was no duty on a local authority to make inquiries of a child’s extended family or father about the possibility of their providing long-term care where mother wished to place the child for adoption.
The Court of Appeal so held in a reserved judgment in allowing an appeal brought by the mother against the decision of a county court judge on September 28, 2007 when he held that the local authority was under such a duty.
Once the judge had made his order, there was a misunderstanding as a result of which the local authority wrote to the mother’s parents seeking an interview but not giving the reason.
The parents discovered that the mother had given birth and contacted the local authority to offer to assist in resolving the situation. They had not, however, taken part in the proceedings.
Reporting restrictions were placed by the court preventing the publication of any infomation which could lead to the identity or location of the parties.
LADY JUSTICE ARDEN said that the mother wished to place her child for adoption at birth and did not want the local authority to make inquiries to see if any of the child’s birth family would be suitable carers. The mother did not tell her family or the father about her pregnancy or the birth. The liaison with the father was a one-night stand.
Before the Adoption and Children Act 2002 Act, the courts had made it clear that, while in general terms the views of a father of a newborn child should be obtained before the child was placed for adoption, they did not require the consent of the father to be obtained where the mother and father had only had a fleeting relationship. The question was whether the 2002 Act had changed that position, as the judge held in the court below.
The question in the present case was one of statutory interpretation. It was necessary to go back to section 1 and particularly subsection 2 which made the child’s welfare the paramount consideration. The result was that section 1 was child-centred, and not mother-centred.
In this particular case, section 1(4)(c) and 1(4)(f) were particularly important. They were not in the Adoption Act 1976 and were therefore new. Subsection (4)(c) explicated the extended meaning of the child’s welfare, and required the court to look at the likely effect on the child throughout the child’s life of having ceased to be a member of the original family and having become a member of his or her adoptive family.
When a decision needed to be made about the long-term care of a child, whom the mother wished to be adopted, there was no duty of an absolute kind to make inquiries. There was only a duty to make inquiries, if it was in the interests of the child to do so.
The immediate question with which the guardian and the local authority were concerned was who would look after the child on a long-term basis. The inquiries had to be focused on that result.
The court was a public authority for the purpose of section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and it would be unlawful for it to act in a manner which was incompatible with the rights conferred by the European Convention on Human Rights.
In the present case, the father did not have a right to respect for his family life with the child because he had no family life with the child. He had never lived with the mother or expressed any commitment to the child. He could not have done so because he did not know of the child’s existence.
It was not a violation of a Convention right to deprive him of the possibility of obtaining a right to respect for family life with the child. The father therefore had no Convention right and accordingly it was unnecessary to ask whether article 8.2 applied.
The grandparents did have such a right, but they would be able to obtain the information by making their own application under the Children Act 1989.
The local authority submitted that the ordinary rule should be that the near family and father should be identified and informed unless the court was satisfied that such inquiries would be inappropriate.
Her Ladyship did not consider that the court should require a preference to be given as a matter of policy to the natural family of a child. Section 1 did not impose any such policy. Rather, it required the interests of the child to be considered. Lord Justice Thorpe and Lord Justice Lawrence Collins delivered concurring judgments.
There was no duty on a local authority to make inquiries of a child’s extended family or father about the possibility of their providing long-term care where mother wished to place the child for adoption.
The Court of Appeal so held in a reserved judgment in allowing an appeal brought by the mother against the decision of a county court judge on September 28, 2007 when he held that the local authority was under such a duty.
Once the judge had made his order, there was a misunderstanding as a result of which the local authority wrote to the mother’s parents seeking an interview but not giving the reason.
The parents discovered that the mother had given birth and contacted the local authority to offer to assist in resolving the situation. They had not, however, taken part in the proceedings.
Reporting restrictions were placed by the court preventing the publication of any infomation which could lead to the identity or location of the parties.
LADY JUSTICE ARDEN said that the mother wished to place her child for adoption at birth and did not want the local authority to make inquiries to see if any of the child’s birth family would be suitable carers. The mother did not tell her family or the father about her pregnancy or the birth. The liaison with the father was a one-night stand.
Before the Adoption and Children Act 2002 Act, the courts had made it clear that, while in general terms the views of a father of a newborn child should be obtained before the child was placed for adoption, they did not require the consent of the father to be obtained where the mother and father had only had a fleeting relationship. The question was whether the 2002 Act had changed that position, as the judge held in the court below.
The question in the present case was one of statutory interpretation. It was necessary to go back to section 1 and particularly subsection 2 which made the child’s welfare the paramount consideration. The result was that section 1 was child-centred, and not mother-centred.
In this particular case, section 1(4)(c) and 1(4)(f) were particularly important. They were not in the Adoption Act 1976 and were therefore new. Subsection (4)(c) explicated the extended meaning of the child’s welfare, and required the court to look at the likely effect on the child throughout the child’s life of having ceased to be a member of the original family and having become a member of his or her adoptive family.
When a decision needed to be made about the long-term care of a child, whom the mother wished to be adopted, there was no duty of an absolute kind to make inquiries. There was only a duty to make inquiries, if it was in the interests of the child to do so.
The immediate question with which the guardian and the local authority were concerned was who would look after the child on a long-term basis. The inquiries had to be focused on that result.
The court was a public authority for the purpose of section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and it would be unlawful for it to act in a manner which was incompatible with the rights conferred by the European Convention on Human Rights.
In the present case, the father did not have a right to respect for his family life with the child because he had no family life with the child. He had never lived with the mother or expressed any commitment to the child. He could not have done so because he did not know of the child’s existence.
It was not a violation of a Convention right to deprive him of the possibility of obtaining a right to respect for family life with the child. The father therefore had no Convention right and accordingly it was unnecessary to ask whether article 8.2 applied.
The grandparents did have such a right, but they would be able to obtain the information by making their own application under the Children Act 1989.
The local authority submitted that the ordinary rule should be that the near family and father should be identified and informed unless the court was satisfied that such inquiries would be inappropriate.
Her Ladyship did not consider that the court should require a preference to be given as a matter of policy to the natural family of a child. Section 1 did not impose any such policy. Rather, it required the interests of the child to be considered. Lord Justice Thorpe and Lord Justice Lawrence Collins delivered concurring judgments.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Private Investigators
http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
http://www.trace4u.co.uk/
What is the actual difference between a private detective and a private investigator? We ask leading proffessionals at both http://www.trace4u.co.uk/ and the new leader on the block http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
In the private investigation industry there is no real distinction between the two terms and both are in general use. However, traditionally, the word 'detective' is normally associated with a person involved in the detection and investigation of crime, whereas, the word 'investigator' is a more general term given to a person involved in any other aspect of investigation.
Who does a private investigator work for?
Professional private investigators undertake all manner of investigations and their clientele can include:
Private individuals.
Commercial firms.
Private companies.
Solicitors involved with criminal, civil and matrimonial cases.
Public Bodies, such as Councils & Government Departments.
Insurance companies.
Banks.
And many more....
What does a private investigator actually do?
The working life of a private investigator can be very interesting and diverse with every day bringing new and different challenges. On any given day he/she may be involved in:
Surveillance - Observing and following persons in connection with matrimonial cases, false accident or sickness claims and allegations of general crime or industrial fraud.
Taking statements - From witnesses or suspects.
Criminal Defence - Instructed by a solicitor to; Investigate and substantiate an alibi, make general enquiries, prepare reports or take a statement.
General enquiries - Intelligence gathering on companies or individuals, financial status investigations and diverse information gathering.
Process serving - The delivery and serving of Court and legal papers on individuals and companies.
Repossessions - Acting as an agent for a company or solicitor to repossess property or vehicles.
Skip Tracing - Locating debtors, missing persons, relatives, absconders and lost friends or family.
'Locus in Quo' Enquiries (Latin for: 'the place in which' or scene of the event) - Preparing site plans, taking photographs, examining scenes and reporting on locations, particularly for road traffic accident investigations and crime defence scenes.
Test Purchasing - for businesses and retail outlets to ensure staff adherence to company policies and to prevent or detect internal pilfering and fraud.
And much, much more
One of the more common sources of work available to Private Investigators and Enquiry Agents are instructions either through another agency such as Legal Consultancy Services, or direct from a Solicitor to attend upon the Solicitor Client to proof them for a statement and carry out the requirements to set up funding for the claim, on behalf of the Solicitor.
After many years in practice, I have seen all sorts of instructions returned, some excellent, but just a few requiring a lot of revision and ultimately a second visit to my client. One must always appreciate that a litigation fee-earner can be running between 100 and 200 files, so having to revise and re-instruct can be costly in time and costs. In addition, law firms are very risk adverse, especially when it comes to the risk of a negligence claim by a disgruntled client.
Lets look at the legal basis that permits a Solicitor to delegate tasks to an Agent, as well as discussing the individual documents. This is not exhaustive, and instructions vary from firm to firm. This is simply a broad outline of the requirements and the reasoning behind the same as I see it, and should not be relied upon in any way (here speaks the Lawyer). In light of this, the place to seek clarification of your instructions, is from the solicitor providing the same, as only they know exactly what is required.
Firstly, there is a myth that the client can only speak to a solicitor in person in order to set up the funding required. This is wrong. In the TAG test cases that came before Chief Master Hurst, the senior costs judge in The Accident Group Test Cases: Sharratt –V- London Central Bus Co And Other Cases (2002), the court found that:
“[T]here can be delegation within the firm or recognised body. It must also follow that there can be delegation to a duly authorised agent. Questions may arise as to whether the agent is competent to carry out the required task, or indeed whether the task has actually been carried out competently. These however are questions of quality which are not for this judgment. As with internal delegation to an incompetent member of staff it is the legal representative who bears the consequences if the appointed agent does not carry out the task correctly. Incompetence by the delegate does not invalidate the delegation.”
This is an interesting case as it not only settled the right of the solicitor to delegate, but also pointed out that the solicitor is responsible for ensuring the agent is actually “up to the job”. Whilst this may generate a lot of requests for evidence of professional status and experience that may seem tiresome, it is clear that a solicitor would be foolish to instruct without taking reasonable steps to ensure the competence of an agent.
Turning now to some of the requests for information that are contained within a solicitor’s instructions.
Legal Expenses Insurance/Conditional Fee Agreement
The main type of funding agreement between solicitor and client is the Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA. This provides the retainer between client and solicitor, the agreement, which provides a means of the client paying, and the solicitor taking instructions. The request to check for pre-existing legal expenses insurance will certainly accompany a request to explain the funding documents required to enter into such an agreement.
This is vital if the solicitor is to avoid falling foul of the requirement to ensure that there are no other means of funding a case. Without getting into a detailed history of what a client must be told, it is far easier today to explain the CFA, commonly referred to as a “no-win-no-fee agreement”, than in the past.
The procedural requirements have been simplified and recent case law has shown that even if these are not adhered to (at least in fast-track RTA matters), the situation that could arise of no proper retainer being in place cannot in itself allow the unsuccessful defendant to avoid the costs in a claim. This was made clear in Nizami -v- Butt (2006) where at paragraph 26 of the judgment Simon J stated:
“In cases falling under CPR 45 Section II the receiving party does not have to demonstrate that there is a valid retainer between the solicitor and client merely that the conditions laid down under the Rules have been complied with.”
It is being argued now that the CPR themselves, and not the retainer between client and solicitor, are the basis for payment of costs and we await the appeals and voluminous satellite litigation that will follow this decision.
Statement
With regard to the statement, this unsurprisingly does not pose much of a problem for a professional group full of ex-police officers and military personnel. However, the requirements of the solicitor can be extensive and far beyond the bare bones of the accident circumstances.
The statement is now required not just to provide not only what happened, but also details about the physical and financial impact of the accident, personal data to allow matters to be registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Department of Social Security, as well as capturing details of potential witnesses and if possible, as much additional information as is required.
In short, the statement should provide the fee-earner dealing with the matter with a one-stop document for all the information required to run a case.
Medical Authority
The solicitor will also need to be able to get access to the client’s medical notes and there are standard format documents informing the client of who will see their notes within the litigation process. This is an important step and a simple one-paragraph letter to a hospital, signed by the client, will generally not result in notes being released.
Attendance Note/Record of Time and Work
A fact you may not be aware of, is that the solicitor can claim for your time and not just your fee. This was confirmed in the matter of Stringer –v- Copley (2002) which can actually allow the solicitor to charge for the time you have spent on a matter, as if it were his own. This is so in matters where the CPR does not fix fees.
In light of this, it is good practice to ask if such a note is required, and also what format is required.
Finally, it is worthwhile remembering what the head of HR in a large international law firm told my fellow law students and me during a presentation about applying for jobs. The answer to the question about what a lawyer does in a firm is “they make money”.
http://www.trace4u.co.uk/
What is the actual difference between a private detective and a private investigator? We ask leading proffessionals at both http://www.trace4u.co.uk/ and the new leader on the block http://www.findpeople4u.co.uk/
In the private investigation industry there is no real distinction between the two terms and both are in general use. However, traditionally, the word 'detective' is normally associated with a person involved in the detection and investigation of crime, whereas, the word 'investigator' is a more general term given to a person involved in any other aspect of investigation.
Who does a private investigator work for?
Professional private investigators undertake all manner of investigations and their clientele can include:
Private individuals.
Commercial firms.
Private companies.
Solicitors involved with criminal, civil and matrimonial cases.
Public Bodies, such as Councils & Government Departments.
Insurance companies.
Banks.
And many more....
What does a private investigator actually do?
The working life of a private investigator can be very interesting and diverse with every day bringing new and different challenges. On any given day he/she may be involved in:
Surveillance - Observing and following persons in connection with matrimonial cases, false accident or sickness claims and allegations of general crime or industrial fraud.
Taking statements - From witnesses or suspects.
Criminal Defence - Instructed by a solicitor to; Investigate and substantiate an alibi, make general enquiries, prepare reports or take a statement.
General enquiries - Intelligence gathering on companies or individuals, financial status investigations and diverse information gathering.
Process serving - The delivery and serving of Court and legal papers on individuals and companies.
Repossessions - Acting as an agent for a company or solicitor to repossess property or vehicles.
Skip Tracing - Locating debtors, missing persons, relatives, absconders and lost friends or family.
'Locus in Quo' Enquiries (Latin for: 'the place in which' or scene of the event) - Preparing site plans, taking photographs, examining scenes and reporting on locations, particularly for road traffic accident investigations and crime defence scenes.
Test Purchasing - for businesses and retail outlets to ensure staff adherence to company policies and to prevent or detect internal pilfering and fraud.
And much, much more
One of the more common sources of work available to Private Investigators and Enquiry Agents are instructions either through another agency such as Legal Consultancy Services, or direct from a Solicitor to attend upon the Solicitor Client to proof them for a statement and carry out the requirements to set up funding for the claim, on behalf of the Solicitor.
After many years in practice, I have seen all sorts of instructions returned, some excellent, but just a few requiring a lot of revision and ultimately a second visit to my client. One must always appreciate that a litigation fee-earner can be running between 100 and 200 files, so having to revise and re-instruct can be costly in time and costs. In addition, law firms are very risk adverse, especially when it comes to the risk of a negligence claim by a disgruntled client.
Lets look at the legal basis that permits a Solicitor to delegate tasks to an Agent, as well as discussing the individual documents. This is not exhaustive, and instructions vary from firm to firm. This is simply a broad outline of the requirements and the reasoning behind the same as I see it, and should not be relied upon in any way (here speaks the Lawyer). In light of this, the place to seek clarification of your instructions, is from the solicitor providing the same, as only they know exactly what is required.
Firstly, there is a myth that the client can only speak to a solicitor in person in order to set up the funding required. This is wrong. In the TAG test cases that came before Chief Master Hurst, the senior costs judge in The Accident Group Test Cases: Sharratt –V- London Central Bus Co And Other Cases (2002), the court found that:
“[T]here can be delegation within the firm or recognised body. It must also follow that there can be delegation to a duly authorised agent. Questions may arise as to whether the agent is competent to carry out the required task, or indeed whether the task has actually been carried out competently. These however are questions of quality which are not for this judgment. As with internal delegation to an incompetent member of staff it is the legal representative who bears the consequences if the appointed agent does not carry out the task correctly. Incompetence by the delegate does not invalidate the delegation.”
This is an interesting case as it not only settled the right of the solicitor to delegate, but also pointed out that the solicitor is responsible for ensuring the agent is actually “up to the job”. Whilst this may generate a lot of requests for evidence of professional status and experience that may seem tiresome, it is clear that a solicitor would be foolish to instruct without taking reasonable steps to ensure the competence of an agent.
Turning now to some of the requests for information that are contained within a solicitor’s instructions.
Legal Expenses Insurance/Conditional Fee Agreement
The main type of funding agreement between solicitor and client is the Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA. This provides the retainer between client and solicitor, the agreement, which provides a means of the client paying, and the solicitor taking instructions. The request to check for pre-existing legal expenses insurance will certainly accompany a request to explain the funding documents required to enter into such an agreement.
This is vital if the solicitor is to avoid falling foul of the requirement to ensure that there are no other means of funding a case. Without getting into a detailed history of what a client must be told, it is far easier today to explain the CFA, commonly referred to as a “no-win-no-fee agreement”, than in the past.
The procedural requirements have been simplified and recent case law has shown that even if these are not adhered to (at least in fast-track RTA matters), the situation that could arise of no proper retainer being in place cannot in itself allow the unsuccessful defendant to avoid the costs in a claim. This was made clear in Nizami -v- Butt (2006) where at paragraph 26 of the judgment Simon J stated:
“In cases falling under CPR 45 Section II the receiving party does not have to demonstrate that there is a valid retainer between the solicitor and client merely that the conditions laid down under the Rules have been complied with.”
It is being argued now that the CPR themselves, and not the retainer between client and solicitor, are the basis for payment of costs and we await the appeals and voluminous satellite litigation that will follow this decision.
Statement
With regard to the statement, this unsurprisingly does not pose much of a problem for a professional group full of ex-police officers and military personnel. However, the requirements of the solicitor can be extensive and far beyond the bare bones of the accident circumstances.
The statement is now required not just to provide not only what happened, but also details about the physical and financial impact of the accident, personal data to allow matters to be registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Department of Social Security, as well as capturing details of potential witnesses and if possible, as much additional information as is required.
In short, the statement should provide the fee-earner dealing with the matter with a one-stop document for all the information required to run a case.
Medical Authority
The solicitor will also need to be able to get access to the client’s medical notes and there are standard format documents informing the client of who will see their notes within the litigation process. This is an important step and a simple one-paragraph letter to a hospital, signed by the client, will generally not result in notes being released.
Attendance Note/Record of Time and Work
A fact you may not be aware of, is that the solicitor can claim for your time and not just your fee. This was confirmed in the matter of Stringer –v- Copley (2002) which can actually allow the solicitor to charge for the time you have spent on a matter, as if it were his own. This is so in matters where the CPR does not fix fees.
In light of this, it is good practice to ask if such a note is required, and also what format is required.
Finally, it is worthwhile remembering what the head of HR in a large international law firm told my fellow law students and me during a presentation about applying for jobs. The answer to the question about what a lawyer does in a firm is “they make money”.
Tracing Old Soldiers
www.findpeople4u.co.uk
To trace a soldier you will need to know which unit he served with. If you have this information you will be able to find out when the unit went overseas and what campaigns the unit fought in.
Those units that only served in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war can be difficult to trace, as war diaries were only obliged to be kept by units that served overseas, and units that were on active service were inevitably better documented than those that remained at home. It was not unusual for men to serve in more than one unit – if that is the case, you need to know the relevant dates he was with each unit.
You may already know your relative’s unit, or you might have paperwork or information in your family that will uncover it. This information is crucial and you will need to find this out before you can proceed further. The easiest way is to obtain your relative’s personal service record, although not all records have survived.
Take a look at Army Service Records for more information on how to find your relative’s service record.
If you are tracing a relative who died, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 'Debt of Honour Register' should be your starting point
To trace a soldier you will need to know which unit he served with. If you have this information you will be able to find out when the unit went overseas and what campaigns the unit fought in.
Those units that only served in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war can be difficult to trace, as war diaries were only obliged to be kept by units that served overseas, and units that were on active service were inevitably better documented than those that remained at home. It was not unusual for men to serve in more than one unit – if that is the case, you need to know the relevant dates he was with each unit.
You may already know your relative’s unit, or you might have paperwork or information in your family that will uncover it. This information is crucial and you will need to find this out before you can proceed further. The easiest way is to obtain your relative’s personal service record, although not all records have survived.
Take a look at Army Service Records for more information on how to find your relative’s service record.
If you are tracing a relative who died, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 'Debt of Honour Register' should be your starting point
Monday, 13 April 2009
Guide To Tracing People 01 04 2009 www.findpeople4u.co.uk
Guide to Tracing A Person 01 04 2009 www.findpeople4u.co.uk
We at FINDPEOPLE4U Ltd are private detectives, tracing agents, and probate researchers. We work to the highest professional standards and are proud of our success rates over 81 % 2008 and 2009. This guide is designed to give the public a brief background to successfully tracing a missing person.
Most people who instruct tracing agents like www.findpeople4u.co.uk have made their own basic enquiries into missing people normally by accessing on line research sites like 192 .com Trace smart or other similar companies. These companies are not able to facilitate a full trace action. It may be you have important information to pass onto them about a change in circumstances within the family or a forthcoming family event like a marriage or death. In these circumstances you cannot spend many hours or weeks waiting for information.
We complete over 50 % of our instructions within 8 hours of receiving an instruction. Online sites like 192 .com and Tracesmart.com allow you to search for a fee edited electoral rolls and other public records which in all probability the person you are searching for are unlikely to be recorded upon for a number of very obvious reasons. It is a fact that over 44% of the population are not recorded upon the 2009 edited edition of the electoral roll. You cannot expect to succeed in your search by merely trawling registers of births, deaths, marriages or telephone directories. That is a reality of life.
Obviously the best place to start with your own search is with the old known address for the missing person , you may if you are very lucky get a direct link from the old address to the new address or you may find a living family member who remains resident who may be prepared to supply current information. If that is not possible try identifying the missing persons DOB that will be useful if you have to carry out checks upon marriage records to identify a possible new name.
The general public are not normally aware that since 2002 the public have the right to Not be recorded upon the public version of the electoral roll; on-line sites are ONLY allowed by law to allow the public to access the restricted or edited electoral roll. That means for 2009 well over 44% of all public record searches will be returned negative. All those who have searched for missing friends or family members will understand that accessing free or pay per click on line search engines can only take their investigation so far. It is the skill and experience of the tracing agent armed with the most comprehensive personal information data bases that the general public do not have access to that succeed. That is a fact. It is like going to a local garage mechanic to have your hair cut! You just would not do it.
The best advice we could give you is to employ professionals to do the job, there are many professional tracing agents not only our company, in the long run it makes more sense than paying for credits on old and out dated on-line people search sites.
There are a number of things you can do to help an investigator locate your missing person Today! Think hard about the person you are considering tracing and record down onto paper everything you know about them, especially any previous addresses, other close family members or places of employment.
This process is especially important if you have not seen the missing person for many years. Start with:
1. Name
2. Age
3. Former address (That’s the most important bit)
4. Known family members
5. Occupation
A lot of valuable information can be obtained from Births Death and Marriage records
Birth Certificates and Records Guide
To be able to utilise the basic tools of a genealogist or tracing agent you should first accept some basic and obvious facts.
We are born, we live and then we die.
That might seem particularly gloomy, but along the way we leave traces or to use a tracing term we leave a “footprint” of ourselves. Those foot prints provide vital tracing clues and help to build a picture; not only of the person but of the life they led.
Their birth indexes are divided by year, and each year by quarters. Each quarter is then divided alphabetically by surname. So, if you know a person's full name and date of birth, in theory it should be easy to find in the index. However, it's worth remembering that, with six weeks allowable for registering the birth, it might not appear until the next quarter. With all the information from the register, you can order a copy of the certificate.
What a Birth Certificate Can Tell You
A birth certificate can impart quite a bit of information about an individual. It gives the names of both parents (at least where the father is named, which is not going to be the case every time). You'll always get at least the first forename of each parent in full - all forenames before 1865 - and their occupations. Additionally you find where the child was born, right down to the street address, and even the mother's maiden name. It makes for an excellent starting point.
Where a Birth Certificate Might not Help Your Research
If you're having problems locating the registration of someone's birth, there are a few factors that might be the cause:
The person might have changed their name (by deed poll, for instance) later in life. It's not common, but it does happen. The person may have been adopted.
There could be more than one person with the same name born within days of each other in the same district. The more information you can supply, such as exact date of birth or parents' names, the greater your chances of success.
The entry might be in a different district. Just because you were told (or believe) a person was born in a certain place, that's not necessarily true. Be willing to check the information for surrounding districts, too.
The birth might have been incorrectly indexed. Since clerks only wrote what they heard, a name could have been misspelt or a date of birth record incorrectly.
Marriage Records
A marriage record will reveal a wealth of information upon a missing person. It will detail and an address at the time of the marriage, the age at the time of marriage and also the new partners name. In the case of a female it will also detail the new known name i.e. the married husband & surname.
Death Records Guide
They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes, and there are records of both. But to a genealogist, death is actually the least important part of the cycle. Once a person's been born and had children, their genealogical use is, to all intents and purposes, over. After all, you can trace your ancestors without knowing when they died, and a lot of family trees don't include the date of death.But death certificates definitely have their place in genealogy. The age at death can give a very close idea of birth date, and the home address can be used to locate the family on the census.
We understand only too well that tracing people can be very difficult for the public to achieve and are available to discuss your individual case and offer free advice on the best way to proceed, you can email a question question@findpeople4u.co.uk or request an experienced private detective telephone you to discuss your options all at no cost to you. Thank you for reading this quick guide
To commence your trace today please follow this link HERE to the submission page.
Find people4u Ltd
0844 88 42 831
We at FINDPEOPLE4U Ltd are private detectives, tracing agents, and probate researchers. We work to the highest professional standards and are proud of our success rates over 81 % 2008 and 2009. This guide is designed to give the public a brief background to successfully tracing a missing person.
Most people who instruct tracing agents like www.findpeople4u.co.uk have made their own basic enquiries into missing people normally by accessing on line research sites like 192 .com Trace smart or other similar companies. These companies are not able to facilitate a full trace action. It may be you have important information to pass onto them about a change in circumstances within the family or a forthcoming family event like a marriage or death. In these circumstances you cannot spend many hours or weeks waiting for information.
We complete over 50 % of our instructions within 8 hours of receiving an instruction. Online sites like 192 .com and Tracesmart.com allow you to search for a fee edited electoral rolls and other public records which in all probability the person you are searching for are unlikely to be recorded upon for a number of very obvious reasons. It is a fact that over 44% of the population are not recorded upon the 2009 edited edition of the electoral roll. You cannot expect to succeed in your search by merely trawling registers of births, deaths, marriages or telephone directories. That is a reality of life.
Obviously the best place to start with your own search is with the old known address for the missing person , you may if you are very lucky get a direct link from the old address to the new address or you may find a living family member who remains resident who may be prepared to supply current information. If that is not possible try identifying the missing persons DOB that will be useful if you have to carry out checks upon marriage records to identify a possible new name.
The general public are not normally aware that since 2002 the public have the right to Not be recorded upon the public version of the electoral roll; on-line sites are ONLY allowed by law to allow the public to access the restricted or edited electoral roll. That means for 2009 well over 44% of all public record searches will be returned negative. All those who have searched for missing friends or family members will understand that accessing free or pay per click on line search engines can only take their investigation so far. It is the skill and experience of the tracing agent armed with the most comprehensive personal information data bases that the general public do not have access to that succeed. That is a fact. It is like going to a local garage mechanic to have your hair cut! You just would not do it.
The best advice we could give you is to employ professionals to do the job, there are many professional tracing agents not only our company, in the long run it makes more sense than paying for credits on old and out dated on-line people search sites.
There are a number of things you can do to help an investigator locate your missing person Today! Think hard about the person you are considering tracing and record down onto paper everything you know about them, especially any previous addresses, other close family members or places of employment.
This process is especially important if you have not seen the missing person for many years. Start with:
1. Name
2. Age
3. Former address (That’s the most important bit)
4. Known family members
5. Occupation
A lot of valuable information can be obtained from Births Death and Marriage records
Birth Certificates and Records Guide
To be able to utilise the basic tools of a genealogist or tracing agent you should first accept some basic and obvious facts.
We are born, we live and then we die.
That might seem particularly gloomy, but along the way we leave traces or to use a tracing term we leave a “footprint” of ourselves. Those foot prints provide vital tracing clues and help to build a picture; not only of the person but of the life they led.
Their birth indexes are divided by year, and each year by quarters. Each quarter is then divided alphabetically by surname. So, if you know a person's full name and date of birth, in theory it should be easy to find in the index. However, it's worth remembering that, with six weeks allowable for registering the birth, it might not appear until the next quarter. With all the information from the register, you can order a copy of the certificate.
What a Birth Certificate Can Tell You
A birth certificate can impart quite a bit of information about an individual. It gives the names of both parents (at least where the father is named, which is not going to be the case every time). You'll always get at least the first forename of each parent in full - all forenames before 1865 - and their occupations. Additionally you find where the child was born, right down to the street address, and even the mother's maiden name. It makes for an excellent starting point.
Where a Birth Certificate Might not Help Your Research
If you're having problems locating the registration of someone's birth, there are a few factors that might be the cause:
The person might have changed their name (by deed poll, for instance) later in life. It's not common, but it does happen. The person may have been adopted.
There could be more than one person with the same name born within days of each other in the same district. The more information you can supply, such as exact date of birth or parents' names, the greater your chances of success.
The entry might be in a different district. Just because you were told (or believe) a person was born in a certain place, that's not necessarily true. Be willing to check the information for surrounding districts, too.
The birth might have been incorrectly indexed. Since clerks only wrote what they heard, a name could have been misspelt or a date of birth record incorrectly.
Marriage Records
A marriage record will reveal a wealth of information upon a missing person. It will detail and an address at the time of the marriage, the age at the time of marriage and also the new partners name. In the case of a female it will also detail the new known name i.e. the married husband & surname.
Death Records Guide
They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes, and there are records of both. But to a genealogist, death is actually the least important part of the cycle. Once a person's been born and had children, their genealogical use is, to all intents and purposes, over. After all, you can trace your ancestors without knowing when they died, and a lot of family trees don't include the date of death.But death certificates definitely have their place in genealogy. The age at death can give a very close idea of birth date, and the home address can be used to locate the family on the census.
We understand only too well that tracing people can be very difficult for the public to achieve and are available to discuss your individual case and offer free advice on the best way to proceed, you can email a question question@findpeople4u.co.uk or request an experienced private detective telephone you to discuss your options all at no cost to you. Thank you for reading this quick guide
To commence your trace today please follow this link HERE to the submission page.
Find people4u Ltd
0844 88 42 831
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Family Tree - Research
Family Tree - Research
Building A Family Tree Genealogical information abounds on the Web. What would have taken months of research and letter writing previously can now be accomplished within a few minutes. Even so, be prepared to wade through volumes of genealogical data in an effort to find one piece to your puzzle.Short Introduction A genealogy search marks the beginning of a private adventure into your own history. You'll find delightful surprises, family secrets and heartaches.The treasures you find will be enjoyed by generations who follow.In this guide we’ll talk to you about writing down everything you know aboutyour family history.
You begin with yourself and work backward to your parents and their parents.Note: You don’t normally include your Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins in your family tree. Not everyone agrees with this. Some feel that to ignore your extended family is to miss out on great leads and a rich part of your heritage. I believe success comes from focus. Explore all leads and sources but don’t get confused by trying to include your extended family at this point. This is your tree.You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories - birth certificates,military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds.You can consider a family reunion or otherwise visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. We’ll talk about a visit to your local council to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missingancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’vegathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time.You'll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research oneperson at a time.
Ready? OK, let’s get started.
Get Your Paperwork in Order. To start, have your family history information handy. It should be focused on you and work backward towardyour parents and then their parents. You can organize the most obviousfamily history information using a simple organizational chart format. Itshould start with you and branch backward including the names you know..Once you’ve interviewed yourself, it’s time to speak with your family.Speaking with Your Family. Family members remain one of the best beginning sources of knowledge in your genealogy search. However, likeany serious research effort, you should be organized before sitting down with your familyFor many, family interviews are the least expensive and most rewarding tool in any genealogy project.
The ten steps below when followed carefully, will make the most of your family interviews.
1. Write down all the names you know on both sides of your parents'families. Begin with your name and work backward to your parents and then their parents.
2. Find your birth certificate. This contains your parents' legal names and birth dates.Note: A good family tree will have an official document that verifies every name, birth date, date of marriage, and year of death. Start with yourself by making a copy of your own birth certificate. Ask your parents for theirs and get copies made.Your ultimate goal is to obtain these official records and have a physical copy on file for every name on your family tree.
3. Contact your parents, if possible, and solicit their help with names and dates. You'll likely find names of relatives you've never heard of but who were an integral part of your parents' early childhood experiences.
4. Check with your parents to see if they'll let you look through their family legal records (birth certificates, death certificates, military records). Make photocopies and return the originals to a safe place.
5. Go through old family photo albums. Look for writing on the backs and below the photos in the albums.
6. Look at framed photographs. Sometimes something such as an obituary notice is stored behind a photo in a picture frame.
7. Examine journals. Leaf through old books looking for notes written in them or papers placed between the pages. These are often found in old trunks in attics, but can even be found on everyday book shelves.
8. Look behind old mirrors and pull out dresser drawers and look for taped messages.
9. Visit or call your relatives. Tell them what you're doing and what you've discovered. In most cases, they'll be delighted to help with your search and want to add missing names and dates.
10. Solicit stories from relatives. You'll find lots of treasured tales this way. This information can be added to a "note" section about each ancestor.
These stories transform an ordinary genealogy into a piece of art. Family members are sometimes reluctant to provide information for whatever reason. Be prepared for this, and remember that the living is more important than the dead. Creating a Family tree can be all consuming - enjoy gaining knowledge of your origin.
Building A Family Tree Genealogical information abounds on the Web. What would have taken months of research and letter writing previously can now be accomplished within a few minutes. Even so, be prepared to wade through volumes of genealogical data in an effort to find one piece to your puzzle.Short Introduction A genealogy search marks the beginning of a private adventure into your own history. You'll find delightful surprises, family secrets and heartaches.The treasures you find will be enjoyed by generations who follow.In this guide we’ll talk to you about writing down everything you know aboutyour family history.
You begin with yourself and work backward to your parents and their parents.Note: You don’t normally include your Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins in your family tree. Not everyone agrees with this. Some feel that to ignore your extended family is to miss out on great leads and a rich part of your heritage. I believe success comes from focus. Explore all leads and sources but don’t get confused by trying to include your extended family at this point. This is your tree.You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories - birth certificates,military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds.You can consider a family reunion or otherwise visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. We’ll talk about a visit to your local council to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missingancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’vegathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time.You'll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research oneperson at a time.
Ready? OK, let’s get started.
Get Your Paperwork in Order. To start, have your family history information handy. It should be focused on you and work backward towardyour parents and then their parents. You can organize the most obviousfamily history information using a simple organizational chart format. Itshould start with you and branch backward including the names you know..Once you’ve interviewed yourself, it’s time to speak with your family.Speaking with Your Family. Family members remain one of the best beginning sources of knowledge in your genealogy search. However, likeany serious research effort, you should be organized before sitting down with your familyFor many, family interviews are the least expensive and most rewarding tool in any genealogy project.
The ten steps below when followed carefully, will make the most of your family interviews.
1. Write down all the names you know on both sides of your parents'families. Begin with your name and work backward to your parents and then their parents.
2. Find your birth certificate. This contains your parents' legal names and birth dates.Note: A good family tree will have an official document that verifies every name, birth date, date of marriage, and year of death. Start with yourself by making a copy of your own birth certificate. Ask your parents for theirs and get copies made.Your ultimate goal is to obtain these official records and have a physical copy on file for every name on your family tree.
3. Contact your parents, if possible, and solicit their help with names and dates. You'll likely find names of relatives you've never heard of but who were an integral part of your parents' early childhood experiences.
4. Check with your parents to see if they'll let you look through their family legal records (birth certificates, death certificates, military records). Make photocopies and return the originals to a safe place.
5. Go through old family photo albums. Look for writing on the backs and below the photos in the albums.
6. Look at framed photographs. Sometimes something such as an obituary notice is stored behind a photo in a picture frame.
7. Examine journals. Leaf through old books looking for notes written in them or papers placed between the pages. These are often found in old trunks in attics, but can even be found on everyday book shelves.
8. Look behind old mirrors and pull out dresser drawers and look for taped messages.
9. Visit or call your relatives. Tell them what you're doing and what you've discovered. In most cases, they'll be delighted to help with your search and want to add missing names and dates.
10. Solicit stories from relatives. You'll find lots of treasured tales this way. This information can be added to a "note" section about each ancestor.
These stories transform an ordinary genealogy into a piece of art. Family members are sometimes reluctant to provide information for whatever reason. Be prepared for this, and remember that the living is more important than the dead. Creating a Family tree can be all consuming - enjoy gaining knowledge of your origin.
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