While divorces are supposed to be private, the court records that relate to them are public.  Finding a divorce record can be necessary in a number of situations.  Without a completed divorce, a person isn’t free to remarry.

Can’t Find the Divorce Record because They Aren’t Divorced!

It is remarkable just how many people simply don’t go through with the final steps of a divorce.  They move out, move on and often just plain move, and the paperwork gets forgotten.  Suddenly, they want to start a new life, but they haven’t ended the old one, legally.  The only way you can find out if this is the case is to do a divorce record search.

To accomplish this search you need to know where the divorce was finalized.  Unfortunately, if you are dating someone in this situation, they may not be as forthcoming as they should be.

When Your Significant Other Isn’t Forthcoming with the Info

In that case, your best bet is to go online and utilize one of the many search companies available.  These companies have gone to the trouble and expense of compiling information from all around the country and putting it into one database.  This allows you to simply enter a name and some additional data and find out everything you need about a person and their past.

Common Law Marriages and Divorce Records

Oddly enough, I have a friend in this exact situation.  After a common-law marriage of nearly 20 years he and his wife broke up.  They figure that just stating that should be enough, but the law doesn’t agree.

They have to go through the courts to terminate their marriage.  Now he is planning to remarry and I can’t help but wonder if the girl knows he is still legally bound to his previous partner.  What a mess!

A quick search would save her a lot of grief.  He isn’t a bad person, just a lazy one, and the impending disaster is interesting to watch.

Do yourself a favor; don’t end up in this position.  Get online, look into the past of anyone you are getting serious about.  Using an online search company is fast, effective and inexpensive.

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When you are putting together a family tree, you may want to know a lot of seemingly minute details.  Knowing how to find a birth time is important if you want to create as accurate a diagram as you possibly can.

In most cases, you can find the time of birth listed on the birth certificate, but it really varies from state to state, and sometimes even within the state itself.

Long Form Birth Certificate or the Short Form?

For example, New York has two formats.  The long form includes all the information like birth time, parent’s names, certificate number and the like, whereas the short form includes only your name, date of birth and city of birth.  Both are legitimate, government issued documents, but only one will provide you with valuable information from the perspective of genealogy.

It is also possible that using a less than complete birth certificate you can find out in which hospital you, or your relation, were born.  That allows you to search the hospital records and try to get more information such as mother’s names, and perhaps attending physician.  The more details you can find the better for your project.

Why Is Birth Time Important?

On the complete version of a birth certificate, you should be able to find a time of birth.  From the practical perspective, it can help you identify which of your twin relatives came first.

From the less practical side there are cultural aspects to consider.  Some cultures consider specific times to be luckier or less lucky.  Astrologically, increments of 15 minutes make a difference to how people interpret their horoscopes.  No matter the reason, it is always fun to learn such details about yourself and others.

Find a Birth Time Quickly and Easily

The best place to find out where to request the legal, certified documents is often online.  There are services who make it their business to collect all the available data and pass it on to you in an easy to use format.

If your goal is to find a birth time or other information rather than using up time searching out where to look, let these services get you moving in the right direction.

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If you have a relative that has passed recently, the best way to track down their personal information is to go to the Social Security Death Index.  This database keeps death records on all people who have died in the country since the 1950s.

Finding Death Records with the SSDI

It may not seem like much, but remember that until the Social Security Administration was started by Roosevelt, no one kept these records at all, much less centralized them.

Of course, it isn’t easy or cheap to dig through the SSDI.  It takes time, and isn’t always accurate.  Until 1988 it wasn’t mandatory to have a social security number so many people who didn’t work, had other retirement plans or worked for themselves didn’t get one.

Unreported Social Security Number

Sometimes a death isn’t reported to the Social Security Administration, so they never enter the data into their database.  When the SSDI doesn’t work out it doesn’t mean you have no more options.

Online search services have gone to the trouble of accessing records from all over the country.  If you have some data about your loved one, such as a name, place and date of death, you are likely to be successful.

Increase Your Chances of Finding a Death Record with Online Services

Unlike the SSDI, these searches are based on correlating available data from all sorts of sources.  This means you have a better chance of getting a hit during your search.

Of course, a search service will be able to cross-reference your search once a match has been made.  The service can automatically pull up a birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decrees, addresses and known relatives with no more effort on your part.

All this information is available night at day from the comfort of your own home.  Each service has its own payment structure but typically you can either pay for one search or for limitless access over a year.

Either way, the prices aren’t high, and well worth your investment if you are serious about a genealogical search.  Go online and take a look, you are sure to like what you see.

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There are many ways to check up on a person.  Perhaps the most powerful of investigations is the criminal records search.  People used this search for many reasons.

When the Nanny Has a Dark Past

Primarily used by employers in the past, the criminal records search has now become accessible to all.  Whether you are checking up on a potential boyfriend or nanny, it is all about personal safety.

For parents, hiring someone to watch their children while they need to be at work, the prospect can be intimidating.  There are so many people who claim to love children or to have experience with them.

Check References and Criminal Records

Checking references is good, but you never can be sure that the reference is actually a previous employer or simply the nanny’s cousin, pretending.  One thing you can do to ensure your children’s safety is to check and see if your potential hire has a criminal record.

Employment Check

Just about every corporation now investigates potential employees before hiring them.  There is no reason you, as a private employer shouldn’t do the same.  After all, your resources are infinitely more precious than some multi-million dollar company’s are.

Your children are your responsibility and you would do anything to keep them safe.  A criminal records search should be part of any background investigation you conduct when picking someone to look after them for you, and that includes a day care center.

Online search services can make the process effortless and convenient.  In the comfort of your own home, after the kids are in bed, take a moment or two to go online, find a good, reliable service and pay the few dollars it takes to become a member.

Now you too can check up on everyone that may come in contact with your kids.  Just imagine how reassuring it will be to find nothing and to KNOW that their caregivers really are who they say they are.

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The very best place to find a person you have lost track of is online.  It is strange how our modern lifestyle has made it so difficult to keep in contact with the people we care about.

Reconnect with a Person Online

Between work and family, the need to move to keep up with a career or even just the process of moving apart, we often fall out of touch.  If you want to reconnect with an old friend, the online search services are the place to go.

Advantages of Search Services

Search services have made the investment required to access numerous databases around the country minimal.  From old phone numbers to past addresses, they can use bits of information you have on hand to track down people you thought were impossible to find.

These databases let search companies link together data and come up with the most likely candidates for you to sort through.  Once you know where your old friend is, it is a breeze to initiate contact again.

Online Dating: The Number One Reason to Do a People Search

Another really good reason to join such a search service is if you are dating online.  People, as we know, aren’t always as honest as they should be about their past.  Finding out if they are really divorced, or have a criminal record can save you a lot of grief.

It may seem paranoid, but there are a lot of strange people floating around dating sites, and protecting yourself is just smart.  The same can be said for looking up businesses you want to hire.  It is better to know in advance if they have a string of lawsuits for failure to complete jobs before you sign a contract.

No matter the reason you want to search, online search services are the most reliable way to go.  Quick and efficient, they will help you find the information you seek.

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If you have ever wondered why you need a specific vital statistics record, for example a birth certificate or marriage license, the answer is simple.  These documents are government approved ways of proving who you are.

You Can’t Do Anything without a Birth Certificate

A birth certificate is essential if you are planning to apply for a passport, a driver’s license, a social security card and many other things.  You should always have certified copies of documents like your birth certificate and marriage or divorce decrees available to you; you will find this practice makes your life simpler.

Documentation Provides Security

I’ll be the first to admit that as a child of people who survived WW II, I have a heightened need to have legal documentation at hand.  I, for example, never let my passport expire, and regularly renew documentation like a driver’s license long before it runs out.

For all my inherited paranoia, I have more than once found that I needed these, and other, documents, and have saved aggravation and time by having them on hand.  It may not seem like a big deal, until you actually need the papers.

If you find that you need these documents, but don’t have your own copies, and even worse, are unsure where to get them, let an online search service help you out.

Let a Search Service Do It For You

Each state has different requirements for releasing documentation, and finding the appropriate website and link can be challenging and time consuming.  If you chose to use a search service, they have already done the work for you.

For a nominal fee you get to use the service to dig up any documents, legal decrees, liens and public records that are in your name.  You can then choose to request certified copies from the local offices with ease.  Don’t underestimate the convenience of letting someone else do the footwork.  Try out a reliable search service and see what I mean.

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It may seem odd, but there is a growing segment of the population that is making use of the new online databases to search for judgments that have been entered in legal cases.

Growing Number of Women Search for Judgments

One of the fastest growing groups in this segment comes from women who have joined online dating services.  For some reason, men feel compelled to tell a woman when they have been in legal trouble, but they don’t have the same compulsion to tell the truth about the situation.

Whether it is the matter of a nasty divorce, a disagreement between neighbors or a past that is littered with trouble, men seem to think that women will simply believe any story handed them.  Sorry, fellows, but if the story sounds odd, we now have a way to check it out.

Checking Out His Story

If the situation ended up in court and a judgment was made, there are now databases all over the country that are being used to track every case that reaches a conclusion in court.  Women aren’t stupid, and if something sounds off, we are going to do some checking.

Online search services that are designed specifically for attorneys seeking precedents can be used for this, but it is much better for the individual to search with a private firm.

Online Search with a Private Firm

These firms already paid the large membership fee to join legal databases around the country, and they can offer you the same information for a lot less.  For a very reasonable fee you can not only search judgments, but also many other legal documents like marriage licenses, divorce decrees, lawsuits and more.

“Google-ing” someone is fine for a first date, but if you really want to feel secure in the knowledge that you have thoroughly checked out a man you want to date, using an online search engine is the way to go.

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When doing business with any company, it is difficult to know just how honest they are.  Deciding to find case results online can help you make better choices.

When Word of Mouth Isn’t a Good Option

The situation is even worse when you first move into a new neighborhood.  You don’t know the neighbors, so they can’t make recommendations, and if you aren’t outgoing, you aren’t going to go asking for their help.  That means that you have to investigate the local scene on your own.

Before you invest a lot of money, for example, having your new yard landscaped with a company that may or may not be honest, do yourself a favor, go online and see if they have any judgments against them.

Stay Away from Companies that Go to Court

Few companies make it without having at least some complaints.  Complaints submitted to the Better Business Bureau can also be searched online.  Still, if a complaint is truly valid, it will go to court.  When a company engages in illegal business practices, sooner or later the law will catch up with them.  Those are the companies you want to avoid like the plague.

Finding Case Results is Easy

The only accurate way to find out if the business you are considering is one of those companies is to go online, use a good search service, and investigate any company you want to do business with.  Of course, you aren’t going to search every company you work with, but if you are planning to spend a reasonable sum of money, you want to protect your assets.

Your ability to find case results online is only improving.  Each day reliable search services update their records.  By finding out the name of the business owner, you eliminate the odds of them changing names to hide previous misdeeds.  Ideally, you will find nothing at all in the legal databases that imply wrongdoing, but it is so good to know that you can uncover anything that might affect your security.

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Why Conduct a Lawsuit Search?

Why would you want to search lawsuit databases? It is an unfortunate fact that many people, and even more companies are struggling in today’s financial situation.

That being the case, you really want to check up on people with which you plan to do business.  There is no reason to take unnecessary risks with your finances; the information is available online.

Corporate Lawsuits
Before you spend a lot of money with a business, you want to know that your money is safe.  The best way to secure your cash is to check the company history; by word of mouth, with the Better Business Bureau and also through a lawsuit search online.

Now realize, companies change names to hide their previous problems, so get the name of the owner, president or chief officer, and check those names as well.  Companies also move from state to state to avoid a bad reputation, so do a countrywide check if you can.

No matter how far they move, or how often they rename their company, a bad egg will turn up under one of the names associate with it.  While most companies are honest and really will live up to expectations, you want to avoid ending up with the ones that are just out to make money.  Using online search services is the best way to hedge your bets.

Personal Lawsuits

If you have a property to lease, it is no surprise that you want to run a credit check on any prospective renters.  Still, a credit check is only going to cover fairly recent issues.

If you really want to know if the family waiting to move into your house is reputable, search for lawsuits that cover bankruptcy, property damage and liens before you sign a contract.  You don’t want to find out you just rented your beautiful home to someone with a criminal history in methamphetamines, and no credit search will pick up on that particular problem.

Online search services are the best way to dig up old lawsuits.  Quick, efficient and reasonably priced, they help you protect your most important assets.

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Many people are aware of the value of a death certificate for settling life insurance and probate claims, but most aren’t aware that death certificates can be a critical link when building a genealogy chart.

How a Death Certificate is a Passport to a Birth Certificate

Often with older relatives, we are aware of when they passed, but not when they were born.  By acquiring the death certificate you can find that all important birth date, and that opens a world of information to you.

Finding out when someone was born means that you can then search for their birth certificate.  With that document you get names one more generation into the past.

Finding a Maiden Name

Usually you will find not only the couple’s names but also the much more elusive maiden name.  Maiden names are critical for finding maternal lines of families, after all, a family has two sides.

Social Security Death Index

The Social Security Death Index is the primary source of such documents in the United States.  This huge database is constantly being updated and has over 80 million records that date back to 1962 accurately.

Previous deaths are only listed here if they were reported after 1962 and entered into the appropriate database.  While this is unfortunate for those who wish to search older documents, it is still a good place to start for more recent documents.

Government Offices Switch to Online

Many local and state governments are transitioning their documents from files to the Internet as well.  Birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees and any legal document you can imagine are quickly being transferred to the Internet.  Each day new documents are available.  By joining a document search service you avail yourself of this new resource.

Take a little time to check out the benefits afforded by a document search service.  You have instant access to databases around the country, the database will make connections that you may not be aware of, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home, at any hour.

For a reasonable annual fee you can usually search a limitless number of documents, find death certificates, and make your genealogical search more efficient and fun.

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