Recently, it has become popular in Russia to look for their roots abroad. Finding a person (relative or acquaintance) abroad in modern conditions is quite realistic if several simple conditions are met.
Instructions
Step 1
Search over the internet. It is very convenient, fast and efficient.
Step 2
You must know for certain that they (relatives or your friends) are there (abroad).
Step 3
Use English. Foreign language proficiency is an important prerequisite for finding people abroad.
Step 4
To make a request on the Internet, you need to know very precisely who exactly you are looking for, when and under what conditions a person got abroad, in what year it happened, and at what age he was, as well as whether he is still alive. Trying to look for relatives at random is a rash and senseless undertaking.
Step 5
When searching for people abroad, knowing the surname and first name, post on sites or message boards not only all kinds of spelling options for this surname, but also abbreviations. The most common way of writing Russian surnames in English letters is transcription, when the letters of the Russian alphabet are written in letters or combinations of letters of another language. Moreover, the transcription into English differs from the transcription into French or German.
Step 6
Write a letter of appeal, where tell your story, all the information you know, post it on genealogical resources, websites, message boards and update it regularly. In the West, they are very careful about the family and everything that is connected with it, therefore foreigners respect such a search. Many will take an active part in the correspondence and provide assistance.
Step 7
Explore the archives. This is a more difficult search for people who moved abroad a long time ago. In the United States, there is an archive of documents dating back to 1820. The procedure for registering newcomers has changed several times during this period, many lists were lost or burned out during a fire, but, nevertheless, 90% of the lists of emigrants are stored in the US archives and are called Immigration Passenger Lists. They contain the name of each passenger, place of birth (country and city), date of arrival, family composition, destination, age, gender, profession, purpose of arrival in the United States.
Step 8
Still, look for a start in Russia. In our country, there are special services that deal with the return of emigration archives from abroad to their homeland - this is the Federal Archival Service, libraries and museums.
