Ideas on finding someone please - not family tree

[AllabouttheE]

My friend (I have his blessing) is looking for his biological father. His parents were married and divorced by the time he was 2, now in 40's. He has never met his father and for many many reasons, he cannot discuss his search with his mother. There is no reason to suspect his father is dead.

We have ordered the marriage certificate, it should arrive in around a week.

But what and where do you search next? Of course we have googled and facebooked but his father would be in his 60's and nothing is coming up.

It isn't a particularly common name.
I have emailed the salvation army search, does anyone have experience of this service?

Any pointers from MN would be gratefully received.

Once you have the name try going on Genes Reunited to see if its on anyone's family tree? Put the name up here?

Try ancestry.co.uk - you can get a month free and you should be able to try and trace the birth certificate?

192.com is good too, and the BMD register (he may have remarried).

I used the Salvation Army tracing service back in the late 80's (so pre internet days) to find my mum, who I hadn't seen for around 13 years.

She'd changed her name (but not formally or by marriage) and moved house 7 times. It took them 8 months to find her

Have you thought of friends reunited, as well as their genes reunited site?

Is he a member of any professional organisation - accountant, chemist, architect etc? They all have directories of members with current addresses.

Are his gp's still alive? It could be that his father now lives with or near his own parents.

Am off out the door but have you tried searching I-announce (lists birth, birthday, deaths announcements in Uk newspapers) - if his name is unusualish you may find a birthday announcement for him or a relative - just an idea.

Will be back. Good luck.

Oh and it's free

Or use Tracesmart or 192.com.

www.lostcousins.com/

If you are still looking for help on this, the next step would be to search the birth marriage and death indexes for a second marriage and any children of that marriage, and/or a death registration. Then the electoral register may help, but since 2002 opt out from the public register has been possible so you may not be able to find him in recent years.

PM me if you need help with these searches.