Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Searching Vital Statistics
• Method 2 of 4: Finding a criminal record
• Method 3 of 4: Genealogical Records
• Method 4 of 4: Various State Records
• Tips

Marriage permits, birth certificates, warrants and obituaries are just a few examples of what is available to the general public. While many of these files come at a cost to copy, you can find them online for free.Read the following suggested options for finding public archive files and choose the one that works best for you.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Searching Vital Statistics

1. 1 Type in a search engine the name of the person you want to find information about. Usually, in the process of searching, several pages of data appear, by which you can find out where the person lived.
   • The most important thing in your search is to find out the state in which the person was born, in which he lives or lived. In most cases, data is disaggregated by state.
2. 2 Contact the clerk of the court in the county in which the person was born or died. You may need to pay to find or copy content.
3. 3 Go to deathindexes.com. Select the state in which the person died.
   • Use different search engines where you can find death certificates or obituaries. On the site you will find out when you have to pay and what information is free.
4. 4 Go to the website of your state government and find the button “Search the Public Records” there.
   • Many sites register files of the state archive on these official Internet pages. For an example, check out the California State Archives website: ca.gov/onlineservices/os_government_records.html

Method 2 of 4: Finding a criminal record

1. 1 Go to blackbookonline.info. Click on "Criminal Records" under the list of State Archives files.
   • Select the type of crime you want to find information about in a particular state. Click "Click here to see free crime search results." Crank to see a list of available states, counties, and the state as a whole for your search.
2. 2 Go to the State Correctional Administration website. Enter the name of the person you are looking for and / or the number of the punishment document, date of birth and type of offense.
   • Submit your search to find current offenses.
3. 3 Check out the list of sex crimes on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. Go to fbi.gov/scams-safety/registry/registry and click on your selected state.
4. 4 Search the FBI website for federal prisoners. Go to bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp.

Method 3 of 4: Genealogical Records

1. 1 Use a search engine to find a genealogical community in your state. This community maintains a civil registry. They are available online free of charge or at certain public libraries.
2. 2 Go to Cyndi's List for a list of old and new obituaries and other documents. Visit cyndislist.com/obituaries.
3. 3 Look for Ellis Island recordings on its official website. Visit ellisisland.org if you think someone emigrated using this path.

Method 4 of 4: Various State Records

1. 1 Find free copyright information at copyright.gov/records. On the site you will find documents up to 1978.
2. 2 Look for civil service records in the National Archives. Visit archives.gov/st-louis/index.html to view military archives.
3. 3 Visit the publicrecords.onlinesearches.com general public records website. You will need to select your site to see a list of adoptions, unsolved crimes, contractor documents, and professional licenses.
4. 4 Visit your State Secretary of State's website to find business or professional license records.

Tips

• If you can't find the public archive file you need for free online, visit your public library and ask the librarian where to find these documents. You may be offered free viewing of newspapers, government figures, and more.
• If you need a copy of your certificate of birth, death, marriage, or divorce, you can contact the government vital statistics agency.A list of these agencies can be found on the Centers for Disease Control website http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm .. To pay the paperwork costs you usually need between $ 5 and $ 25 and a copy of your ID.