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Shellie
PO Top Contributor & Patron

Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:40 pm Post subject: Searching Facebook for Relatives

I have had great success finding relatives both in the US and Poland through Facebook. I was having trouble finding information about my Rebizant family in Huta Rozaniecka and one day I searched Facebook for people with the Rebizant surname. I was actually suprised how many people I found. Several have been helping me learn about my ancestral village - one even sent me photos of the village and interviewed families for me!

Has anyone used Facebook or My Space to find relatives? Tell us about your experience and share your tips with us!

All Polska

Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Replies: 48
Location: Florida, USA
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:21 am Post subject:

Yes, I have. Most of them have been distant cousins I knew about as a child. I did find 2 in Poland. One lives in England, but his mother is still in Poland. His reply was that maybe they are related to me. The other one ignored the relative request, but the spelling of the last name is the same & she did OK me as a friend?

Shellie
PO Top Contributor & Patron

Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:07 pm Post subject:

Yes, not all of our inquiries on Facebook will be met with open arms. Some just are not interested in genealogy or meeting lost cousins. I've had several ignore me too, and some just give the bare minimum of a reply until I write back with a little more info about our family tree. I would be suspicious if I got a Facebook message out of the blue from a lost cousin, so I try to be sensitive and anticipate that they will be wary of me. I always make sure to tell them that I'm not trying to sell anything or will ask for money. And sometimes I cut and paste a link to one of my genealogy queries that I've posted online so they can read further about my attempts to collect information.

I just got a reply last night from a cousin who at first didn't seem interested, but made a few calls to his family and confirmed some of the info I provided. Now my new found cousin is really anxious to talk with me. I am hoping that we both learn something interesting when we meet.

I have also set up a free account at geni.com but I find it difficut to search for people there and no one has replied to my requests to connect. Geni.com is supposed to be sort of like a facebook for genealogy, but I think it still needs to develop more. However, I was suprised at at the number of people from Poland who were on geni.com - I'm hoping that more and more people in Poland are developing an interest in genealogy. Wouldn't it be great to connect with more relatives who are actively building their family tree also?

All Polska

Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Replies: 48
Location: Florida, USA
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:13 pm Post subject:

Yes, it would be nice. I too, belong to Geni. I've had more interest from people who are not related for sure and say they will keep an ear out and send me any info they might discover.

Not even my husband is interested in what I am doing with his family. He'll say, "That's your hobby, not mine!" I don't look at it as a hobby, but as a heritage to pass on to the future generations. I have a great Genealogy Society in our county. They have taught me so much! I wish I knew at the beginning what I know now. It would have been a lot easier!

Blessings,
All Polska

dinja

Joined: 14 Mar 2011
Replies: 1

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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:56 am Post subject: Re: Searching Facebook for Relatives

Shellie wrote:

A few years back, one friend of mine moved to usa. In the meantime we lost contact (we changed our numbers etc.)... The years passed, social network sites becomed popular. So one day I decided to look for him at Facebook, My Space but that gaved no result. I also tried with MSN, Skype and nothing...
Than I heard for a phenomen called online people search services... I must admit that I was a bit of sceptic at first but I decided to try. I was shocked when I did find him at: http://waatp.com . I thought those kind of sites serves only for someone to fill his wallet... And I can't say how happy I am that I was wrong... Smile

Shellie
PO Top Contributor & Patron

Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:57 pm Post subject:

Dinja,
Please tell me what you did on that site to find your friend. When I put a name in the search box, all I get is a map of the area in which the person might live.

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