Have you searched for a lost relative or friend by using an Internet telephone directory such as WhoWhere? I'm betting your answer is "yes" because an obvious and easy step to locate someone is to check the telephone directory.

If you found the individual, the task was easy. But what if you were not successful? Should you assume they have an unlisted telephone number and discontinue your search? Certainly not. There can be several reasons why your telephone search failed:
 

August 11, 1999

Helpful Web Sites • Address and Telephone Directories • Free Online Phone Directory Search

1. The listing is misspelled.

The Internet telephone directories occasionally contain typos such as Smithh (two h's) or have run together names such as Smithedward rather than Smith Edward. Surnames such as McDonald may be listed as McDonald or Mc Donald (space between Mc and Donald). Some search engines will report the variance, but some do not.

2. The listing is under the person's nickname or initial(s), rather than full name.

For example, if you are searching for Robert M. Reynolds, he may be listed as Bob Reynolds, R. Reynolds, or R. M. Reynolds.

3. The listing is under the spouse's name.

Do not assume that all married couples list their telephone number under the name of the husband. Sometimes the listing is under the wife's name; or a combination such as Smith, Alice and Ted.

4. The listing is purposefully confusing or misleading.

Some people create unusual or misleading listings to avoid being found by bill collectors or ex-spouses. They may use a completely fictitious name, their middle name only, or the name of a pet.

5. The listing of a widow has been modified.

Widows usually keep their telephone listing in the name of their deceased husband, but sometimes they change it slightly. For example, the listing may have been Harris, Frank C. for several years. But upon the death of Frank, the widow may change the listing to Harris, Stella or Harris, S. or even Harris, F. C.

6. The directory you are using is not complete.

Most of the telephone directories found on the Internet are created by commercial companies; not the telephone company. The content therefore is not official, nor complete. In fact, you will discover that the content will vary slightly from directory to directory and that some directories share the same database.

Internet Telephone Directory Comparison

To see how the different Internet telephone directories compared, I conducted an experiment: I searched for one unusual surname in one state on August 3, 1999. To protect the privacy of the people I found in the directories, I am not revealing the surname that I searched for. Below is a summary of findings in nine different Internet telephone directories: pc411, AnyWho, Bigfoot, Lookupusa, 411 Locate, Switchboard, WhoWhere, Yahoo, and USWest. In the "Name" column, I list the first names that I found associated with this surname. In the "Summary of Search Results" column, I list which directories contained each name. This gives you an idea of how much information the different directories have. (Of course this is only for one surname, and results are likely to vary slightly from one surname to the next.)

Lessons Learned from Telephone Directory Comparison

• Switchboard and USWest were the only directories that included listings for wives.
• Bigfoot, pc411, Switchboard, and WhoWhere listed all individuals.
• Yahoo gave the full name of Verna; all other directories listed the initials only.
• Bigfoot was the only directory that gave disconnect dates and when the listings were updated.

Searching by Address

Address searches and sorts can also reveal the name of a home business, a fax telephone number, or names of other family members with a separate telephone line at the same address.

Searching by Telephone Number or E-mail Address

Sometimes a search begins with a telephone number or e-mail address. Until recently, it was not possible to search by e-mail address. You could search by name and obtain an e-mail address, but not vice versa. Of course, e-mail addresses are quickly outdated, but hopefully this method of communication will eventually stabilize and more directories will offer e-mail searches.

Search Capabilities of Internet Telephone Directories

The table below shows which directories have which capabilities, as of August 3, 1999. Links to all of the directories listed below are at Freeality Internet Search and Telephone Directories on the Web. The links vary somewhat between both sites and the Freeality site provides fill-in forms so you can conduct the search directly from their web page.

What If I Want to Look up Outdated Information?

This article addresses only Internet telephone directories. However, there are also CD-ROM telephone directories, and paper and microfiche directories. Outdated directories can be useful in some searches, similar to using city directories. Outdated directories can usually be found at historical societies or local libraries. The Library of Congress has some old telephone directories and the Telecommunications History Group, PO Box 8719, Denver, CO 80201, houses nearly 11,000 telephone directories published between 1890 to 1992. The collection focuses on directories published by Bell Companies in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. They are also collecting directories from former Northwestern Bell states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Let Your Fingers "Do the Walking"

Next time you open a telephone directory, whether it be your paper directory at home, or an electronic copy on the Internet, remember that the telephone directory is not a simple alphabetical list of names. Let your fingers "do the walking" and allow your creative genealogical instincts connect with lost family members or distant cousins. You may solve a genealogical puzzle, make new friends, or renew old friendships by utilizing the simple telephone directory that we take for granted.

About the Author

Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS, is a professional genealogist and private investigator who specializes in locating living persons by using the Internet, public records, and genealogical sources. She is the Executive Secretary for the Association of Professional Genealogists and lectures at state, regional, and national conferences. You can reach her at hinckleyk@mindspring.com or through her web site Family Detective.

Copyright 1999 by Kathleen W. Hinckley. All Rights Reserved. Any republication of this article requires the express consent of the author.

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