Finding Lost Members

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm new here and wasn't able to track down anything in my search.

We have a large number of members in our Lost Members list. I try to do generic searches online to find them, but what I see is often not helpful or sketchy looking.

Is there a good service out there -- and I'd even pay for a subscription -- that facilitates tracking people down (i.e. finding their current address) in a safe, legal manner?

As ward assistant clerk - membership, I have subscribed to Spokeo for several years. When I first subscribed, they appeared to be rather reliable. Lately, results have not been as reliable. Sometimes, a plain web search for the name and a possible address can yield enough confidence that the address is accurate. Our previous bishop had mastered that technique.

There is a checklist of things to look at before sending a record to Address Unknown. If you have exhausted that list and the ward council does not have any leads, sending to Address Unknown appears to be consistent with guidance. Just don't be surprised if the record bounces back to you--even if you have proven that the old address is not accurate.

Personally, I wouldn't go that far. If that's what the church wants, they have resources at the Headquarters level to do that. What they do want is to use the ward as local "boots on the ground" to get information from people who might have had contact with them when they were there.

I'd run a few names past Ward Council every time they meet. See if they might have had any friends in the ward.