We've tried to list professional and/or experienced researchers who are established or reputable, come highly recommended by people whose judgement we trust, or with whom we have personally worked in the past.  However, please be aware that we don't necessarily endorse or guarantee the services of any of these research professionals or organizations.  This list is provided for information only, based on numerous requests we've received for such a list.  Questions, research requests, fee structures, arrangements for payment, or complaints must be handled strictly between you and the provider whose services you are considering. 

According to their webpage: "...we can provide lookups in Oakland City Directories, California county histories, Oakland birth and death certificates, 1870-1904, and other Oakland History Room indexes. We cannot provide research in the Alameda County censuses or voting registers. Each search is limited to about 1/2 hour of staff time. Extensive original research cannot be accommodated by mail or e-mail.

"Copies of Oakland birth and death certificates, death notices or obituaries from local newspapers may be requested by mail for a donation of $2 each. We can do up to two searches per patron per month. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope and allow 2-4 weeks for us to respond to your queries."
 

• If you are already actively involved in your own research and are hitting some snags, I can help you with new ideas or new sources of information.
• If you are interested in beginning a research project, I can perform a brief introductory record search and provide some recommendations to help get you started in the right direction.
• If you aren't interested in doing your own research, I can conduct ongoing research while providing you with regular progress reports.
• I have been involved in genealogy for almost twenty years.  During that time, I have researched family lines in several countries in Europe, as well as the British Isles and the United States.  In addition to standard genealogy research, I have experience in locating living friends and family members who may have been separated by years and miles.

I have the California birth indexes - 1905-1995;  the California death indexes 1905-1999; and the California marriage indexes 1949-1986 - I will search the indexes free for five entries at a time.  I also do research through out all of California in the newspapers, etc.  Please see my web site for more information.

"The society offers lookups in films held onsite, including vital record, probate and newspaper indexes, as well as a reasonably priced extended research service to solve more difficult research problems. Holdings and services are described more fully in the online catalog and research portions of the CGS Web site."

• Social Security Administration
In the 'search box', type "missing person".  Scroll down to the results and click "Can Social Security help me find a missing person?"  According to their posted information, you don't need to know the social security number, just information about the person's date and place of birth, the father's name, and the mother's full birth name.