Is there any low cost ways to search for lost family members?

[Ted Pack]

In the USA, in addition to the ones suggested by Bean, http://www.zabasearch.com

Once in a while you can find someone with an exact phrase search in Google. That means you use quotation marks - double quotes ("), not single ones ('). You have to try all of the forms of the name you can think of:

"Tom Edison"
"Thomas Edison"
"Thomas A Edison"
"Thomas Alva Edison"

"Edison, Tom"
"Edison, Thomas"
(If that gives you too many, try
"Edison, Thomas A"
"Edison, Thomas Alva", because any page that has "Edison, Thomas Alva" will come up for the shorter phrase, "Edison, Thomas".)

The case isn't important, nor do you need the commas. You and I know that "Thomas Alva Edison" and "Edison, Thomas Alva" are the same person, but a computer doesn't.

If you know your person likes to jog, or lives in Beloit, add the additional fact outside of the quotation marks:
"Tom Edison" 10K
(etc. - you still have to try all 27 forms of the name, in quotes.)
"Tom Edison" Beloit
(etc.)