1-800-U.S. Search
Charges $39.95 for "nationwide name search" or $50 to find out what people can find out about you. More costly than AutoTrack, but doesn't require a company account. KnowX might be a better choice for home use.

Accurint
A new competitor to Autotrack, also offering pay-per-view public records for newsrooms. And lower prices. "Our searches are extremely cost-effective, with a person search starting at a quarter. For a full-blown comprehensive report, you will pay well under $10. There is no set-up fee, and there are no monthly minimums with Accurint. It is strictly pay-as-you-go. If your search request returns no results, there is no charge."

Addresses.com
The largest e-mail address database and directory on the web. Varied method of performing searches using phone numbers, e-mail and home addresses. Also able to search for businesses, zip codes, area codes, schools and even persons.

Ancestry Databases
Other historical and genealogical databases: biographical dictionaries, census records, deeds, probates, marriage records, etc. Most require a subscription.

AutoTrack
A pay-per-use service, requiring your company to have an account. The most popular source in newsrooms for public records. Search addresses, driver licenses, property transfers, etc. Gets much of its info from credit headers, which include name, previous names, address, previous address, date of birth, and Social Security number. From Database Technologies, a Florida company. Offers free training.

Internet Department of Motor Vehicles
Charges $20 for a search of driver record history (by name) or automobile registration (by license plate) in any one of 47 states.

Internet Prospector
A directory of state Web sites and Secretaries of State contact information. Links to incorporation records in 12 states and Secretary of State offices in 50 states and D.C.

Investigative Research of Boston
Access informations about alleged swindlers, gangsters and embezzlers. From Due Diligence Data, a licensed Massachusetts private investigator. You'll be charged $25 if your search name is found.

Kentucky Vital Records Index
Don't you wish every state would do this? Death (1911-), marriage (1973-), and divorce (1973-) records for Kentucky.

Kentucky Vital Records Index
Don't you wish every state would do this? Death (1911-), marriage (1973-), and divorce (1973-) records for Kentucky.

KnowX
Relatively cheap searches of driver records, motor vehicles, etc., from many states. Unlike AutoTrack, does not require a corporate account.

Landings Certified Pilots Database
A nearly current database of 600,000 pilots registered with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

National Personnel Records Center
Military and civilian personnel records for the U.S., except what was lost in a fire. Read the details on its collections and its "disastrous fire" in 1973.

New York State Professions
Check the license of an accountant, athletic trainer, doctor, midwife, et al., in New York State.

Pretrieve
public record search engine

Public Record Finder
Links to more than 6,000 free public record sites around the world. Search by keyword, or by category such as criminal and sex offenders, business or court records. Also find reference sites such as dictionaries and people finders or data sites on labor and transportation.

Public Record Finder
Access to thousands of public record links, including birth, marriage, death and court records.

SearchSystems.net state public records
Links to public records in the 50 states, most free, including professional licenses, coporate registrations, cities and towns.

Social Security Death Index
Free search of deaths of U.S. citizens since 1932. Warning: Not all deaths are here, and some people listed here are still alive! Includes only those for whom a lump sum death benefit was paid. Includes first name, last name, Social Security number.

State and Local Government on the Net
Formerly Piperinfo. A thorough collection of links to public records in 50 states.

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse
A nonprofit center at Syracuse University that collects and analyze public records, especially from U.S. enforcement agencies, such as the Justice Department and the I.R.S. Also helps reporters on contract analyze public recods.

U.S. Tax Court
Now you can search for tax cases involving individuals and companies at the U.S. Tax Court. You can look up an individual by name with "docket inquiry," or see newest cases with "today's opinions," or see all the opinions from a particular time frame with "historical opinions." Let's say you want to see all the opinions from a certain month; the asterisk (*) wildcard can be used in the date field; to search for all opinions released in January 2002, enter 01/**/02 in the date field. You can't see the documents online, but you can find a status and attorney's names (click on "parties" when you see a case).

Where to write for vital records
Addresses for obtaining birth, death, marriage and divorce statistics in the U.S.. A list compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics.