Hi Joy,
There are many more free public records web site out there then people realize, most all are government operated, either federal or state. Some states provide free public records information about marriages, divorce, home values, death and tax records.
The real key is knowing where to go and of course having all the required information required in order to locate the information you're looking for. Information possibly such as their first name, middle name and last name, address, city, state and in some cases their SSN.
I recommend you check your specific state to see what public records they have available to you for free, you can do this easily at:
http://www.peopleferret.com/free-public-records.htm
Wishing you the best in your research!
Traveling Girl