JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<div id="searchelement">
        <div class="search"><input type="text" name="search" id="searchbox" value="" /></div>
        <div class="searchbutton" id="sbutn"><button type="button">Search</button></div>
    </div>
    </br>
    <div id="myConnections">
        
        <div class="left" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
            <img style="width:70px; height:70px;" src="http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/8030/picture1jd.jpg" alt=""><br>
        person1_xyz            
            
        </div>

        <div class="left" style="width:100px; height:100px;">
            <img style="width:70px; height:70px;" src="http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/3715/picture2ju.jpg" alt=""><br>
        person2 abc            
            
        </div>
    </div>

CSS

.search {
        float:left;
    }
    .searchbutton {
        float:left;
    }

JavaScript

$(document).ready(function() {
        
  $('#sbutn').click(function() {
  $v = $('#searchbox').val();
             console.log($('#myConnections>div').find("div:contains("+$v+")"));
        });
});