This request for help concerned missing contacts. I suggested a fix and Elaine confirmed this approach restored her missing contact list.

From:
Elaine

Message:
I set my iPad settings on iCloud, & now all my AOL Contacts are erased.
Where are they?
Thanks for help

My Reply
Here’s what I suspect happened:
When you turned on iCloud, you directed your iPad to replace all your Contacts with the collection on iCloud. This collection was empty, so you have no contacts. Try this:

Return to Settings > iCloud
Set Contacts to OFF for iCloud
If you are asked what to do with the contacts on your iPad, choose to leave them there

Now go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars
Find your AOL mail account
Set Contacts for this account to ON
if already set to ON, set to OFF
wait a minute, then set back to ON

Hopefully, your AOL contacts will reappear in the Contacts app.