Lost Cousins

[thewideeyedowl]

Has anyone used Lost Cousins? It's a website with a different approach to genealogy - it finds links between people who share the same relatives in a named census, e.g. UK 1881. They are your 'lost cousins'. You have to enter the data exactly as it has been transcribed (even if you know that there are mistakes) and with full census references. This ensures that everyone who enters data is 'singing from the same hymn sheet'. You can register for free and have a go. Must admit that I was rather sceptical about it all, but it had been recommended to me by two different sources so I decided to give it a try - well, a potential 'lost cousin' was matched from the fourth set of data entered. That has certainly put the feathers in a flutter!

If interested just do a search for Lost Cousins and the site will come up. It's a .com, and is the brainchild of Peter Calver.

Still not sure whether to do anything about this unexpected 'lost cousin'. Off to roost to think about it all.

The Wideeyed Owl

[tony vines]

Hi

I'm a subscribing member of Lost Cousins. The annual cost is tiny compared to sites like A.co.uk and FMP but it does a different job entirely and doesn't set out to compete with them. It's a great idea and Peter's monthly newsletters, mainly on genealogical matters, are thought-provoking and helpful. As it happens I have over 150 ancestors, blood relatives and marriage relatives logged on the site but so far without any matches, so I cannot comment on what might happen if you contact a new "cousin". The only way to find out is to try. However given that that there is a pretty good chance that statistically everyone on B G Forums is a distant cousin I guess it depends on how many removes and tiers you want to communicate with. For my part I would be happy to contact anyone initially to see what we have to share, if anything. I can never get enough information about my ancestors.

cheers

Tony

[thewideeyedowl]

'Morning, Tony, 'morning all...

Thanks - have now slept on it and think I might well make contact, but after Christmas. The matches are with the family of one of my great-grandmothers, so it will be through one of her two brothers. We, ie my family, know nothing about them apart from names.

Yes, the newsletter is quite brilliant, because it is not self-serving - just interesting and helpful. This is really how I found out about LC. A fellow researcher forwarded me a copy of the latest one because it has arranged a 15% discount on FMP membership, plus free LC membership, if you join FMP via the site, using the code, before Twelfth Night. (There, that will get folk searching, won't it?)

Low battery. I'm off

Wideeyed Owl

[Wilkes_ml]

I have been a member since 2007, and made contact with about 12 distant cousins, after adding nearly 1000 direct relatives/ancestors and their spouses from the census. Out of the 12 contacts, about a quarter of them I already "knew" through previous methods of communication (eg. genes reunited or Genforum) , and from the new contact I guess most of them were only related through marriage or very distantly related.

So it really depends on what sort of researcher/genealogist you are. If you are interested in filling out your tree with an endless list of decendents of distantly related or non-blood relations then this is one method.

If you live in hope that one day you may come across another member of your "closer" family who may be able to shed some light on some of the unsolvable mysteries and brick walls, then it is worth a shot.

I always make contact and at least discuss how we are related, but I must admit it is very, very rare that anything useful has come from any new contacts, though I must admit I haven't kept it up to date with newly found census info over the last few years, and it is something I should do....there is always a chance of making contact with someone who will know something that may be of use or interest one day.

[Ladkyis]

I am a member and have never "found" any cousins, or been found by any but that doesn't matter as the real perk is the newsletter. This isn't a big commercial site it is the brainchild of Peter who writes the newsletter and it is always full of interesting information about the world of genealogy and family history. Sometimes there are discount offers from various other sites and always there are hints and tips for places to look for those elusive ancestors.

I don't know how long I have been a member of the site - since it started I think, because there were only a couple of other contributors when I put my first few names on there.
You don't get spam from the site you don't get begging emails just good research tips and suggestions.
Highly recommended

[David Benson]

Sometimes there are discount offers from various other sites

And you can buy subs to FMP cheaper than their "loyalty scheme" and get free subs to LC (although you don't have to pay to join in LC and get the newsletters) He also tells how to get the cheapest subs to Anc.

[janbooth]

Thanks to all for the information above. I have just registered and intend to try out a few searches during the next week or so - you never know I might strike lucky!

Janet

[thewideeyedowl]

Hello again, all...

Battery now fully-charged. Many many thanks for all your wise comments above. I will definitiely be joining, via the free offer, after Christmas. Then I will be able to make contact with this 'lost cousin'. I'm not one of life's 'lucky' people so it seemed amazing that the 16th-20th names I entered produced a match. Still can't quite believe it!

I agree with everything said about Peter's Newsletter - it's just so different, so helpful, and so sensible. Plus, he mentioned IrfanView (a free image viewer), which I have used and loved for several years. Great minds think alike, so I will be joining.

Incidentally, I am a history hobbyist. What really interests me is how the folk were affected by the times and circumstances in which they lived. (I'm NOT an avid 'leaf-collector'!) So I seem to spend ages investigating round any snippet I find, which is one reason why progress is slow.

Wideeyed Owl

[ratatat]

If you live in hope that one day you may come across another member of your "closer" family who may be able to shed some light on some of the unsolvable mysteries and brick walls, then it is worth a shot.


Well I certainly fit into the 'living in hope' category! After reading everyone's posts I'm also going to give it a try.

[Sandra Parker]

To many of the previous correspondents - snap. Been a member for quite a long time, haven't 'found' anyone new, but who knows what may turn up in the future?
Totally agree about the newsletter, well worth it for that part alone.
Sandra whose spectacled aura has had a bit of a quiet year, but has aspirations for 2014!

[christanel]

Sandra whose spectacled aura has had a bit of a quiet year, but has aspirations for 2014!

I'll be watching for the coloured lights.

I am also a member of Lost Cousins and agree the newsletter is very informative.

Christanel

[Waitabit]

Yep, me too, always up to try something new, as it was way back then. One 'cousin' turned up, never had any contact. may have frightened her off with 'smart comment, 'You show me yours & I'll show you mine".
Not sure what possessed me a the time, excitement probably,-plus takers on Tree sites, more staid about it all these days.
The info was available elsewhere any ways.

too busy these days to go adding more in the hope that... just one census 1881 wasn't much use in my lot so others may be same.

[Wilkes_ml]

'You show me yours & I'll show you mine".


lol....I think I probably said that, or something similar on more than one occasion. That's why I stopped using genes reunited and ancestry trees for a while....not that I'm not willing to share but I'd like a little bit more introduction to start with than just "show me your tree" with no mention on how they may be related. That is the one thing that drew me to Lost Cousins...I was less likely to be swamped by emails with just a few of words..that being "show me you tree" lol

[thewideeyedowl]

I joined LC as a 'free member', and in January was upgraded to 'subscribing member' for six months when I took out a heavily-discounted sub to Ancestry via Lost Cousins. I then made very tentative contact with my 'cousin', who is a new name but not from one of my difficult lines.

After the exchange of several emails, I sent photographs from the 1860s and in return received a transcript of the Will of a great-great-great grandfather. (The transcript of another Will is promised.)

So I am really delighted with this outcome. The LC method of matching via shared census data is different, and it works :smile:. So if you have a complete brickwall with someone, it might be worth investigating Lost Cousins, and I will certainly be entering more census data as and when time permits in the hope for a breakthrough in one of my really difficult lines.

Owl