LostCousins.com is probably the only web site that identifies (with virtually 100% accuracy) people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you. I have found a couple of new relatives here; and the email newsletter is worth reading.
To use LostCousins you need to find your relatives in the census for England & Wales 1841, 1881 or (a recent addition) 1911, Scotland 1881, United States 1880, Canada 1881 or Ireland 1911. Then you enter the source/page details at LostCousins. Read the instructions carefully before gathering and entering data, as requirements for each census are different. If you prepare well, entering the data is a lot quicker. Be sure to include brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors, because it is their descendants who are the 'cousins' you want to contact.
After entering some relatives, click 'Search', and the system checks whether someone else has entered identical data. Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and repeat the search.
It costs nothing to join LostCousins and enter data, but it may be worthwhile paying a small annual subscription so that there are no restrictions on contacting your 'new' cousins.
('Follow Friday' is a theme used by Geneabloggers.)
Hello Judy and welcome
ReplyDeleteYes, great minds do think alike *grins*. I have also had success with GenesReunited. And a whole branch of my family emigrated to Australia a good many years ago, and now there are 600+ of them!
Hello Ros. Have you been able to visit any of your Australian relatives? And which AUS Web sites have you found most useful? As for GenesReunited: I put my tree there a while ago, then last year I paid for a 6 month subscription, and I did have some success. But their alleged 'hot matches' (which were usually no match at all) drove me crazy. I am not currently a paying subscriber. In a future 'Follow Friday' post I will mention a couple of other sites that I found useful for contacting other researching my family.
ReplyDeleteYou can now enter people from the 1911 census for England and Wales (in addition to the other censuses I mentioned).
ReplyDelete