We don't have census information at the LostCousins site - we don't need to, because all the relevant censuses are readily available online at other sites, and most of them can be searched free of charge (see below).

Here are links to the sites we recommend; although you will also find some of the censuses at other sites you might not find it so easy to obtain the information you need:

England & Wales 1881 FREE - findmypast.co.uk

England & Wales 1841 - findmypast.co.uk

England & Wales 1911 - findmypast.co.uk

Scotland 1881 FREE - Scotlandspeople (Choose the LDS transcription)

US 1880 FREE - FamilySearch

Canada 1881 FREE - FamilySearch

Newfoundland 1921 FREE - FamilySearch

Ireland 1911 FREE - The National Archives of Ireland

We also use the US 1940 census which is available FREE at several sites - there is no one site which we recommend.

Please ensure that the information you enter precisely matches the census, even when the census is wrong - otherwise we won't be able to match your relative with the same person entered by another member. The information you enter should be taken from the transcript, except in the case of the 1841 and 1911 censuses, where you should use the information on the handwritten census page.

Enter not only your direct ancestors, but also their brothers, sisters, and cousins - in fact, all the relatives that you can find on the census. Any one of them could be the link to a 'lost cousin', and the more relatives you enter, the more cousins you are likely to find.

Searching the census is easy - but only when you know how. The article "Key Tips for Census Success" on our Help & Advice page is a mine of useful information, full of handy techniques to help you find the most elusive of ancestors!