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Why do I have to register before I can use this site?

The LostCousins site exists to put you in contact with people to whom you are related - so we need to know who you are, and where to contact you. We also recommend that you provide a second email address in case we're unable to contact you at your primary email address.

Is it really free?

Registration at LostCousins is free, and so is basic membership, which allows you to enter and edit information about your ancestors and search for cousins. All members are also entitled to free one-to-one help and advice - see the Help & Advice page for more details.

Once you're familiar with LostCousins you may wish to consider becoming a subscriber, paying a small subscription that will contribute to the costs of operating the site. See the Subscribe page for details of the extra benefits available to subscribers. Note that whilst only subscribers can initiate contact with another member, all members can respond to messages - so if you are prepared to wait for your cousins to contact you, there's no need to become a subscriber.

Who will see my personal information? Who can see my tree?

We don't display your personal information for all to see - only you can see the information you enter on your personal My Ancestors page. We will not disclose your postal address to anyone, and we will only disclose your email address to another member if you ask us to (see our Privacy Policy for full details).

LostCousins is the ONLY website that can match you with a living relative without either of you publishing information on the Internet.

How can I choose my own password?

You can change your password on your My Details page (you'll need to know your existing password). Type your new password in the boxes labelled Password and Confirm password, then click Submit to make the change.

I've forgotten my password - what should I do?

You can get an instant email reminder of your password. Just click Password reminder in the menu and enter your email address (this must be the address that is registered to your account). If you have changed your email address, and the old address no longer accepts mail please contact us for further advice.

I've changed my email address - what do I do now?

Even if your old email address no longer works, you can still log-in so long as you know your password. To change the email address registered to your account just log-in using your old email address, then go to your My Details page.

Whilst updating your email address please check the other information shown there - some may be out of date, and there may be new boxes on the form that weren't there when you registered. Note: you'll need to know your password, so it is a good idea to request a password reminder before you lose access to your old email address (automated password reminders are sent to the address in our records).

If you can't remember your password and no longer have access to your old email address, please contact us so that we can verify your identity before sending a reminder to your new address.

Where is the information I entered?

If you open a new account when your email address changes you won't have access to any of the information that you have entered previously, and if you re-enter the data you'll be matched with yourself, causing all sorts of confusion!

If you have opened a second account in your own name, whether it's at the same email address or a different one, please contact LostCousins so that we can close the account you don't need.

I'm a beginner to family history - where do I start?

Check out the Beginner's Guide - it not only tells you where to find information, but also highlights which resources are free.

What is a Lost Cousin?

We use the term 'lost cousin' for any relative with whom you are not currently in contact, either because you lost touch over the years, or because you never knew they existed. We typically share our great-great-great grandparents with over 500 other living relatives, and if you go back another generation there are literally thousands of cousins out there!

Why might I want to find my Lost Cousins?

If you're researching your family history, it makes sense to contact people who share the same ancestors. They may have inherited photographs or other memorabilia, perhaps even a family Bible in which the line of descent has been recorded. And they will almost certainly have memories that will fill some of the gaps in your own knowledge, some from their own experience, others from stories they heard from their parents and grandparents.

However, one of the greatest benefits of finding a 'lost cousin' is the opportunity it provides to collaborate on future research. This is especially valuable if, as often happens, the two of you live in a different country.

How can I find my Lost Cousins?

Once you have registered you can start entering the details of the relatives that you've found on the censuses that we have selected. In most cases there's just one census year for each country - this cuts down the amount of information you need to enter, and increases the chances of a match (because if two cousins entered data from different censuses, we wouldn't be able to match them up). The more relatives you enter, the more 'lost cousins' you are likely to find. Whilst it makes sense to start with your 'direct ancestors' and their immediate families, most of your living relatives are actually descended from their brothers, sisters, and cousins who had families of their own at the time of the census - so make sure you include them too.

It is important that you enter the information exactly as it appears in the census transcript, even if you know it to be wrong or incomplete - otherwise the matching process won't work as well as it should, and connections are likely to be missed. The transcript was chosen because different people might interpret the handwritten census in different ways, and for most of the censuses we support there is only one transcription.

Exception: when entering relatives from the 1841 England & Wales census do NOT use the transcription - take your data from the handwritten census. This census is treeated differently because there are several different transcriptions in existence. Because you are related to the individuals on the census, you and your cousins are in a better position to interpret the handwriting than any of the transcribers - however, you should still enter precisely what the enumerator wrote, even if it is wrong or incomplete.

What is a direct ancestor?

A direct ancestor is someone from whom you are directly descended, so this would include your parents, your 4 grandparents, your 8 great-grandparents, your 16 great-great grandparents, your 32 great-great-great grandparents and so on. All of them will have contributed to the genes that make you who you are.

The blank Ancestor Chart that you can download from this site has spaces for 5 generations of direct ancestors. It's a good idea to print it out and fill in the names of your ancestors before you start entering them. It will also highlight gaps in your knowledge, enabling you to focus your attention on those parts of your tree.

What are Ancestor numbers (or Ahnentafel numbers)?

Ancestor, or Ahnentafel numbers are a way of numbering the direct ancestors in a family tree. There's a simple rule for working out the numbers - take the number of anybody in the tree and double it to find the number for their father, or double it and add 1 to give the number of their mother.

However you don't need to work out the numbers - we've drawn for you a blank Ancestor Chart which shows the numbers against each ancestor. All you need to do is print it out and write in the names of your ancestors.

What is a blood relative?

A blood relative is anyone with whom you share an ancestor (which means that you'll share some of the same genes). Most people on your family tree are your blood relatives. So long as you have proved that there is a connection, it doesn't matter whether the common ancestor (the one who connects you and your relative) was still alive at the time of the census.

When is someone related by marriage?

This term is primarily used for people who don't share any ancestors with you, and who appear on your family tree only because they married someone who was already on it. Note, however, that whilst the spouse of a blood relative is related to you only by marriage, the children of the union are your blood relatives.

Once you have established that somebody is related to you by marriage then in theory everybody on their family tree is also related to you by marriage. However we suggest that you only enter close family, as otherwise the connection would be very tenuous.

What is a 'possible relative'?

There are times when it is impossible to be certain whether the person shown on the census is your relative, or merely somebody else with the same name. This can be a particular problem when somebody is in service, or in lodgings, as the information given to the enumerator is likely to have been incorrect.

Where there are no relationships shown on the census (for example, England & Wales 1841) it is especially difficult to be certain whether somebody in the same household is related or not, expecially if the surname is a common one. You can make inferences based on the order of the entries on the page, but this will not always provide a clear pointer.

The primary aim of entering somebody as a 'possible relative' is to find somebody who has more information about the person or household. If you discover that the person you've entered is not a relative, then you must delete them from your My Ancestors page immediately.

IMPORTANT: the 'possible relative' classification is not a substitute for research; it is an extra tool that you should use only as a last resort.

Can I enter my spouse's ancestors?

No - it will confuse other members if you enter them on the same account. Even if one person is doing all of the work, you should each have a separate LostCousins account.

If you have been widowed, and you wish to continue researching the family of your late spouse please contact us for advice. One solution is to open an account in the name of a child or grandchild.

Why might I want to find someone who is unrelated to me?

Just because someone isn't related to you doesn't mean that they won't share your research interests. For example, if your ancestors were neighbours or worked together it's quite likely you'd be searching the same records.

Whatever the connection is, the chances are that you'll each have information that could help the other - and there could well be opportunities to co-operate in the future.

Finding the descendants of your relative's employer could be particularly useful - they may have inherited records that mention your relative (or know where they can be found).

Who can I enter?

You can enter unrelated people who were neighbours of your relatives, who were visiting at the time of the census, who were boarding or lodging with your relatives, who were servants in the same household, or who employed your relative.

During 2008 we will be adding other new features - please look out for announcements in our newsletters.

Who is considered a neighbour?

A neighbour could be anyone living in the same community, although you'll probably choose those who were living nearest to your relatives - or who had the same occupation.

It will usually be sufficient to enter the head of each neighbouring household, though if there are people living in the household who are unrelated to the head you might want to enter them too. For example, if your ancestor was a farm labourer then you might not only enter the farmer who lived next door, but also any employees who were living there.

Who can I enter as related by employment?

You can enter anyone who worked in a household where your relative lived, or who lived in a household where your relative worked. You can also enter someone who you know was your relative's employer, employee, or co-worker even if they weren't living in the same household at the time of the census, provided you have reasonable evidence of the connection.

What is a One-Place Study?

A One-Place Study is a comprehensive study of a community which encompasses all of the inhabitants irrespective of their surname or family connection.

I've just joined - what now?

The Help & Advice page has all the information you need, including a Getting Started guide for new members.

What information can I enter from my family tree?

You can only enter information taken from the census. Here's why......

LostCousins matches members who are related with virtually 100% accurate - for every 1000 matches we make there is usually no more than 1 that is incorrect. This is an amazing achievement when you consider that our best-known competitor typically gets it right only 10-20% of the time (which means that for every 1000 matches they make, there are between 800 and 900 incorrect matches!). We don't think you should have to plough through lists of possible matches or waste time corresponding with people who turn out to be completely unconnected.

Why does our biggest competitor make about 1000 times as many errors? Because they'll accept almost any information you care to enter - wherever it comes from. LostCousins members, on the other hand, enter precise data taken from a common source - the census.

Which censuses does LostCousins support?

The censuses we currently support are the 1880 US Census, the 1881 Canadian Census, the 1881 Census of Scotland, the 1881 Census of England & Wales, and the 1841 Census of England & Wales Census (the last two also include the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).

These censuses were chosen because they are readily available online - and three of the five can be accessed completely free of charge (US 1880, Canada 1881, England & Wales 1881) which means that all members can obtain the correct data, irrespective of means.

When you're entering your relatives start by specifying the appropriate census - click the arrow, then choose the census from the menu. The form changes according to the census selected, so if the questions don't match the data you have, check that you have chosen the correct census.

Why can't I enter ancestors from other censuses?

We can only match your data with the data entered by your cousin if you have both entered the same relative from the same census - so having a wide choice of census years would be counter-productive, since you would probably choose a different census from your cousin. Of course, we all have relatives who were missing from a specific census, and if it happens to be the census we've chosen you may feel aggrieved. However, so long as you enter all of the relatives who were recorded on that census, the fact that a handful are missing probably won't affect your chances of finding cousins.

Where do I find the census references? What do they all mean?

Whichever website you're using to access the census you should find that the census references are part of the transcription. At FamilySearch they are shown towards the bottom of the Household Record page, at findmypast.com they are below the transcription, and at Ancestry they are usually shown below the transcription under the heading 'Source Citation'. The article "Key Tips for Census Success" on the Help & Advice page has an illustrated guide to searching the census at FamilySearch.

Each census has different references - the input form changes according to the census you have selected, so if they don't seem familiar, make sure you have selected the correct census.

As to what they mean - all you really need to know about the census references is that they identify a specific page in the census. That's why we're able to match your relatives with those of other members so accurately - because the chance that there are two people of exactly the same age, and with exactly the same name, on the same census page is miniscule!

Where can I find the 1841 census references?

We recommend that whenever possible you take the census references from the transcript; however there may be circumstances in which you need to refer to the handwritten census page.

Note that if you are using the findmypast.com site the book and folio numbers are usually shown together in the transcript, for example 15\32 where 15 is the book number and 32 is the folio number. If only one number is shown then it is the folio number, and you'll need to take the book number from the scanned image of the handwritten census page.

You'll also need to refer to the image if you use Ancestry, and the folio number is missing, or if you have the handwritten census page, but no transcription. It is important to take care interpreting the numbers you see there, especially if you've never done it before - but if you follow the advice below you won't have any problems.

Easiest to find are the piece number and book number, which are usually stamped on a separate piece of paper which is oriented sideways and usually positioned to the right of the census pages. They are always preceded by the reference HO107, for example HO107/1425/16 where 1425 is the piece number and 16 is the book number.

The page numbers are the only original references - they were printed when the books were printed. You'll find them at the top of each page, in the centre - they are very small, but should still be readable. Note that, unlike a normal book, the left-hand pages have odd-numbers and the right-hand pages have even numbers.

A folio is a sheet of paper, with a front side and a back side - which obviously can't be photographed at the same time. Therefore the two pages in the image come from different folios, with consecutive numbers. Because the folio number is only stamped on the front side of the sheet, the only folio number you'll usually see is the one stamped in the top right corner of the right-hand page. However, you may sometimes see a reversed image of the folio number for the left-hand page in the top left-hand corner, as the ink can bleed through from the other side of the paper. As the folio numbers are consecutive you can always work out the number for the left-hand page by subtracting 1 from the number stampted on the right-hand page.

If a private household spreads over two pages then the references that apply to the head of the household should be used for the entire household, and you should do this even if you are not related to the head of the household (eg if your ancestor was a servant or a visitor). However, if you are entering somebody who was in an institution, such as a workhouse, hospital, or barracks, enter the references that apply to the individual.

Where is the Search button?

The Search button can be found on your My Ancestors page - but only once you've entered some of your relatives. Why? Because until you've told us about your 19th century relatives we've got no way of knowing who your 21st century relatives are.

How do I search?

Once you've found some of your relatives on the census, enter them on your My Ancestors page - then click the Search button. You'll find out in seconds if there are other members who share the same ancestors!

Search again whenever you enter more relatives - indeed, because LostCousins membership is growing so rapidly it's worth searching again even if you haven't entered more names. That said, the more relatives you enter on your My Ancestors page, the sooner you will find your 'lost cousins'!

How can I find people researching the same surnames?

Anyone researching the same line will have entered some of the same relatives - so you will be matched with them automatically when you click Search.

Where can I see the ancestors that other people have entered?

You can't! Because the matching process is both automatic and highly accurate there is no need for you to see what other people have entered, nor is there any need for them to see what you have entered - the confidentiality of your data is very important to us.

How soon can I expect results?

Some new members find a 'lost cousin' almost immediately, but it usually takes longer. If you haven't found any 'lost cousins' within a month of entering your relatives on your My Ancestors page then we would suggest that you ask for our advice.

It helps us to advise you if you can enter the Ancestor Numbers for your direct ancestors. Ancestor Numbers are shown on the blank Ancestor Chart that you can download from this site.

How many relatives do I have to enter to find a cousin?

The median number of relatives entered by members who have found at least one 'lost cousin' is 63, which means that half of them have entered less than 63 relatives, and the other half have entered more than 63.

However in the short-term there's an element of chance involved. You may find a cousin after entering just one relative - but you might enter over a hundred and still be unlucky. Nevertheless, the more relatives you enter, the better your chances - both in the short-term and the longer-term.

How can I improve my chances?

First, don't focus just on one line - enter all of your direct ancestors from the census, and include the relatives who were living with them in at the time of the census.

Then add any other relatives that you can find, remembering that the more relatives you enter, the sooner it will be possible to identify which other LostCousins members share your ancestors.

And last but not least - encourage others to join, because the faster the membership grows, the more 'lost cousins' will be found!

Why can't I enter ancestors from other censuses?

Where can I see the information I have entered?

When you register, a personal My Ancestors page is created, which only you can see. All ancestors and other relatives that you enter from the censuses are listed on this page.

To view all the information entered for a particular relative (or to make changes), click that person's name.

Note: you can view a more detailed version of your My Ancestors page if you click 'More detail'.

How can I amend or add to information already entered?

Go to My Ancestors and click on the name of the relative to display the information that you entered, then make whatever changes are necessary. To save your changes click 'Submit'; to remove an entry completely click 'Delete'.

How can I save time entering my relatives? Can I upload a Gedcom file?

Once you've entered the first person in a household it's very quick and easy to enter the others when you click the + symbol at the end of the line (usually you'll only need to enter the forename and age).

The aim of LostCousins is to save you time by generating only accurate matches,and this requires that members enter precise data taken from a common source. By contrast, the Gedcom format was designed to be flexible - you can enter almost anything in a Gedcom file - which means that matching people who share the same ancestors using Gedcom files is a highly inaccurate process (as you may well have discovered at other sites).

How do I know when a new contact has been found?

When you click the Search button on your My Ancestors page we'll let you know in a matter of seconds whether we've found any new matches - we'll mark them with a red tick. Go to your My Cousins page to find out how other members are related or otherwise connected to you.

Of course, it's equally likely that it will be your relative who discovers you and decides to make contact. In this case you'll receive an email from LostCousins asking you to log-in and check the New Contacts section of your My Cousins page.

How do I make contact?

All contact with other members takes place through the My Cousins page. This lists the living relatives you've found and any other contacts you've made through the LostCousins site. At first the name of the other person is hidden (and they won't know your name either); only when both of you have agree to make contact will your names be revealed.

Only LostCousins subscribers can make the first move; if you are not a subscriber you'll need to wait for the other person to contact you.

Do I have to reveal my email address?

You can exchange email addresses with your cousin at any time - so long as both of you agree. Our recommendation is that you don't reveal your email address until you've got to know your new relative, but it's entirely up to you.

Until you've exchanged email addresses you can send a message by clicking the envelope symbol on your My Cousins page - we will forward this by email, and it will be shown as coming from our address, not yours (this means that if you receive one of these messages you can't just reply to it, as the reply will come to us!).

My cousin hasn't replied - what can I do now?

Because there's so much junk mail these days it's possible that your cousin hasn't seen the email they were sent. If you contacted them directly, try sending a message through your My Cousins page.

If you don't have your cousin's email address, and it has been more than 10 days since you tried to contact them, please let us know so that we can send a reminder on your behalf.

What happens if my lost cousin turns out not to be a cousin at all?

Although the automatic matching process is extremely efficient, it does depend on the accuracy of the information that members have entered. Mistakes will occasionally occur, and may not be the fault of any of the individuals involved - there are errors both in the census records and in the indexes of Births, Marriages, and Deaths. A member who has wrongly identified an ancestor is responsible for deleting the ancestor from his or her My Ancestors page.

What is a Second Cousin...?

First cousins are the children of your parents' brothers and sisters - in other words, the relatives with whom you share grandparents. Second cousins are the relatives with whom you share great-grandparents, third cousins share the same great-great grandparents, and so on. All you do is count the generations until you reach the common ancestors - then deduct one.

...Once Removed?

Sometimes when you count back through the generations (until you reach the common ancestors) you get a different tally, depending whether you start with yourself, or with your relative. This means that the two of you are in different generations. In this case the shortest path determines whether you are a first (or second, or third...) cousin, and the difference in the number of generations gives the number of times removed. So, for example, your first cousins' children are your first cousins, once removed.

If you have a great aunt, she must be the sister of one of your grandparents - so you would share the same great-grandparents as her grandchildren. They would be your second cousins, and their children, if they have any, would be your second cousins once removed.

How can I close my LostCousins account?

If you decide that you would like to completely close your free account please contact us. Note that you can unsubscribe from our newsletters without closing your account - just change the settings on your My Details page.

In the unfortunate circumstance that a LostCousins member passes away, or becomes incapable of using a computer the account held by that member can be transferred to a relative in order to preserve the information entered and contacts made for future generations. Please contact us for further advice.

How can I delete all of the entries I've made?

If your account is closed then all of the entries you've made will be automatically deleted at that time.

However it is worth remembering that the information you enter cannot be seen by anyone else, not even by search engines such as Google - there's no risk of anyone copying your research. It's therefore worth keeping your free account open even if you don't have the time (or the inclination) to be an active member.

Do you know anyone else who'd like to discover living relatives?

We'd love to hear what you have to say - most of the improvements we make are suggested by members!

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