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Newsletter – 23rd January 2025

 

 

“EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes”

GRO add 2023 birth and death indexes for England & Wales NEW

Gaps in the coverage of the GRO indexes

ScotlandsPeople put 1924 births online NEW

Consultation outcome: Will of the people prevails

Consultation outcome: Let’s be friends

Who was XXman?

Where nobody knows your name….

Funnily enough, it’s NOT about finding cousins!

The English village linked to no less than 5 US Presidents

A fantastic range of prizes in this year’s competition

How to enter, how to choose your prizes

The forgotten relatives

Save on Ancestry DNA

Save on Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

Gardeners Corner

Peter’s Tips

Stop Press

 

The LostCousins newsletter is usually published 2 or 3 times a month. To access the previous issue (dated 9th January) click here; to find earlier articles use the customised Google search between this paragraph and the next (it searches ALL of the newsletters since February 2009, so you don't need to keep copies):

 

 

To go to the main LostCousins website click the logo at the top of this newsletter. If you're not already a member, do join - it's FREE, and you'll get an email to alert you whenever there's a new edition of this newsletter available!

 

 

“EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes”

The Dodo’s pronouncement in Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland posed quite a puzzle for Alice, for the Dodo decided that it was she who should provide the prizes. Fortunately she had a box of sweets in her pocket, and there were just enough to go round.

 

With this in mind I have upgraded my Zoom subscription so that more prize-winners can attend each of the presentations that are taking place next month. All of the presentations will be recorded and made available for a limited period to everyone who is invited, so even if you can’t be there on the day, you’ll have a chance to catch up on what you missed at a time more convenient to you. Of course, this is also a great solution for anyone who runs into technical problems, or is hesitant to join a live Zoom conference.

 

 

GRO add 2023 birth and death indexes for England & Wales NEW

Around 2008 the General Register Office stopped selling indexes to births, marriages , and deaths – which means that their own indexes are the only complete source for more recent births in England & Wales. Until a couple of weeks ago 2022 was the most recent year available online at the GRO site, but they have now added entries for 2023.

 

 

Gaps in the coverage of the GRO indexes

Until November 2016 there were no indexes on the GRO website. Although you could order certificates online, the index references could only be found at other sites, such as FreeBMD, Ancestry, TheGenealogist, and Findmypast. Readers with a long memory may recall that Findmypast used to be called 1837online because when they began all they offered were the birth, marriage and death indexes from the GRO, and civil registration in England & Wales began on 1st July 1837, just 11 days after Queen Victoria ascended to the throne.

 

The indexes at the GRO site were compiled when some of their historic birth and death registers were scanned in the early years of the 21st century. At the time the project was abandoned only births to 1934 and deaths to 1957 had been scanned and indexed. From 1984 onwards the GRO indexes were computerised, and that’s why the coverage resumes from that year. So strange as it might seem, there is a good reason why the birth indexes on the GRO site end in 1934 and restart in 1984, and why the death indexes end in 1957, restarting in 1984.

 

Of course, the fact that the GRO’s online indexes have gaps doesn’t mean that you can’t order certificates for those period – only that you would have to find the references at a different site.

 

Note: there is a possibility that the GRO have plans to fill the gap over the next few years, and may even add marriage indexes to their site – see this article from last May.

 

 

ScotlandsPeople put 1924 births online NEW

At the start of each year ScotlandsPeople add an extra year of birth registers to their site, once they are more than 100 years old. The latest additions are the birth registers for 1924; at the same time they released the marriage registers for 1949 and the death registers for 1974 (the period of closure for these records are 75 and 50 years respectively).

 

Scottish register entries are more detailed than those for England & Wales – though they don’t have quite as much information as in some parts of Australia. Of course, the more information in the register – or on a certificate – the more likely it is that some of it will be wrong, so that’s something family historians have to bear in mind.

 

 

Consultation outcome: Will of the people prevails

A year ago I was urging you to respond to the Government’s consultation on the future of post-1858 wills: it was suggested that wills could be scanned and the originals disposed of, a concept that filled many of you with horror.

 

Most of the respondents to the consultation were family historians, but that in itself didn’t guarantee that we would get the outcome we wanted – as we have found in the past with census consultations, where our concerns and pleas have been cast aside as irrelevant. However, in this instance it seems that hardly anyone supported the proposal, and "In the light of the responses to the consultation and the concerns raised, the Government has decided that it will not pursue any reform that involves the destruction of original will documents and will look at other means to offset the costs of storing this vast archive."

 

You can download a PDF copy of the document that summarises the responses here. But whilst we’ve won the battle, we haven’t won the war: we still don’t have access to the original documents that so many of us fought to protect, and there’s no guarantee that we ever will!

 

 

Consultation outcome: Let’s be friends

Before Christmas I asked for your views on a tricky topic: should members who support the LostCousins project financially continue to be known as Subscribers, or should we refer to Friends instead? As I mentioned in December, there has always been confusion because a lot of people associate the terms Subscribe and Unsubscribe with mailing lists, and now that I am obliged to include an Unsubscribe button in emails (in order to comply with the latest bulk email standards) it has become even more confusing!

 

The good news is that there was no doubt in your minds: every single person who responded agreed that they would rather be a Friend than a Subscriber – so this week I’ve been through the website updating the wording, and hopefully I’ve made most of the changes that are required.

 

One thing did surprise me: several respondents asked if I could add a Donate button, as they wanted to contribute more than the standard £10 a year. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised – after all, the price hasn’t gone up in 20 years – but given all the different methods of payment it was much simpler to provide codes that you can enter on the Subscribe, sorry, Support LostCousins page. For example, if you feel that LostCousins is worthy of £20 a year rather than £10, enter the code 10PLUS and click the Calculate button. Don’t worry, you won’t be making any commitment in respect of future years, every contribution you make is a one-off (unlike other sites there are no automatic renewals).

 

 

XXman

In December I explained how the abbreviation ‘Xmas’ mirrors the habit of clergymen to use abbreviations in parish registers, a very common one being ‘X’ for ‘Christ’, thus ‘Xofer’ for ‘Christopher’. Of course, it’s not really our letter ‘X’, but the Greek ‘chi’ (and the character read as an ‘f’ is probably the Greek ‘phi’).

 

Less common, at least in my experience, is the use of ‘X’ to represent the Roman numeral for ‘10’, thus ‘XXman’ instead of ‘Twentyman’. Have you come across similarly obscure abbreviations of surnames?   

 

 

Where nobody knows your name….

I’m old enough to remember the first (1982) series of Cheers, but even if you’re younger than me you’ll almost certainly have heard the theme song Where Everybody Knows Your Name.

 

This is the exact opposite of LostCousins. Nobody knows who the other LostCousins members are until a match is made – and even then,  each member only knows the other person’s initials until they’ve BOTH agreed to correspond. And the only way you’re going to find someone you don’t already know is if you’ve both entered the same relative(s) from the same census.

 

If you think this sounds incredibly restrictive you’d be right. It restricts you to connecting with people who really are related to you, and guarantees a certain level of competence, since few beginners would know what a census reference is, let alone have the stamina to enter the data manually. After all, who’s going to spend half an hour entering data about their ancestors and their families when they normally pass their time watching TikTok videos that are less than 2 minutes in length?

 

 

Funnily enough, it’s NOT about finding cousins!

Two of the weakest reasons for not taking part in the LostCousins project are also two of most common excuses that I hear:

 

 

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that nobody knows all their cousins. Some years ago Ancestry analysed millions of family trees and concluded that the average person of British descent has over 1,500 4th cousins, more than 17,000 5th cousins and an amazing 174,000 6th cousins. In round numbers we have nearly 200,000 living relatives who are closer than a 7th cousin. (Anyone who doubts these numbers need only take the AncestryDNA test and see how many matches they get!)

 

But funnily enough the reason we search for our ‘lost cousins’ isn’t because they are cousins – it’s because they are experienced family historians who are researching some of OUR ancestors. The fact that they are also our cousins is a bonus, since it provides another branch for our family tree, but most family historians I know are more interested in their direct ancestors – the people they are descended from – than the cousins on the branches.

 

 

The English village linked to no less than 5 US Presidents

Almost exactly 4 years ago I disclosed that the actual birthplace of the 46th President’s Biden ancestor was Westbourne in Sussex, not Huntingdonshire. Just one Ancestry tree showed the correct birthplace and parents – there were 271 which had the wrong information. Four years on not much has changed – there are now more trees that show the correct birthplace, but most of those still show the Huntingdonshire couple as his parents, and the vast majority still give the wrong birthplace as well as the wrong parents.

 

I haven’t closely examined the claims of the Somerset village of Barton St David to be connected to no fewer than FIVE US Presidents, but take a look at this BBC article and see what you think!

 

 

A fantastic range of prizes in this year’s competition

You’ve got until the end of January to enter my annual competition: all you need to do is add some relatives to your My Ancestors page, which is something you ought to be doing anyway (see the leading article in this newsletter).

 

Every direct ancestor or blood relative you add will count as an entry, with a bonus entry for relatives from the 1881 Census.

 

Note: the 1881 Census is the one most likely to connect you with the ‘lost cousins’ who can help you knock down your ‘brick walls, in the 1600s and 1700s.

 

 

TOP PRIZE – 12 MONTH ‘EVERYTHING’ SUBSCRIPTION TO FINDMYPAST WORTH £199.99

With an Everything subscription the world is your oyster – you can log into any of Findmypast’s sites worldwide and access ANY of the billions of records and historical newspaper articles in their collection. Though Findmypast are best-known for their British records, thanks to their close relationships with The National Archives and the British Library, they have massive collections of Irish and Australian records, and unique access to Catholic records.

 

You might think, I don’t have any Irish, Australian, or Catholic ancestors – well, that’s what I used to think. But thanks to Findmypast’s Catholic baptism records (and some clues from my DNA matches at other sites) I was able to break down one of my oldest ‘brick walls’, proving that my great-great grandmother was of Irish Catholic stock, even though she married in the parish church and all of her children were baptised in the Church of England. In the process I also discovered an Australian branch that I’d previously known nothing about.

 

The Genealogist - UK census, BMDs and more online

 

STAR PRIZE – 12 MONTH DIAMOND SUBSCRIPTION TO THEGENEALOGIST WORTH £139.95

If you’re looking for records that the other big sites have missed, mistranscribed, or ignored, TheGenealogist is a great choice: they have the most complete collection of tithe records and tithe maps that you’ll find anywhere online, and many of the tithe maps are in colour, which makes them easier to interpret. Map Explorer now includes all of the England & Wales censuses from 1841-1911, as well as the 1939 Register, tithe maps, and the 1910 Land Valuation – which is exclusive to TheGenealogist (the coverage is fast-expanding, but is currently focused mainly on London and the Home Counties).

 

Looking for someone with an unusual occupation who is proving elusive in the censuses? The keyword search at The Genealogist is one that I’ve used time and time again.

 

Tip: TheGenealogist has recently added 39 directories for the period 1935-40 with over 6 million entries for individuals and businesses. Although there are many older directories already online, copyright considerations have restricted the availability of recent records like these. Most are Kelly’s directories for different parts of England, but I noticed on the list 1939 Kelly’s directories for Edinburgh & Leith, and for Guernsey, Alderney & Sark. You can currently save £35 on a Diamond subscription when you follow this link – and you’ll also get extras worth over £30.

 

 

STAR PRIZE – 12 MONTH UK SUBSCRIPTION TO WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? MAGAZINE

The TV programme Who Do You Think You Are? began when LostCousins was just a few months old, and for a long time it was required viewing in our household. Nowadays I don’t see it nearly as often, but I do read Who Do You Think You Are? magazine every single month – as I have done since the very first issue!

 

Tip: click the banner above to discover a very special offer – for Christmas only

 

 

SPECIAL PRIZE – ANCESTRY DNA TEST (UK ONLY)

If you’ve yet to take a DNA test, or tested with a different company – as I did back in 2012, long before Ancestry began selling their test in the UK – this is a chance to discover just how much difference it can make. Whether your aim is to knock down  ‘brick walls’, or simply to verify your records-based research using evidence that cannot be falsified, you will be amazed by the results – provided, of course, you follow the advice in my DNA Masterclass.

 

Or perhaps you’ve taken the test yourself, but would like to enlist the help of one of your cousins. With DNA the real challenge is figuring out which of your matches share each of your ‘brick walls’, and comparing your matches with those of a cousin who shares a particular ‘brick wall’ helps enormously. But don’t make it a close cousin as they share too many of your ancestral lines – 3rd and 4th cousins are ideal (and they’re the cousins you’re most likely to find through LostCousins).

 

Note: If you live outside the UK please nominate a cousin in the UK – should you be lucky enough to win.

 

 

SPECIAL PRIZE – CAMBRIDGESHIRE BAPTISM, MARRIAGE, AND BURIAL INDEXES

Donated by Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society, these indexes are likely to prove invaluable to anyone who has ancestors from Cambridgeshire. At some point the registers will be going online at Ancestry – possibly in 2025 or 2026 – but whenever it is, these downloads will allow you to “hit the ground running”.

 

 

EXCLUSIVE ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

 

PROFESSOR REBECCA PROBERT  - BIGAMY

A great supporter of LostCousins, and the closest thing to a superstar in the academic world, Professor Probert first came to my notice when she published Marriage Law for Genealogists – a book that should be on the bookshelves of every serious family historian (you can read my review here). Her next book will be on the subject of bigamy, so I’m delighted that she has agreed to give a sneak preview to LostCousins members.

 

There will be two presentations at different times so that nobody need be prevented from attending in person on account of their time zone: the first will be on Saturday 15th February 2025 at 10am (London time), and the second will be at 5pm the following week (Saturday 22nd February). Please put these dates in your diary in case you’re lucky enough to be invited to one or the other. These talks will be recorded and the link shared with everyone who was invited, whether or not you were able to attend on the day.

 

SIMON FOWLER – VISITING THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

The National Archives, love it or loathe it: at some stage in your family history research you are probably going to have to use it. Whether it is their online resources or by paying a visit. All this can be very daunting even for the expert, but in this presentation Simon Fowler will demystify the Archives. Whether you are confused by the catalogue or puzzled about parking this session will be for you. And based on his experience of being a researcher for over forty years and having worked there on and off for nearly thirty, he will provide tips and shortcuts that even the staff don’t know about!

 

Simon Fowler is one of Britain’s most experienced family history teachers, writers and researchers. Until recently he made his living from professional research, mainly on military topics and the records of central government. He has also written for Family Tree magazine and Who Do You Think You Are? magazine and has authored two dozen books, mainly genealogical help guides. Simon also runs courses for Pharos Tutors and is a regular lecturer at the Society of Genealogists.

 

Simon will be speaking at 9am on Thursday 13th February, but don’t worry if that time doesn’t work for you: this talk will be recorded and made available to all those who win a place, whether or not you are able to attend on the day.

 

DJ WISEMAN – NOVELIST

For years I’ve been hoping to interview the author DJ Wiseman, whose genealogical mystery novels are not just great stories, but great pieces of writing. At last I’ve managed to persuade him to talk to LostCousins members about his writing and his interest in family history – I’m looking forward to it just as much as you are!

 

The date of this session has now been fixed: it will be at 7pm (London time) on Monday 17th February – put it in your diary now! This talk will be recorded and the link shared with everyone who was invited, whether or not you were able to attend on the day.

 

MARK BAYLEY FROM THE GENEALOGIST

In this new presentation Mark will explore a diverse set of record collections that can tell you more about your ancestors' lives – discover records that can help trace elusive ancestors and uncover hidden family histories. There will also be an opportunity to look at Map Explorer.

 

Mark will be speaking at 9.30am (London time) on Monday 24th February – put the date in your diary and remember to fill out your My Prizes page! This talk will be recorded and the link shared with everyone who was invited, whether or not you were able to attend on the day.

 

TALKS ON DNA

I will be giving two exclusive talks on the subject of genetic genealogy: one will be for those who have yet to test, and will look at what you can and can’t find out using DNA – this talk will be at 9am on Monday 17th February. The second talk will be for those who have already tested, and will focus on how to make the best use of your DNA results – it’s at 9am on Saturday 22nd February. Both talks will be recorded so put your name down even if you won’t be able to attend on the day.

 

SIAN LLOYD – GARDENING HOUR

As most of you will know my wife writes occasional gardening article for this newsletter. Last year she fielded questions from members round the world, but this year she’s going for a rather different format which she’s yet to reveal to me. Suffice it to say that every time I look out of the window I’m reminded of her love of flowers and trees.

 

This session will be at 6pm (London time) on Tuesday 5th February, and will be recorded for the benefit of those who are invited but cannot attend on the day, whether because of the timing or other commitments.

 

 

PRIZES DONATED BY AUTHORS

This year there’s something for everyone:

 

GSI Superstition Mountains (donated by Nathan Dylan Goodwin) provides a chance for you to solve three murders using the latest techniques in investigative genetic genealogy. You’ll be able to work through the case at your own speed with expert video guidance from Diahan Southard, a DNA guru with 20 years experience, and Nathan Dylan Goodwin, author of the Venator series of genetic genealogy mysteries (as well as the incredibly popular Morton Farrier series of genealogy mystery novels). You can find out more about this intriguing opportunity here.

 

The latest book in the Venator Cold Case series is out now – please use these links if you’d like to find out more:

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au

 

The Mourning Brooch is a trilogy of historical novels by the author Jean Renwick, inspired by a mourning brooch inherited from her godmother. The first book in the series was recently the subject of discussion by the Society of Genealogists Book Club, and it has received high praise from reviewers since its release in 2021. The author has kindly agreed to donate a signed copy of Book One to the lucky prize-winner.

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au

 

Blood-Tied was the first book in the Esme Quentin series of genealogy mysteries from Wendy Percival and if, like me, you have problems with your sight (or simply want to give your eyes a rest) you’ll be glad to know that it is now available as an audio book. Many years ago I used to buy audio books on cassette, but I gather it’s a little more sophisticated these days. Wendy has generously donated two certificates, each of which entitles the holder to a free audiobook version from Audiobooks.com

 

If you’ve yet to discover the Esme Quentin series, they’re also available as paperbacks and as Kindle books: please follow the relevant link below:

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au 

 

 

How to enter, how to choose your prizes

It’s easy to enter, and you can enter as often as you like – every direct ancestor or blood relative you enter on your My Ancestors page before 31st January 2025 counts as an entry (relatives from the 1881 Census count double). You can see how many entries you’ve already made by looking for the red number on your My Summary page. Winners will be chosen at random in the days after the competition closes, and the more times you enter the more prizes you’re likely to win – but you could win the top prize with a single entry if you’re really, really lucky.

 

This year we’re once again using the My Prizes page to allow you to tell me which prizes you’d most like to win. Don’t forget because “those who don’t ask, don’t get”.

 

Log into your LostCousins account, click My Prizes in the menu, then give each prize that interests you a rating, which can be anything from 1 (not very interested) to 10 (very interested indeed). There’s no need to do anything for prizes that don’t interest you in the slightest, but don’t make the mistake someone did last year of giving their most coveted prize just one point! You can give the same number of points to more than one prize – it’s entirely up to you – but if you don’t enter a score at all you won’t be considered for that prize, no matter how many entries you’ve made.

 

Should there be a Zoom presentation which interests you, but is at a inconvenient time, or on a day when you know that you have other commitments, please note that the Zoom presentations will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be circulated to all those who were invited, whether or not they were unable to attend. Links are usually sent out a few days afterwards, to allow for the recording to be reviewed and edited if necessary.

 

If you are invited to a Zoom presentation you will have the opportunity to submit a (short) question in advance using the Comments field. This often enables the presenter to adapt their presentation to cover the point raised, and it always increases the chances that your question will be answered, one way or another!

 

 

The forgotten relatives

It’s all my fault… when I was designing the LostCousins site in late 2003 I wanted the pages to have short snappy names, that are easy to remember, like My Cousins and My Ancestors. Unfortunately the name My Ancestors can be misleading because some members infer that they can only enter their direct ancestors (the people they are directly descended from).  It’s too late to change the name now, but what I can do is reprint some advice from one of my November newsletters:

 

Tip: ALL of your living cousins are descended from collateral lines, the lines that branch off from your direct lines, so the best way to find them is to enter the relatives from the branches. Start with your ancestors' siblings then continue with their cousins. A good approach is to start with everyone you know about in 1841 – whether or not you can find them on that census – then track each branch and twig through the censuses until you get to 1881.

 

Earlier in this issue I wrote that we all have more cousins than we know – well, so did our ancestors! Of course, it would be counter-productive to attempt to identify tens of thousands of cousins for each of our direct ancestors, but at the very least you should enter their 1st cousins.

 

 

Save on Ancestry DNA

In Canada you can currently save at least $50 on AncestryDNA until February 3, and if you don’t have a current membership you may be offered a 3-month World Deluxe membership for an extra $1.  All price are shown in Canadian dollars, and exclude taxes (if applicable) as well as shipping.

 

Please use the link below so that there’s a chance that your purchase will support LostCousins – and if it doesn’t seem to work first time, please log-out from your Ancestry account, then click the link again.

 

Save up to $65 on AncestryDNA®!* Terms Apply

 

I’ll update this article if there are DNA offers at other Ancestry sites.

 

 

 

Save on Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? There’s a new Who Do You Think You Are? offer for 2025: readers in the UK can get a year’s subscription (13 issues) for just £34.12 – equivalent to £2.62 an issue, less than half the cover price, when you use this link.

 

 

Gardeners Corner

I’m delighted to say that my lovely wife has written her first gardening article of 2025 – it’s a little too long for the newsletter, so you’ll find it here. Have you chosen Sian’s presentation as one of the prizes you’d like to win in my competition? Visit your My Prizes page now!

 

 

Peter’s Tips

How is your family tree backed up? All too often I hear about people who have lost a lifetime’s work because they didn’t spend 5 minutes making a backup. You can buy a 128gb memory card for under £10, a USB stick with a similar capacity for a little more, an external SSD for around £60 (or less), or an external hard drive for as little as £30. And don’t put all your eggs in one basket – keep multiple backups on different media.

 

There are also cloud services which store files online. But make sure they’re also stored on your own computer – for example, if you use the default settings for Microsoft’s OneDrive the ONLY copy of your files will be the one in the cloud, which means it isn’t a backup at all.

 

 

 

Stop Press

This is where any major updates and corrections will be highlighted - if you think you've spotted an error first reload the newsletter (press Ctrl-F5) then check again before writing to me, in case someone else has beaten you to it......

 

 

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Peter Calver

Founder, LostCousins

 

© Copyright 2025 Peter Calver

 

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