Entering Ancestors on Lost Cousins website

[Jennie]

I think that is the plan. Peter has written articles about it in most newsletters which are written in tones varying from gentle prodding through mild frustration to one I recall that sounded like exasperation

The core of the website is if you enter a relative no-one else can see what you entered so no-one can lift your research. This is the one thing Peter is adamant about people will never have details they enter exposed for anyone to see ever. So you can be entirely certain that this website unlike others will protect your privacy.

The idea is simple imagine there were only 100 possible people on a census for the whole country. If you enter 5 people then 5% of the population would be tagged in the database. If someone else enters 5 people the chances are that there are 10 people out of 100 entered, but it might be that one or two of those coincide and are matches. Now when someone else enters their relatives the coverage goes up again and the chances of a match get even greater and so on and so on.

Also remember that the first people to enter their relatives also benefit as they are also alerted to a match when the newest person enters their relatives. Note that this alerting is also done is a safe and secure manner so your contact details are never revealed unless you specifically want the other person to know your details. It really is an elegant solution that Peter has put years of work into, so I can understand his frustration at times when people are reluctant to enter their relatives. There really is no downside.

Now of course there are more than 100 people on a census but the principal is the same. The more people enter their relatives in the safe secure environment of the Lost Cousins website the higher the coverage of the census the site has and the greater the likelihood that a match will be made. Peter recently said that its fairly common now for people to get a match as soon as they enter their data.

So to my mind we should be evangelising about the site so that as many people as possible enter as many relatives as possible. That way we all benefit as the chances of matches increase with every entry.

Following your explanations and advice in conjunction with Peter's, of course, I have just spent only about two hours filling in 47 entries of some of my ancestors' details from the Censuses 1881 and 1911 on to Lost Cousins. It was easy, enjoyable and like, IMO, all family history - addictive. Two of my new entries have already produced for me a cousin with whom I look forward to connecting with shortly. I am totally converted to the benefits, appreciate the high security factors and I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT YEARS AGO! Sincere thanks, again, Lost Cousins - more to add tomorrow!

 

[Carla]

Oh nooooooo, you put me to shame Jennie!!!!!.......i have been so busy today, and i really meant to go back over my ancestors details and make sure they were up to date on Lost Cousins. Work got in the way, and now i am too tired. I know i have new additions to my ancestral tree so i will make a BIG effort this week to update one ancestor every day. Bit by bit i will get this done. Mind you i did feel it important to come here and see what has been happening . See what you have done Peter............i am addicted!

 

[Jennie]

Oh nooooooo, you put me to shame Jennie!!!!!.......i have been so busy today, and i really meant to go back over my ancestors details and make sure they were up to date on Lost Cousins. Work got in the way, and now i am too tired. I know i have new additions to my ancestral tree so i will make a BIG effort this week to update one ancestor every day. Bit by bit i will get this done. Mind you i did feel it important to come here and see what has been happening . See what you have done Peter............i am addicted!

Oh noooooooo, I didn't mean to make you feel like that, Carla!!!! I just hopefully wanted to encourage others like me who were reluctant to put their hard-gained rellies details, for one reason or another, on Lost Cousins, to take that step, give and then reap the all-round benefits and really connect. You've already 'seen the light', you're just a busy, busy lady.

 

[Liberty]

Re the discussion about entering ancestors and 'how many?'
I have an awful lot of people on my LC page and mostly they are not closely related to me. My theory, however, is that if I get a match with anyone, I will be able to share who this person married, who their parents were, etc.
A lot of my forebears came from Sheringham in Norfolk where they seemed (a) to have a limited number of names (b) to prefer to marry a relative. In an attempt to work out which of the Henry Wests or Robert Coopers was which, I have gathered a lot of info and I thought I could usefully share it with others researching the same names, even if we are not cousins. I hope I'm not misusing the system(?)

 

[Tim]

If I can offer some thoughts on 2 different parts of your post?

Re the discussion about entering ancestors and 'how many?'
I have an awful lot of people on my LC page and mostly they are not closely related to me.

I think these are exactly the type of entries you should be making into LostCousins, and where you're most likely to find unknown family members.

A lot of my forebears came from Sheringham in Norfolk where they seemed (a) to have a limited number of names (b) to prefer to marry a relative. In an attempt to work out which of the Henry Wests or Robert Coopers was which, I have gathered a lot of info and I thought I could usefully share it with others researching the same names, even if we are not cousins. I hope I'm not misusing the system(?)

A lot of these people could actually be related, but you've been unable to go back far enough to prove to your own satisfaction that they are related. So by adding them and getting a match may help you and them to establish the link that you both require. It sounds like a win win scenario.

 

[AnneC]

Following your explanations and advice in conjunction with Peter's, of course, I have just spent only about two hours filling in 47 entries of some of my ancestors' details from the Censuses 1881 and 1911 on to Lost Cousins. It was easy, enjoyable and like, IMO, all family history - addictive. Two of my new entries have already produced for me a cousin with whom I look forward to connecting with shortly. I am totally converted to the benefits, appreciate the high security factors and I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT YEARS AGO! Sincere thanks, again, Lost Cousins - more to add tomorrow!

I too was prompted to revisit "My Ancestors", and spent all yesterday afternoon adding households, especially the 1911 and 1841 that weren't available when I first started this. I now have all my direct ancestors (all the way up to ancestor number 125), 419 blood relatives and 92 related by marriage. Looking good I thought, as I clicked on the search button to find new contacts. And what result did I get? Nothing, not a one!! In all the time I have been a member, I have only found 9 cousins/relatives, all of whom I had previous contact with through various other sources. I must just be unlucky, but will continue - I feel it is the price I must pay for Peter's wonderful newsletters, and now the wiki and this forum. By the way, I have noticed that everyone seems to be ignoring the Birthday Book wiki - must be too engrossed in the forums.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

The hope is Anne that others are similarly encouraged by forum members to visit the main site add in those ancestors they'd never got round to in the past. If we get each forum visitor to add just one new family to their My Ancestors page then the number of matches should hit a new record high. of course it would be better if they all added 419 blood relatives and 92 related by marriage

 

[Tim]

I too was prompted to revisit "My Ancestors", and spent all yesterday afternoon adding households, especially the 1911 and 1841 that weren't available when I first started this. I now have all my direct ancestors (all the way up to ancestor number 125), 419 blood relatives and 92 related by marriage. Looking good I thought, as I clicked on the search button to find new contacts. And what result did I get? Nothing, not a one!! In all the time I have been a member, I have only found 9 cousins/relatives, all of whom I had previous contact with through various other sources. I must just be unlucky, but will continue - I feel it is the price I must pay for Peter's wonderful newsletters, and now the wiki and this forum. By the way, I have noticed that everyone seems to be ignoring the Birthday Book wiki - must be too engrossed in the forums.

So now you need to add the indirect blood relatives. The families of the siblings of your direct ancestors.

Not ignoring the Birthday Book completely, just that it's harder now to come to link some of the names together.

 

[Liberty]

I too was prompted to revisit "My Ancestors", and spent all yesterday afternoon adding households, especially the 1911 and 1841 that weren't available when I first started this. I now have all my direct ancestors (all the way up to ancestor number 125), 419 blood relatives and 92 related by marriage. Looking good I thought, as I clicked on the search button to find new contacts. And what result did I get? Nothing, not a one!! In all the time I have been a member, I have only found 9 cousins/relatives, all of whom I had previous contact with through various other sources. I must just be unlucky, but will continue -.

My sympathies - been there, done that. Despite putting on relatives who are so far removed (5th cousins, that sort of thing) that I can hardly claim them as related, I also have only about 7 or 8 'new cousins' 2 of whom have not responded to my contacting them. And all but 1 of the others are in the situation that one of my distant 'aunts' married one of their distant 'uncles', or the the sister of one of my distant aunts by marriage did,or some link so tenuous that we have nothing to add to each other. Never mind, one day!

 

[Alexander Bisset]

Hopefully you'll soon have a raft of new Scottish Ancestors to add Liberty.

 

[Liberty]

I can report that (Scottish relatives aside) I just went to check on 'my cousins' page and I have 2 new shared relatives and a new contact. I don't think this is Anne (unless she is working under a different set of initials) but it is a promising sign.

 

[AnneC]

I can report that (Scottish relatives aside) I just went to check on 'my cousins' page and I have 2 new shared relatives and a new contact. I don't think this is Anne (unless she is working under a different set of initials) but it is a promising sign.

No, not me....still no new matches and I've been entering new names again today!

 

[Carla]

It's funny but I have concentrated on adding close family ancestors to LC rather than all the off shoots (if I can call them that?). Thanks for raising the question Liberty as I found that interesting. Thanks also Tim for clarifying the fact that doing this could actually clear up some brick walls if we get matches. I never thought of doing that but I will certainly be adding them now.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

If you enter only your close family to Lost Cousins then you are only likely to match with close cousins you already know. Now think about this. You probably know your parents brothers & sisters (your aunts & uncles and thus their children your 1st cousins). You may even know your your grandparents brothers and sisters and their children - your parents 1st cousins - and their children your second cousins.

However very few people will know their great grandparents (all eight of them) and their brothers and sisters. Then the descendants of the brothers and sisters down to your 3rd cousins etc are less likely to be known. This gets less likely the further back you go.

Some people have said in the past (outside this forum) that they don't see the point of entering such distant cousins. However think of this if they are your 3rd cousins they are researching your 2nd great grandparents as well as they are shared ancestors. Now what if that brick wall on the line of one of those great grandparents isn't a brick wall for the other cousin. They found the solution years ago. Wouldn't you want to contact them and learn more?

This gets all more likely the more remote the cousins are. You do share a link but you may not know you share a link if you haven't pushed your research back as far as they have or if your research doesn't record brothers and sisters of your directs. Say your 3g grandfather you just can't find and all you have is your 2nd great grandfather his wife and his mother. Now your 4th cousins (very distant line) may have found your 3g grandfather because they are descended from your 2g grandfather's brother who you never bothered entering onto your tree. They found your 3g grandfather because their 2g grandfather's documents contained a clue.

By ignoring the brothers and sisters of your ancestors you severely limit the chances of breaking down brick walls in your normal research. By the same token by not entering the brothers and sisters of your ancestors in Lost Cousins you severely limit the chances of getting a match!!

PS. Hope you can follow the greats in my example

 

[Liberty]

If I can offer some thoughts on 2 different parts of your post?


I think these are exactly the type of entries you should be making into LostCousins, and where you're most likely to find unknown family members.


A lot of these people could actually be related, but you've been unable to go back far enough to prove to your own satisfaction that they are related. So by adding them and getting a match may help you and them to establish the link that you both require. It sounds like a win win scenario.

Tim, thanks for the encouragement. This was my reasoning, but I thought somebody might feel I was just trying for the 'I've got most entries on my page' award.

Actually, even if I don't find cousins, if I link up with someone who can say 'No, the Robert Cooper who married Hannah West wasn't the son of Joseph; he married Mary Ann Bishop' (and prove it!) this would be a great achievement!

 

[peter]

If they are blood relatives of yours, and you can find them on the 1881 Census, add them to your My Ancestors page.

One of the most valuable contacts I've ever made is with a half 4th cousin (we share a great-great-great grandfather, but are descended from different wives). Since she and I first made contact we've collaborated on the research of the lines that we share and have exchanged over 2000 emails.

We all have thousands of cousins we don't know, and whilst only a fraction of them are likely to be researching their family tree, those are the ones that you're going to find through LostCousins or any other genealogy site. It's only when you start using the phone book or the electoral register to track people down that you'll run into people who don't have any interest in their family tree (and even then, you might lucky).

 

[AnneC]

So now you need to add the indirect blood relatives. The families of the siblings of your direct ancestors.

.

I've just done an analysis of all the ancestors I have entered - all of my direct line up to 5 x Great grandfather, and a good split of non-direct from 1st cousins twice removed right up to 3rd cousins 5 times removed, fairly evenly split across all of my family lines. I've checked them all, amended a few typos then did another search for matches. And, guess what?, no matches. That's it for now, I'll concentrate on other ways of breaking down my brick walls.

 

[Tim]

I've just done an analysis of all the ancestors I have entered - all of my direct line up to 5 x Great grandfather, and a good split of non-direct from 1st cousins twice removed right up to 3rd cousins 5 times removed, fairly evenly split across all of my family lines. I've checked them all, amended a few typos then did another search for matches. And, guess what?, no matches. That's it for now, I'll concentrate on other ways of breaking down my brick walls.

Help always comes from an unexpected source

 

[Heilan Lass]

Just wait till the forum goes public - think of all the new membership that will encourage - amongst whom there will be all those elusive Cousins you are waiting to hear from! At least that's my aspiration - if it's any consolation I've only got one match so far and I've got almost all my lot entered

 

[Katie Bee]

- if it's any consolation I've only got one match so far and I've got almost all my lot entered

I have one cousin too. I think I have entered all my possible ancestors and others, but I am going to go back to Lost Cousins and check.

Not sure when I will get round to that, as this forum and all its interesting information is addictive and leading me astray