Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? You'll probably find the answer here.
How the LostCousins site works
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 soon can I expect results?
If you have predominantly English ancestry and you enter all of your relatives from the 1881 Census you are likely to find at least one new living relative on the day you join! However, our coverage of other censuses is currently lower, so if your relatives were in other countries in 1881 it is likely to take longer to find your first cousin.
If you are disappointed by the results you get please get in touch - we can usually point out a solution. Note that 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 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!
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.
Signing in & your account
How do I sign in?
LostCousins doesn't use its own passwords - you sign in with your existing Google, Microsoft, or Facebook account. That means there's no LostCousins password to remember, choose, or lose, and one less place for your details to be exposed if a website is ever compromised.
My email address has changed - what do I do now?
Your LostCousins membership is linked to whichever account you use to sign in. If you switch to signing in with a different Google, Microsoft, or Facebook account, please contact us afterwards so we can check your membership has carried across correctly rather than accidentally creating a second account.
While you're there, it's a good idea to check the rest of the information on your My Details page - some of it may be out of date, and there may be new fields that weren't there when you registered.
Where is the information I entered?
If you sign in with a different account than the one you originally registered with, you won't have access to any of the information you've previously entered - and if you re-enter the data you'll be matched with yourself, causing all sorts of confusion!
If you think you may have ended up with a second account in your own name, please contact LostCousins so that we can close the one you don't need.
Registration and confidentiality
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 standard 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 Friend, paying a small sum that contributes to the costs of operating the site. Note that usually only Friends can initiate contact with another member, but 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 Friend.
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.
Just beginning your research?
I'm a beginner to family history - where do I start?
Check out the Beginner's Guide on our Help & Advice page - 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 different countries.
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.
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.
Exception: when entering relatives from the 1841 or 1911 censuses do NOT use the transcription - take your data from the handwritten census. Always enter precisely what is written, even when you know it to be wrong or incomplete.
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.
Been researching your family tree for years?
I've been researching my family tree for years - how can LostCousins help?
The longer you've been researching, the more generations there will be on your tree, and the more family lines you will have identified. For example, when you were 6 generations back there were just 64 lines to worry about - but 10 generations back there are 1024 lines to follow up, a seemingly impossible task.
LostCousins can look for living relatives from ALL of your lines simultaneously, and because it's an automated system you can still focus your efforts on the particular lines that you regard as your current priority.
My tree extends back to the 16th century - how can 19th century censuses be relevant?
The census information you enter is simply a means of finding people who share your ancestors. When you find your cousins the chances are they'll have researched back further than you on some of the lines you share, and not so far back on others. But even in the unlikely event that you've done more research than them on every line, you can still co-operate with them on future research.
I have found all my cousins - why get involved?
Nobody knows who all their cousins are - not even you! You may have tracked down all of your 1st and 2nd cousins, and perhaps even your 3rd cousins too. But there is no way you can possibly know who all of your cousins are - yet every one of them shares your ancestors, and is a potential source of valuable information.
My tree has over 30,000 people on it - is it worth me entering data?
The larger your tree, the greater the potential to find living relatives who share your ancestors. So even though you might spend more time entering data than someone with a smaller tree, the rewards will be commensurately greater!
Entering information about your ancestors
What information can I enter from my family tree?
You can only enter information taken from the census. LostCousins matches members who are related with virtually 100% accuracy - because members enter precise data taken from a common source, the census, rather than data of unknown reliability from a family tree.
Which censuses does LostCousins support?
The censuses we currently support are the 1940 and 1880 US Censuses; the 1881 Canadian Census and the 1921 Newfoundland Census; the 1881 Census of Scotland; the 1911 Census of Ireland; and the 1911, 1881, and 1841 Censuses of England & Wales (these include the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).
These censuses were chosen because they are readily available online - and most can be accessed free of charge, which means that anyone with an Internet connection can obtain the correct data. The 1880/81 censuses are the ones your cousins are most likely to have used, so give them priority if you want the quickest results.
Why can't I enter relatives from other censuses?
Suppose you were organising a family reunion - wouldn't you want everyone to come on the same day? It's the same at LostCousins - 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. A common error is to assume that only relatives in your direct line are important; most of your living relatives are actually linked by a shared ancestor from an earlier generation, so make sure you enter relatives from collateral lines as well.
Where do I find the census references? What do they all mean?
Whichever website you're using to access the census, the census references are usually part of the transcription. Each census has different references - the input form changes according to the census you have selected, so if the questions don't seem familiar, check you have chosen the correct census. All you really need to know is that the references identify a specific page of the census, which is why matching can be so accurate.
How can I be sure I've got the census references right?
If there is a grey arrow alongside the census references you can click it to carry out a search of the census using the references you entered - so long as your relatives are amongst the results, the references are correct. If there is a red arrow it can't validate the references for you, so check them against the transcription yourself.
How should I enter relatives from the England & Wales 1911 census?
Enter what the head of household actually wrote, not the transcribed information. The two references you need are the piece number (prefixed RG14PN) and the schedule number (prefixed SN).
Can the same relative be listed more than once?
If you find the same relative recorded on more than one of the censuses that we support (or even twice on the same census, as sometimes happens) then you can enter them more than once.
How can I save time entering my relatives?
Once you've entered the first person in a household it's very quick and easy to enter the others - just click the + symbol at the end of the line (usually you'll only need to enter the forename and age).
"Houston, we have a problem"
Two families appear as a single household - what have I done wrong?
The entries on your My Ancestors page are sorted into households based on the census references you've entered. If two households are on the same page of the census they'll usually appear as a single household - this won't affect your chances of finding 'lost cousins', because we match individuals, not households.
What do the ticks and exclamation marks mean?
When you click the Search button on your My Ancestors page all your entries are compared against the entries made by other members. If your entry exactly matches another member's entry it will be marked with a tick; if it nearly matches another entry it will be marked with a red exclamation mark.
How can I contact someone I've been matched with?
Your My Cousins page lists all the relatives you've been matched with. When you're matched with someone new they'll appear in the New contacts section, and only their initials will be shown; once the two of you have agreed to correspond they'll move to one of the other sections, and the other person's name will be displayed.
Your relationship to the people you enter
What is a direct ancestor?
A direct ancestor is someone from whom you are directly descended - your parents, your 4 grandparents, your 8 great-grandparents, your 16 great-great grandparents, and so on. If any one of them had never existed you wouldn't be here today.
What are Ancestor numbers (or Ahnentafel numbers)?
Ancestor, or Ahnentafel, numbers are a way of numbering the direct ancestors in a family tree - take the number of anybody in the tree, double it to find the number for their father, or double it and add 1 for their mother. Our blank Ancestor Chart shows these numbers against each ancestor for you.
What is a blood relative?
A blood relative is anyone with whom you share an ancestor (which means you'll share some of the same genes); another word for blood relative is 'cousin'. So long as you have proved there is a connection, it doesn't matter whether the common ancestor was still alive at the time of the census.
When is someone related by marriage? What if they didn't actually marry?
This category isn't for your spouse's relatives, who shouldn't be entered on your My Ancestors page at all - it's for people who don't share any ancestors with you, and who are connected to your family tree only because they married (or had a relationship with) someone who was already on it. The spouse of a blood relative is related to you only by marriage, but the children of the union are your blood relatives.
Can I enter my spouse's ancestors?
No - not even if you are the one doing all the research. Not only would it confuse other members, you won't get the best results. But you can have two LostCousins accounts, so it's not really much of an inconvenience.
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. 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 the person is not a relative, you must delete them from your My Ancestors page immediately. This classification is not a substitute for research - use it only as a last resort.
Searching for people who are connected in other ways
Why might I want to find someone who is unrelated to me?
Just because someone isn't related to you doesn't mean 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, and there could well be opportunities to co-operate in future.
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.
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.
What is a One-Name Study?
A One-Name Study is a comprehensive study of people who share a particular surname (usually a variety of spellings are included); many LostCousins members conducting such research belong to the Guild of One-Name Studies.
What is Historical Research?
Some LostCousins members are carrying out research into historical figures (for example, for a book), and as part of their research are interested in contacting descendants.
When you make a new contact...
How do I know when a new contact has been found?
When you click the Search button we'll let you know in seconds whether we've found any new matches, marking them with a red tick. It's equally likely that your relative will discover you first - in that case you'll receive an email 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. At first the name of the other person is hidden (and they won't know your name either); only when both of you have agreed to make contact will your names be revealed.
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.
My cousin hasn't replied - what can I do now?
Because there's so much junk mail these days it's possible your cousin hasn't seen the email they were sent. If this is a new contact 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 members have entered. Mistakes will occasionally occur. A member who has wrongly identified an ancestor is responsible for deleting the ancestor from their My Ancestors page.
Closing your account, deleting your entries
How can I close my LostCousins account?
If you decide 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.
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. It's worth remembering, though, that the information you enter cannot be seen by anyone else, not even by search engines - so there's no risk of anyone copying your research, and it's worth keeping your free account open even if you're not currently active.