How LostCousins Works

Read this first - it'll only take a few minutes, and it'll save you time later.

What is a 'lost cousin' and why would you want to find yours? The longer you research your family history, the harder it gets - with each generation the number of ancestral lines doubles, and the records we relied on most when we started our research simply don't exist prior to the start of civil registration and the first national census.

Although many records have survived from earlier centuries, they're often harder to find and more difficult to access. So it makes perfect sense to collaborate with experienced researchers who are researching the same ancestors. Nor is it easier to knock down 'brick walls' alone - coordinating your research with the cousins who share those brick walls means more can be achieved in the limited time available.

LostCousins is quite unique - out of the thousands of genealogy websites out there, it's one of the only ones that offers highly accurate automatic matching between family historians who are researching the same ancestors, and it does this without anyone else seeing your data, which matters now that privacy and security are a concern for so many.

Of course, a unique system requires a different way of doing things, and that's why - no matter how experienced a family historian you are - you should read this page before going any further.

Whereas most genealogy websites work from family trees, LostCousins works from census entries. The advantage of using censuses is that they're publicly available, and everyone can see the same information - something that's essential if matching is to be both automatic and accurate.

When you click the Search button on your My Ancestors page, LostCousins looks for other members who have entered the same people from the census - if you and another member are both related to the same individual on the census, then the two of you must also be related to each other!

It's a simple system at heart, but it's important to make clear from the beginning that despite the name "My Ancestors" you're not restricted to entering people in your direct line - quite the opposite. All of your living cousins are descended from the branches of your tree (sometimes called collateral lines), so entering relatives from those branches is key to finding your 'lost cousins'.

Once you've entered your relatives from the census, the rest is automatic - simply click the Search button whenever you want to search for new cousins!

You don't need any paid subscription to search for cousins - searching is free for every member. The censuses we focus on are ones that were transcribed decades ago by volunteers coordinated by FamilySearch, and because those transcriptions are freely available online, they're accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

Tip: free access to the census matters because most researchers won't have recorded the census references when they originally found their relatives, especially if they found them on microfilm in the days before the censuses were online.

It might seem odd to use the 1881 Census to find researchers who can help with 'brick walls' in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, but it makes sense because you'll typically find 3rd, 4th, and 5th cousins - not so close that you'll already know them, but close enough to share a significant part of your tree. They're also perfectly placed to help solve problems using DNA.

Step One: Find your relatives on the census

Whichever census site you use, it's crucial that you note the references that identify the precise page of the census where you've found your relatives. These references are almost always part of the transcription - though if you use Ancestry they may not all be in the same place (start with the Source Citation, then check the main transcription for any missing fields).

Here's what to look for on each census - the Add Ancestor form includes helpful advice and examples, so always read it carefully when using a particular census for the first time:

• England & Wales 1841: Piece, Book, Folio, Page
• England & Wales 1881: Piece, Folio, Page
• England & Wales 1911: RG14 Piece number, Schedule number
• Scotland 1881: Volume (or Registration number), Enumeration District, Page
• United States 1880: NA Film number (or Roll), Page
• United States 1940: Roll number, Enumeration District, Sheet
• Canada 1881: District, Page, Household number
• Ireland 1911: National Archives of Ireland film number (prefixed 'nai')

Step Two: Enter your relatives

Your My Ancestors page is where you record the information for the relatives you have found on the census. When you click the Search button all the relatives you've entered will be compared against all of the relatives entered by other LostCousins members - potentially billions of comparisons, done in a few seconds.

To enter a relative, click 'Add new entry' at the top of the page, then select the appropriate census from the drop-down list - the form will change according to your selection.

Whichever source you use, it's crucial that for the 1880 and 1881 censuses you enter your relatives' information precisely as it has been transcribed, and not as it appears on the handwritten census page. This ensures that two members entering the same person enter the same information - it may seem strange to enter data that is wrong or incomplete, but ironically it's the only way to ensure accurate matching!

How to save time: once you've entered the first person in a household it's quick and easy to enter other members of the household - just click the + symbol at the end of the line, and most of the information will be filled in automatically.

Step Three: Search for your cousins

Click the Search button. The matching process is entirely automatic - you don't have to do anything except wait a few seconds. We'll tell you how many matches we've found, and highlight each of the relatives involved with a red tick. Check your My Cousins page and make contact with your new-found cousin!

Initial contact is made through the site, and only when both members have agreed to make contact will you each find out the other person's name; similarly, we don't give out your email address unless both of you agree. You can continue to communicate with your new-found relatives through the LostCousins site if that's what you prefer.

What next?

You'll probably want to share with your new cousin some of the information you've collected about your family's history. No doubt you'll each want to know how the other person is descended from your common ancestors.

With luck you'll find that your cousin can solve some of the mysteries you've encountered when researching your family. And as you get to know each other better you might decide to exchange old family photos and other items that have been passed down the generations (but don't send the originals - make copies, or scan them in and send them by email).

How can I improve my chances?

Give priority to 1880 and 1881 where there is a choice of census years. It's far better to enter distant relatives from those years than to enter close relatives from other years - it's usually the members of your ancestors' extended families who will provide the vital link to your lost cousins.

What else can I do?

Encourage other researchers to join - it's free to register and search for living relatives, and the more people who enter details of their ancestors, the more matches will be made. Your personal recommendation will mean far more than any advertising we could possibly do!