17 November 2006 LostCousins Autumn newsletter
Newsletter - Autumn 2006
CONTENTS
* A new free service - EXCLUSIVE to members
* Get 20% extra units at Findmypast.com
* FreeREG - parish registers online
* More relatives = more cousins
* Free research help and advice
* Would you like some free Christmas cards?
To visit the main LostCousins site please go to www.LostCousins.com
In the weeks leading up to Christmas we're going to focus on helping and encouraging members to enter more of their relatives from the 1881 British and Canadian censuses.
The fact is, whether you're interested in finding out about your ancestors in the 16th century or your living relatives in the 21st, you'll have a better chance of success if you enter more relatives from 1881 on your My Ancestors page!
Last month we matched numerous members who were cousins, but one pair stood out - they were two of our oldest members. Not old in age, we hasten to add, but they were amongst the first 5000 members to join LostCousins, way back in 2004.
Ironically we could have matched them back then - if only they had entered more of their relatives from 1881. So make sure you read our article on how to identify more of your relatives in 1881 - because they're the key to YOUR 'lost cousins'!
Also in this month's newsletter we've got some special offers which are EXCLUSIVE to LostCousins members - think of them as early Christmas presents!
To log-in to your LostCousins account visit http://www.LostCousins.com
Your email address is your user name; if you can't remember your password, and haven't opted to be logged-in automatically, click the link below for an instant automated email reminder:
http://www.lostcousins.com/pages/login/forgotten.mhtml
A NEW FREE SERVICE - EXCLUSIVE TO MEMBERS
Last year the Society of Genealogists called for psychotherapy to be made available to people who make unpleasant discoveries in the their family tree, and Else Churchill at the Society added "having trained counsellors on hand could help".
In the Times recently Nick Barratt, consultant to the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' series was quoted as saying: "Genealogy should come with a health warning. It can often be an emotional and upsetting journey."
LostCousins is always looking for new and improved ways of helping members, rather than just copying what other sites already offer.
So for a 4-week trial period we have engaged the services of an accredited, experienced UKCP registered psychotherapist and counsellor who will offer FREE 15 minute telephone sessions to LostCousins members – you won’t even pay the cost of the call!
During the trial period the service will be available for ALL problems, not just those related to genealogy. You can see a list of typical issues that the therapist is able to help with at http://www.nlpsolutions.com/issues.htm
Remember that the therapist operates to a strict code of ethics. This means that everything between you and the therapist is kept confidential.
LostCousins will not know who has taken advantage of this offer. We will only be informed of the aggregate number of enquiries during the trial period so that we can judge just how well-received it has been.
Of course, not all issues can be resolved over the phone or in 15 minutes. If that’s the case, the therapist can recommend how to get the specific help you need through the NHS, support groups, charitable organisations, or from a private specialist.
Very often, people don’t know where to turn – so this is a great opportunity to find out!
To take advantage of the offer email LC@nlpsolutions.com between November 17th and December 15th, taking care to disclose only as much information as you feel comfortable with.
The therapist will reply via email to arrange for your telephone session to take place at a mutually convenient time. Please note that this trial offer is only available to members living in the UK.
GET 20% EXTRA UNITS FREE AT FINDMYPAST.COM
To mark the change in name from 1837online to Findmypast users of the site were offered 20% more units for the same price, bringing the cost right down, even for the smallest quantity.
This offer ran out on Sunday 12th November - but we've negotiated an EXCLUSIVE offer for LostCousins members. Between Friday 17th and Thursday 23rd November you can get 20% more units absolutely free by quoting the code LCN2006.
The minimum purchase is just 5 pounds: this normally buys 50 units - but as a LostCousins member you'll get 60! Just make sure that you enter LCN2006 in the 'Promotional code' box on the 'Purchase units' page, then click Apply.
The name change from 1837online to Findmypast reflects the enormous increase in coverage since the site first began offering online access to the complete birth, marriage, and death indexes for England & Wales.
There are now four key England & Wales censuses at the site (1841, 1861, 1871, and 1891) and each of them can be searched either by name OR address.
If you've ever experienced difficulty finding ancestors in the census, even though you know exactly where they were living at the time, you'll find it invaluable to be able to search by address.
Findmypast has also partnered with the National Archives to digitise Ships' Passenger Lists from 1890 to 1960 - this will be a superb way to find relatives who emigrated, and it's already possible to search the 1890s (under Migration Records).
Even if you're not ready to make use of the site right now, units that you buy during the offer period will be valid for at least 90 days, well into the new year. It's important to note that they can be used to access ANY of the records on the Findmypast site.
(Please note: if you're used to logging-in automatically at 1837online you'll probably find that the very first time you visit Findmypast you need to log-in manually.)
When we recently mentioned the newsreels available free at the Pathe News site we remarked how the film of Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901 was one of our favourites.
We subsequently received an email from Pat who told us that her grandfather, then in the Royal Horse Artillery, can be seen in the film riding in front of the gun carriage.
There's an amazing amount of film footage that's being shown for the first time in decades thanks to the extra channels available with digital television. Have you managed to spot any of your ancestors? We'd love to hear your story!
Although many parish register entries have been transcribed onto the International Genealogical Index (IGI) there are many others that haven't been.
FreeREG is a project staffed by volunteers who are transcribing register entries from England, Scotland, and Wales so that they can be searched online - completely free of charge!
Although the coverage is patchy - some counties are not yet represented - with over 1.1 million entries in all, it's a free resource that you can't afford to ignore.
Here's a simple check that will test how effectively we can identify your 'lost cousins'. Go to your My Ancestors page, make sure the information is sorted by Household, then count up how many households there are with direct ancestors.
Now count how many households there are without direct ancestors. If the second figure isn't at least double the first, then you're in danger of missing out on many of your 'lost cousins'. But what can you do about it?
Let's suppose that you've already entered your great-grandparents, and that by 1881 they were married (and might even have children). We'd suggest in this case that you look on the census for their brothers and sisters, your great-great uncles and aunts.
Anyone descended from them will share your great-great grandparents - making them 3rd cousins of yours (or perhaps 2nd cousins once removed if they are from an earlier generation).
3rd cousins are sufficiently distantly-related that you're very unlikely to know them already (unless you've discovered them during your genealogical research), but sufficiently closely-related that you'll be researching several of the same lines.
Victorian families were generally quite large, and if each of your 8 great-grandparents had 5 brothers and sisters, there could be as many as 40 households to be found, each one a potential link to one or more 'lost cousins'.
Remember, we can only link you with other members who have entered the same relative(s). So the more relatives from 1881 that you enter, the more 'lost cousins' you are going to find.
So far as we know, LostCousins is the only site where you can get free and confidential one-to-one research help and advice. That's because we have a great team of volunteers, the 'buddies' just waiting to help... you!
All we ask is that, before asking for help, you enter the relatives you've already found on the 1881 Census. This may not provide an immediate solution to your problem, but it might well help solve someone else's.
To request help, just email info@LostCousins.com with 'Help wanted' as the subject. Please include all relevant information (but never send attachments unless specifically requested). Note: we can now help with Canadian as well as British research.
WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS?
If you take out or renew your LostCousins subscription before December 5th using the offer code CHARITY2006 we'll send you a free pack of 10 exclusive Christmas cards. All you will pay on top of the normal subscription is 98p towards postage and packing.
For every pack of 10 cards we'll give 1 pound to the national and international charities we're supporting this Christmas. To see the list of charities, find out more about these beautiful and exclusive cards, or to order them separately please visit:
http://www.lostcousins.com/peace.htm
Please note that we can only accept credit card payments if you are taking out a subscription. The subscription offer and the cards are only available to members in the UK.
AND FINALLY....
Have you ever printed out the blank Ancestor Chart we provide? It has spaces for 5 generations of your direct ancestors, so it's a useful way to keep track of where you're up to with your research, and identify any gaps.
The LostCousins Team
http://www.LostCousins.com
info@LostCousins.com
© Copyright 2006 Peter Calver & Lost Cousins Ltd
Please do NOT copy or republish any part of this newsletter without permission - which is only granted in the most exceptional circumstances. However, you MAY link to this newsletter or any article in it without asking for permission - though why not invite other family historians to join LostCousins instead, since standard membership (which includes the newsletter), is FREE?