16 October 2007 LostCousins Newsletter

LostCousins - putting relatives in touch

"Finding living relatives can be even more exciting than discovering dead ones. There can be no substitute for real memories." Dan Longman, Your Family Tree, July 2007

There are now so many websites that offer to find people connected to your family tree that it's worth remembering what LostCousins can do for you that other sites can't. Our first article focuses on just one of the many hidden benefits.

Also in this issue - news and views from the world of genealogy to keep you up to date.

We now have different editions of our email newsletter, and you can choose which you receive on your My Details page, in the section headed "My Interests". This is the 'All countries' edition.

IN YOUR OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR COUSINS

Have you ever discovered a new relative, then subsequently lost contact with them? Frustrating, isn't it! The fact is that most people don't remember to tell everyone they know when they change their email address.

Wouldn't it be good if there was a way to ensure that you don't lose touch with any of those distant relatives who you've never met, and only know because your family trees are intertwined? Believe it or not, there is, and it's right here, at LostCousins!

When you change your email address just update your My Details page. The instant you click 'Submit' we'll update the address shown for you on the My Cousins page of ALL the relatives whose own email address is listed on your My Cousins page.

This also works in reverse - when one of your relatives updates their My Details page, their new address will immediately appear on your My Cousins page.

How much does this great service cost? Nothing - it's completely FREE to all members!

Of course, it only works for relatives listed on your My Cousins page. To add a relative to your My Cousins page just click 'Add a known cousin' in the top right hand corner.

Or, if the relative concerned has yet to join LostCousins, use 'Refer a Relative', which is one of the options which appears when you click 'Make a new referral' in the top right hand corner of your My Referrals page.

It doesn't matter how you originally made contact with your relative - take advantage of this great LostCousins feature to make sure that you stay in touch!

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? ARRIVES IN NORTH AMERICA

Canadians are to get their own version of the smash hit genealogy series that launched the family history boom in Britain 3 years ago:

http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/

Meanwhile on Friday October 12th the production team from the British edition were filming in Haverhill, Massachusetts at the former home of Richard Hazen, a British merchant who settled their in the early 1700s.

Members in Europe may have seen the September 27th episode of the British series in which Carol Vorderman walked around Prestatyn showing passers-by a photograph of her great- grandfather. However all was not what it seemed….

A shop assistant eventually identified the location of the shot as Bodnant Gardens - but according to the Scottish Daily Record, her response was planted by a member of the production team.

But does it really matter? Let's face it, every programme in the series shows baptism records being tracked down in an instant and BMD certificates from the GRO magically appearing without any delay.

Experienced researchers - and the vast majority of LostCousins members are in that category - wouldn't have been fooled for a moment. TV programmes are intended not just to inform, but also to entertain - and we must expect occasional compromises.

FED UP WITH THOSE 'BRICK WALLS'?

So often people start their family history, then realise it is not as easy as they make out on TV! We all come across problems and frustrations during the course of our research, but for those in the know there are often ways around the brick walls.

The IHGS School of Family History in Canterbury was set up in 1961 in order to promote the study of family history and the structure of the family. It's the only establishment in the UK which concentrates solely on teaching family history skills.

The range of one-day courses includes the very popular "Pre-1837 Sources", which will help you trace your family in the pre civil registration and census days, and a course on Wills (you'll be surprised how many less well off ancestors made a will!).

Most LostCousins members have years of experience, but we all know people who are just starting out, and for them the one-day course for beginners entitled "How To Trace Your Family History" could be just what they need.

At the other end of the scale is an acclaimed correspondence course (now available online) which will teach you all you could possibly want to know about genealogy - and could be your first step towards becoming a professional genealogist!

Family history is readily accessible to all, and an easy hobby to start, but with a little more expertise it's possible to get a great deal more out of it. For further details of IHGS - The School of Family History, visit http://www.ihgs.ac.uk

SCOTLANDSPEOPLE OFFERS NEW SEARCH OPTIONS

It's now possible to search for two people on the same census page at the official Scotlandspeople site, and this could you help track down households that have been mis- transcribed.

Because it works according to census page, rather than household, it won't always help, but overall it's a useful addition.

NEW YORK TIMES FREES UP ARCHIVES

It has been announced that the New York Times is to offer free online access to material dating from 1851-1922, and also from 1987 onwards. Some information from the intervening years will also be free.

It seems they are expecting to make more money from online advertising than they did from charging for information (perhaps more publishers would like to follow their lead?):

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/18/business/18times.php

COOK COUNTY RECORDS GOING ONLINE

From the end of January many Cook County, Illinois records, including birth and death certificates, and marriage licenses, will be available online. This is part of an ongoing process of digitising the county records.

Many Illinois records are already available online at the Illinois State Archives website. If you have connections with Illinois, it's worth checking to see what is available:

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/archives.html

SHARING INFORMATION WITH OTHERS

A few years ago the National Genealogical Society in the US published guidelines for the sharing of genealogical information, but we came across them only recently.

Because there's currently so much concern about the misuse (and misappropriation) of research we thought that now would be a good time to draw the attention of LostCousins members to these thoughtful and thought-provoking recommendations.

You'll find them on the Help & Advice page of the LostCousins website:

http://www.lostcousins.com/pages/help/

1841 CENSUS - UPDATE

A number of members have asked whether the 1841 England & Wales Census can be accessed free of charge online.

The volunteer project FreeCEN has fully transcribed and indexed Cornwall and Warwickshire; nearly half of Wiltshire and about 5% of Dorset entries have also been transcribed - see http://www.freecen.org.uk for more information.

Most of us, however, will need to use one of the subscription sites. The most accurate transcription and best search facilities can be found at findmypast.com, where you can search for two people in the same household, or even search by address.

Note: if you have Scottish ancestry it's definitely worth visiting FreeCEN as the 1841 Scotland transcription is almost three-quarters complete. By the time we start supporting the Scotland 1841 census at LostCousins it should be close to completion.

ARE YOU IN YOUR PRIME?

Evidence suggests that as we get older we become more interested in researching our family tree.

We may realise that we are responsible for carrying forward our family history and ensuring that our children and grandchildren know about their origins and have sufficient information to enable them to find out more - if and when they wish to.

As we age, we are also better placed to judge how similar or different we are from those who share our gene pool – a fascinating subject when we look at our siblings and close cousins, but even more so when we find out about previously unknown relatives.

Do we share the same looks or other family characteristics? How has our life turned out compared to theirs?

We've found that there is much that’s fascinating and challenging about later life, and if you agree, take a look at "in my prime", an organisation which provides advice, information and support for mature people rethinking their lives.

Their website (http://www.inmyprime.co.uk) is well worth visiting, and they have a regular newsletter as well as a new book: "Primetastic! – 50 tips for life over 50". Best of all, it's run by LostCousins members who are themselves in their prime!

PROBLEM SOLVED!

We've got over 100 'buddies' who help and advise members - they are all experienced researchers who volunteer their time to help other members.

We're frequently amazed by the insight that our buddies have, and the way that they are able to solve seemingly insoluble problems. 'Kate' kindly offered to explain how she solved one of those problems…..

As a Lost Cousins “buddy”, I recently received this request for help:

“I would be grateful for any help with the birth of my grandfather, Alfred Henry Hopkins. He is on the 1891 and 1901 census as being born about 1888 in Burslem, Staffs. Parents are Henry and Emily Ann Hopkins.

"There is no record of his birth at the local or national register offices and I can't find any record of a marriage between his parents - who are not living together on the 1901 census.

"Alfred is living with his father who is down as a widower. I can't find any record of Emily's death though. I don't know Emily's surname and there were quite a few born in Burslem around 1863-7 which is when I have been looking."

The first thing I did was to check on FreeBMD just to see if there was a matching birth entry for Alfred Henry Hopkins, first looking up the registration district for Burslem (it turned out to be Wolstanton).

No Alfred Henry Hopkins, so then I searched for any children named Alfred Henry whose births were registered in the Wolstanton district between the April-June quarter of 1887 and the April- June quarter of 1888. There were three:

Alfred Henry FARR and Alfred Henry TINSLEY, both in the Jan-Mar quarter of 1888, and Alfred Henry HALL in the Apr-Jun quarter of 1888.

Next I looked to see if any of these three had died before the 1891 census, and found that both Alfred Henry Farr and Alfred Henry Tinsley died in infancy. That only left Alfred Henry Hall.

Next I re-examined the 1891 census entry:

Henry Hopkins Head M 28 Potter’s Printer Tunstall
Emily Ann Hopkins Wife M 27 Potter’s Transferrer Burslem
Alfred Hopkins Son 3 Burslem

I then realised that the household listed just above this one had a Hall in the family - Herbert Hall aged 7, grandson of the head of household, a widow called Frances Dix. She also had a son Alfred Dix, 19, and a daughter Amelia Hains, 31.

I wondered whether Herbert Hall could be the son of Emily Ann Hopkins? To investigate this theory I needed to trace the family back to see whether Emily was Frances’s daughter.

I found the Dix family on the 1881 census in Burslem:

Edward Dix Head M 46 Brick Fireman Sandon, Stafford
Fanny Dix Wife M 45 Burslem, Stafford
Atheliah Dix Daughter U 21 Transferrer Potter Burslem, Stafford

Emily A Dix Daughter U 16 Transferrer Potter Burslem, Stafford
Alfred Dix Son 9 Scholar Burslem, Stafford
George Haines Boarder U 20 Labr in Ironstone Pit Wolverhampton, Stafford.

There was an Emily, so it looked as though she was the mother of both Herbert Hall and Alfred Henry Hopkins, with Alfred Henry’s birth being registered under the name Hall. But where did the surname Hall come from?

I looked for a marriage between Emily A Dix and a Mr. Hall with no luck. No birth registration for Emily A Dix either.

I turned my attentions to Frances Dix, Emily’s mother, to see if perhaps she was a Hall before she married Edward Dix, but the most likely marriage entry I found was June 1871, Wolstanton district, Edward Dix and Frances Badkin.

Next I found Frances on the 1861 census under the surname of Batkin, with her then husband John, so I started looking for BMD’s for Emily under the surname of Badkin or Batkin.

I found a likely birth registration in Jul-Sep 1864, Wolstanton district, name Emily Ann Batkin, and a marriage in Oct-Dec 1882, also Wolstanton district, between Emily Ann Batkin and John Hall.

So it looked very likely that Alfred Henry Hopkins was actually born as Alfred Henry Hall (I left the question of whether Henry Hopkins was his natural father for the member to confirm from BMD certificates).

GET FREE HELP FROM A 'BUDDY'

Kate is just one of over 100 buddies who are waiting to help YOU. If you'd like help, email us providing all relevant information (but please don't send attachments unless specifically requested).

This one-to-one service not only free but confidential - even the buddy allocated to your problem won't know your full name or your email address. All we ask from you is that BEFORE requesting help you complete your My Ancestors page as best you can.

Please note that currently the full buddy service is only available for British queries, but we may nevertheless be able to help if you have a problem that relates to Australia, Canada, USA, or Germany. We'd suggest you send brief details initially.

AND FINALLY….

If you've forgotten your password you can get an instant email reminder simply by entering your email address at:

http://www.lostcousins.com/pages/login/forgotten.mhtml

The LostCousins Team
http://www.LostCousins.com

Converted in September 2026 from the PDF edition of this newsletter (October_2007_newsletter.pdf), the only copy that survives.