Lost Cousins Site

[David Wells]

Hi,

Not sure if you know about the Lost Cousins site. It attempts to match up families using Census records (mainly 1881 and 1901 at the moment). It is relatively new (and I haven't had much success with it yet) but I am hoping that once more people join and they increase the funtionality that I may find more connections. It is a free site at the moment (but I imagine there will eventually be a subscription cost).

It is an interesting concept and well worth having a look.

The link is: http://www.lostcousins.com

Regards,

David Wells
Sydney, Australia

[Maud Jarvis]

I too am on the Lost Cousins site, not had any luck so far unfortunately in having any contacts, did not know they were also j
having 1901 entries, must check up on that, I have not visited for quite a while.

I am starting to feel is it possible that I`m the only one researching my family, have had no luck really in finding any descendnts, correction there, I DID find one descendant (Copeland family) but sadly the elderly genetleman (in his 80`s) had no interest at all, and would not respond. I was so disappointed, having felt quite excited and thinking I might at last have a lead on to some family mysteries, but he said they were not a close family, and he was not interested in the fact that I was a relative, so that was that!!

Ah well, back to the drawing board, hope for better luck next time

[Andy]

Hi Maud, statistically it's highly unlikely that nobody else is researching your ancestors. It's just that you've not got far enough back to hook up with anyone who has bothered to go forward on the lines as well as back.

At 30 years per generation as recently as 1705 you have, in theory, 1024 grandparents (probably much less because if cousins married, and they did, this makes all previous lines on these branches merge reducing the totals by powers of two per prior generation).

So if 512 sets of people each produced even four children per generation and each of these four married and produced 4 you have, in theory, about 134,000,000 rellies available today! One or two MUST be into genealogy! And that's only back to 1705.

The really weird thing is that lots of people assume that ancestors follow a geometric progression: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 g-grandparents and so on.

This is okay up to a point but eventually, and sooner than you think, you arrive at a figure where your potential ancestors exceed the total number of people EVER to have lived (about 60 billion). In fact back just 36 generations, about 1080 years ago, using the above model you would have nearly 69 BILLION ancestors and bear in mind that at this time the world population would only have been about 300 million!!!

At 30 years per generation all ancestral lines should become redundant (or merge if you like) about 1150 AD. At 20 years per generation it's closer to 1500 AD. Before these two dates you ARE related to everyone!!

In actual fact, because of invasion and migration etc., most of us could only claim to to be related to about 80% of the British population as of about 1220 AD.

Finding out how you're related is another matter!

Remember these dates are all well within recorded history. Further back we're all related to a few strings of amino acids in a primordial soup.

It's actually quite humbling to reflect your own existence! Regardless of us not having Billions of ancestors, if ANY of the say 60,000 probable ancestors we all have had fallen down a hole, drowned while fishing or been savaged by rabid chickens WE wouldn't be here!

Makes you think!!!

[Allison]

Several months ago I too posted ancestors to the Lost Cousins web-site but to date have had no luck with matches. I think my family has hidden itself rather well on both mother and father's side. Maybe some day.

Allison

[doreen]

Has anyone tried www.genesreunited.co.uk came across this site ,you can do a name search and see others who may have the same name interest, you can then make a post.However, if you wish to make contact you have to become a full member , approx £ 9-00?? not sure if this is for a years membership.

If anyone has tried this site I'd be interested to know if it was any help with your research.

Cheers

[Ina]

Hi Doreen,

I entered some of my tree on genesreunited about 18 months ago. I've had great success with it. Within three days I was contacted by two different people researching my Bonnar family. I actually met these people last year when I visited Scotland. Was great to meet family members I didn't know existed.

Just last week I was contacted regarding my Ferguson family. Not sure if we have a connection there yet though.

Ina

[karenmcc]

Hi Doreen,

Thank you for posting this site.

My grandfathers oldest brother stayed in Kilmarnock when the rest of the family came out to Australia in the 1920's. Have been trying to contact his desendants for the past two years. Found one on this site after two minutes! I don't have a CR card (a family member buys my CRs on SP for me, which is actually good as it keeps my spending down) so I'll have to wait to contact her. Also found a few more that look like they could be matches.

Ina, my Greatuncles daughter, Sarah McCubbin married Patrick Ferguson in Kilmarnock ( not 100% sure of first name, but I know he was a Ferguson). What area are your Fergusons from?

Karen McCubbin

[marilyn morning]

Hello Doreen

I recently connected with a relative from Australia through the GenesReunited site. Also, I'm in contact with 3 other members of my Morning family, all members of GR(although contact was not established through GR with these 3) For the small cost of a one-year membership, it maybe worth you joining, but I warn you that many members are just beginning their research and you may not yet be able to make a connection between your families for a while.

Regards
Marilyn

[Ina]

Hi Karen,

My Ferguson's came from Greenock.

Ina

[doreen]

Hello Ina, Karen and Marilyn,
Glad to see that this site came up with some results for you, will give it a try to see what turns up for my Buchanan and Blacklock families.

Regards