Note: there are clickable links that will take you directly to each of the websites mentioned in this newsletter; if they don't work for you (some email programs or services disable such links) you'll find them all conveniently listed on the Latest News page at the LostCousins site.
IN YOUR JANUARY NEWSLETTER
* 1911 Census sparks renewed interest in family history * What can we learn from the 1911 Census? * But what about the cost? * Online Irish census grows in coverage * Research your ancestry using parish registers * Family history on the radio * Free access to online newspapers * Australian wills free online * Find those cousins now!
1911 CENSUS SPARKS RENEWED INTEREST IN FAMILY HISTORY In the first 2 days after the official release, almost a million people visited the official 1911 Census website , and carried out 5 million searches. The more people who take an interest in their ancestry, the greater the opportunities for all of us to discover lost heirlooms or solve key riddles. In an age where dubious TV programmes like Cash In The Attic encourage the disposal of objects handed down from generation to generation, we need all the help we can get to preserve our heritage.
Whilst it's described as the England & Wales census, so far it's only English counties that are online - and even here some of the northernmost counties are still missing. But on the other hand, would we have wanted to wait until the entire census had been digitised and transcribed? No way!
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE 1911 CENSUS? The release of any new census is exciting, but the 1911 Census is an especially valuable resource - it offers the most information we've ever seen. The main addition is a section on the form headed Particulars as to Marriage which has columns headed Completed years the marriage has lasted, Total Child Born Alive, Children still living, and Children who have died. This was intended to be completed in respect of each married woman, but in practice many husbands (including all 4 of my great- grandfathers!) wrote the information alongside their own name.
Why is this information important? Because it will in many cases tell us about children who never appeared on any census - the ones who died in infancy. I've so far discovered two in my family tree, little brothers or sisters of my grandparents who sadly were forgotten when the verbal history was passed down through the generations.
I've also discovered that both of my maternal grandparents had brothers recorded on the 1911 Census who died in their youth - that makes four new great uncles and aunts I've discovered thanks to this one census, and that's just on my mother's side of the family. How many will you find, I wonder?
Of course, the information about children who have died can also help with the relatives you do know about. No longer will you waste time searching the census for someone who was already dead - or the death indexes for someone who was still alive!
The employment information is also more informative. Instead of one column there are two: Personal occupation and Industry or Service with which worker is connected. In some cases the additional information - in conjunction with trade directories - may be sufficient to enable you to track down precisely who your ancestor worked for.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE COST? Whilst the cost of the census is in line with many of the other records released by the National Archives over the past few years, it is more expensive than the 1901 Census was on release in 2002.
The main problem seems to be the vast number of individual households schedules that need to be scanned and transcribed - by my calculations this one census involved more scanning than ALL of the previous censuses added together! That's because instead of simply scanning the enumerators' schedules, each with an average of 4 or 5 households, this time they've scanned the individual forms completed by the householders.
At the official census site there's a blog where you'll find lots of useful information. The most important announcement - as far as serious researchers like me and you are concerned - is that later this year it will be possible to access the 1911 Census with a findmypast.com subscription. This enables us to plan our research accordingly: my strategy is to look up the most important households now, and explore the remaining twigs and branches later.
ONLINE IRISH CENSUS GROWS IN COVERAGE In all the excitement over the England & Wales census, don't forget that there were other censuses taken in 1911. Sadly the Scotland census won't be released until 2012, but the Canadian census has been available for some time, and the Ireland census is gradually being made available at the National Archives of Ireland site. Until recently only the Dublin area was online, but now three more counties have been added: Antrim, Down, and Kerry. I'm hoping we'll see the remaining counties during 2009.
RESEARCH YOUR ANCESTRY USING PARISH REGISTERS In Britain the first nominal census was in 1841, and as civil registration in England & Wales didn't start until 1837 (it was even later in Scotland and Ireland), parish records are the prime source of information in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.
But even after the commencement of civil registration parish records can still be a valuable resource. For example, I was able to discover the correct name of my great-great-great grandfather only by checking the marriage register - the certificate I obtained from the local register office was wrong!
Baptism records can sometimes be helpful in cases where the father's name isn't shown on the birth certificate, and of course it's usually only by finding the burial record that you'll know where your ancestors were buried - this information isn't shown on death certificates.
The largest online source of parish records is the International Genealogical Index, which can be found at the free FamilySearch site (note: you'll find two articles I've written about the IGI on the Help & Advice page at LostCousins). Almost all the entries in the IGI have been taken from baptism and marriage registers, but there are a small number of burial entries.
There's also an expanding collection of parish records (over 22 million so far) at the findmypast.com site; these include many of the records collected by the Federation of Family History Societies, such as the National Burial Index. You'll also find some parish records at Ancestry.co.uk and whilst the collection is currently quite sparse they do plan to add the holdings of the London Metropolitan Archives.
But even if you're able to find transcriptions online, there's often more information to be found in the actual register. If you don't live close to the relevant records office you may have to pay a researcher to look up the entries and make copies, but even so the overall cost can work out cheaper than buying certificates - depending on how many entries there are, and how difficult they are to find. (If you can find an entry online, even if it costs you a few credits, it will save the researcher time, and should repay your small investment many times over. )
Even when the entry you're seeking isn't online - which is going to be the case at least half of the time, in my experience - you may still find some valuable clues by searching online resources. For example, you may find entries for other members of the family - or for other events. Even identifying parts of the country where a particular surname is more common can help.
The last thing you want to do is arrive at the records office or archives unprepared. If you do, you could end up wasting your time (and risking headaches) scanning microfilmed records that have been transcribed, and can be accessed more easily online. Even those records that aren't online may be available in more than one form - many transcripts and indexes were produced in the 19th century, and for early records particularly these are much easier to search. Always ask the staff in the records office for advice if you're not sure what is available, or where to find it.
There's one key parish register that I haven't mentioned yet - one that is often forgotten. From 1753, when Hardwicke's Marriage Act came into force a Register of Banns recorded the 'banns' or announcements that were read before a marriage by banns could take place. Because they would be read in both parishes where the bride and groom came from different villages, the banns will enable you to track down where the marriage took place if it wasn't in the church you expected.
Researching prior to 1837 can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive - all the more reason, then, to look for cousins who are researching the same ancestors. Make sure that your My Ancestors page is as complete as possible - half an hour spent entering more relatives could save you months of research!
FAMILY HISTORY ON THE RADIO Professional genealogist and LostCousins member Celia Heritage will be on Radio Kent between 11am and noon on Saturday 7th February. Phone 08459 811111 if you have any questions for her - the topic is adoption and finding living relatives (so hopefully Celia will give LostCousins a mention!). If you'd like to listen to the program, but don't live in the Kent area, you can listen live over the Internet if you go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/local_radio/
Celia also runs face-to-face courses for those who want to learn more about their family history; visit www.heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk/events for full details of the next course, which takes place on Monday evenings throughout March.
FREE ACCESS TO ONLINE NEWSPAPERS Following on from last month's article, Joy wrote in to remind me that many university and college libraries have access to the British Library's newspaper collection, and that many of these libraries allow members of the public to join.
AUSTRALIAN WILLS FREE ONLINE LostCousins member Glenys recently wrote to tell me that wills for Victoria from 1841-1925 have been indexed by volunteers and can be viewed free online at http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/access/probate.asp
PETER'S TIPS Falling interest rates are usually good news for borrowers, but not for savers. I came across one so-called high interest account that was paying just 0.001% interest, which means that for every one thousand pounds deposited, you'd earn just one penny a year in interest! So, if you have any savings I suggest you check what you're currently earning - there are still accounts that pay 2% or even 3% pa, but you may have to hunt for them.
When you're in the supermarket don't forget to check the small print on the labels, the bit that tells you how much you're paying per 100g or per 100ml. Frequently 'value' lines are more expensive than brand names, and sometimes smaller packs can work out cheaper than big ones, especially when there is a special offer. Mind you, I don't think anyone can beat Tesco Value Shower Gel, which at just 10p for 300g is at least 90% cheaper than any of the brand names. Use it to refill your present bottle when it runs out - the males in your family will never notice the difference (at least, I didn't).
Have you noticed that some gas and electricity companies are still putting their prices up, even though oil prices have collapsed? I used the free Switch with Which website to find a cheaper supplier, and whilst it isn't the only website of its type, because it is run by the Consumer's Association I'm more inclined to trust it.
FIND THOSE COUSINS NOW! Every month I get dozens of emails from members asking why they haven't had much success finding cousins. In most cases the answer is easy to spot - they haven't entered the relatives who are most likely to lead to 'lost cousins'. Who are these elusive relatives? They're the brothers, sisters, and cousins who were married (probably with children of their own) in 1881.
That's all for now - I hope you've found this newsletter interesting and useful.
Peter Calver Founder, LostCousins peter@LostCousins.com www.LostCousins.com | 
