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Newsletter – 25th November 2024

 

 

Is this the lowest-ever price for AncestryDNA?

Why you shouldn’t read my DNA Masterclass

Annual Competition: over 1000 prizes to be won FREE TO ENTER

How to enter the competition

How to choose your prizes

Save 40% at Newspapers.com

Stop Press

 

The LostCousins newsletter is usually published 2 or 3 times a month (though this is the FIFTH newsletter in November – it has been such an exciting month). To access the previous issue (dated 20th November) click here; to find earlier articles use the customised Google search between this paragraph and the next (it searches ALL of the newsletters since February 2009, so you don't need to keep copies):

 

 

To go to the main LostCousins website click the logo at the top of this newsletter. If you're not already a member, do join - it's FREE, and you'll get an email to alert you whenever there's a new edition of this newsletter available!

 

 

Is this the lowest-ever price for AncestryDNA?

Ancestry have launched their Black Friday sale with stunning prices for DNA kits – in the UK the price has been slashed in half from £79 to an amazing £39, the lowest it has ever been, and whilst there is a shipping charge on top (£10 for the first kit and £5 for each subsequent kit in the same order), this includes return shipping – so you can give a kit to a relative without having to worry about who pays for the postage when the kit is sent back to the laboratory.

 

Note: when I bought my first AncestryDNA kit in 2016 the shipping charge was twice as high as it is today.

 

In Canada the price has been slashed to $69, and once again Ancestry reckon this is the lowest-ever price in the former dominion. In Australia they’re billing the Black Friday price of $79 as the lowest price of the year (that’s Australian dollars, by the way, so it’s about $88 for New Zealanders). As for the US – well, I’m still waiting to find out, but when I do this article will be updated accordingly.

 

Please use the relevant link below so that LostCousins has a chance of receiving commission on your purchase – it’s the commission we receive from big companies like Ancestry that enables me to keep the LostCousins site mostly free, so that nobody is prevented from connecting with their ‘lost cousins’.

 

Get AncestryDNA® for the lowest price ever at only £39! Terms Apply.

 

Get AncestryDNA® for the lowest price ever at only $69! Terms Apply.

 

Lowest Price of The Year! Save up to $64* on AncestryDNA®s. Terms Apply.

 

Note: if the link doesn’t take you to the offer page, or all you see is a banner at the top of the screen, please log-out from Ancestry, then click my link again.

 

 

Why you shouldn’t read my DNA Masterclass

I was corresponding with a LostCousins member this week who told me that she had read my DNA Masterclass several times, but hadn’t managed to digest all of the information. I’m not surprised – at around 7,500 words (plus charts and tables) it’s around the same length as my undergraduate dissertation, and took just as long to write.

 

The good news is that you don’t have to digest the information – you only need to follow the simple steps that are set out in the Masterclass. You don’t need to understand why the system works any more than you need to know how the combustion engine works in order to drive an automobile.

 

Think of the Masterclass as an instruction manual with a Quick Start Guide. A lot of the information in the Masterclass is only there so that if you want to know more, you don’t have to go searching online for answers – something that would be extremely dangerous, because it’s possible to waste an enormous amount of time doing things which sound wonderful in theory, but don’t work nearly as well in practice. Which is not to say that none of them work, just that you can achieve better results in less time and with far less effort by following the Masterclass.

 

So don’t read the Masterclass – just follow the instructions! You’ll find the latest (March 2024) version here.

 

Tip: if you’re supporting LostCousins by paying a subscription you’ll have access to the Subscribers Only page, which has links to ALL of my Masterclasses. They’re not designed for beginners, but anyone with an interest in genealogy will benefit from reading them.

 

 

Annual Competition: over 1000 prizes to be won FREE TO ENTER

Last year I had the pleasure of awarding more than 1000 prizes to LostCousins members who took part in my Annual Competition – and I’m anticipating doing the same over the next three months (this year’s competition ends on 31st January 2025). As usual here are some fantastic prizes donated by big genealogy companies, but it’s not just about monetary value of the prizes – many of them are unique in one way or another.

 

But first of all, let me say A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has generously donated a prize for this year’s competition – without you it wouldn’t be so special.

 

 

 

STAR PRIZE – 12 MONTH EVERYTHING SUBSCRIPTION TO FINDMYPAST WORTH £199.99

With an Everything subscription the world is your oyster – you can log into any of Findmypast’s sites worldwide and access ANY of the billions of records and historical newspaper articles in their collection. Though Findmypast are best-known for their British records, thanks to their close relationships with The National Archives and the British Library, they have a massive collections of Irish and Australian records, and unique access to Catholic records.

 

You might think, I don’t have any Irish, Australian, or Catholic ancestors – well, that’s what I used to think. But thanks to Findmypast’s Catholic baptism records (and some clues from my DNA matches at other sites) I was able to break down one of my oldest ‘brick walls’, proving that my great-great grandmother was of Irish Catholic stock, even though she married in the parish church and all of her children were baptised in the Church of England. In the process I also discovered an Australian branch that I’d previously known nothing about.

 

The Genealogist - UK census, BMDs and more online

 

STAR PRIZE – 12 MONTH DIAMOND SUBSCRIPTION TO THE GENEALOGIST WORTH £139.95

If you’re looking for records that the other big sites have missed, mistranscribed, or ignored, The Genealogist is a great choice: they have the most complete collection of tithe records and tithe maps that you’ll find anywhere online, and many of the tithe maps are in colour, which makes them easier to interpret. Map Explorer now includes all of the England & Wales censuses from 1841-1911, as well as the 1939 Register, tithe maps, and the 1910 Land Valuation  which is exclusive to The Genealogist (the coverage is fast-expanding, but is currently focused mainly on London and the Home Counties).

 

Looking for someone with an unusual occupation who is proving elusive in the censuses? The keyword search at The Genealogist is one that I’ve used time and time again.

 

Tip: until midnight (London time) on Monday 2nd December you can get a  12 month Diamond subscription for just £94.95 with loads and loads of extras thrown in – please follow this link to find out more.

 

 

EXCLUSIVE ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

 

PROFESSOR REBECCA PROBERT  - BIGAMY

A great supporter of LostCousins, and the closest thing to a superstar in the academic world, Professor Probert first came to my notice when she published Marriage Law for Genealogists a book that should be on the bookshelves of ever serious family historian (you can read my review here). Her next book will be on the subject of bigamy, so I’m delighted that she has agreed to give a sneak preview to LostCousins members.

 

There will be two presentations at different times so that nobody need be prevented from attending on account of their time zone: the first will be on Saturday  15th February 2025 at 10am (London time), and the second will be at 5pm the following week (Saturday 22nd February). Please put these dates in your diary in case you’re lucky enough to be invited to one or the other.

 

SIMON FOWLER – VISITING THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Simon Fowler is a prolific author and a professional genealogist who previously spent 20 years working for the Public Record Office and The National Archives (as it later became). He was also editor of Ancestors magazine from 2004-2010, but you can find a more detailed account of his experience and achievements on this Wikipedia page.

 

If you haven’t been to The National Archives before there is nobody better to explain how to make the most of your first visit – and ensure it isn’t a wasted journey. The date for Simon’s exclusive talk has yet to be arranged, but will be announced in the newsletter as soon as it is fixed.

 

DJ WISEMAN – NOVELIST

For years I’ve been hoping to interview the author DJ Wiseman, whose genealogical mystery novels are not just great stories, but great pieces of writing. At last I’ve managed to persuade him to talk to talk to LostCousins members about his writing and his interest in family history, and I’m looking forward to it just as much as you are.

 

The date has yet to be arranged, so watch this space!

 

TALKS ON DNA

I will be giving two exclusive talks on the subject of genetic genealogy: one will be for those who have yet to test, and will look at what you can and can’t find out using DNA. The second talk will be for those who have already tested, and will focus on how to make the best use of your DNA results.

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PRIZES DONATED BY AUTHORS

This year there’s something for everyone

 

GSI Superstition Mountains (donated by Nathan Dylan Goodwin) provides a chance for you to solve three murders using the latest techniques in investigative genetic genealogy. You’ll be able to work through the case at your own speed with expert video guidance from Diahan Southard, a DNA guru with 20 years experience, and Nathan Dylan Goodwin, author of the Venator series of genetic genealogy mysteries (as well as the incredibly popular Morton Farrier series of genealogy mystery novels). You can find out more about this intriguing opportunity here.

 

The latest book in the Venator Cold Case series is out now – please use these links if you’d like to find out more:

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au

 

The Mourning Brooch is a trilogy of historical novels by the author Jean Renwick, inspired by a mourning brooch inherited from her godmother. The first book in the series was recently the subject of discussion by the Society of Genealogists Book Club, and it has received high praise from reviewers since its release in 2021. The author has kindly agreed to donate a signed copy of Book One to the lucky prize-winner.

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au

 

Blood-Tied was the first book in the Esme Quentin series of genealogy mysteries from Wendy Percival and if, like me, you have problems with your sight (or simply want to give your eyes a rest) you’ll be glad to know that it is now available as an audio book. Many years ago I used to buy audio books on cassette, but I gather it’s a little more sophisticated these days. Wendy has generously donated two certificates, each of which entitles the holder to a free audiobook version from Audiobooks.com

 

If you’ve yet to discover the Esme Quentin series, they’re also available as paperbacks and as Kindle books: please follow the relevant link below:

 

Amazon.co.uk                            Amazon.com                                         Amazon.ca                                  Amazon.com.au 

 

There will be more prizes announced in the near future – yet another reason to make sure that you are on the mailing list by logging into your account now and again.

 

 

How to enter the competition

If you’ve added relatives to your My Ancestors page since midnight on 31st January 2024, when the last competition ended, the chances are that you’ve already entered this year’s competition – every direct ancestor or blood relative added counts as an entry, and you’ll get double credit for relatives from the 1881 Census (because that‘s the census most likely to connect you to your ‘lost cousins’, so by using that census you’re doing them a favour).

 

Of course, I’m hoping that now you’ve seen some of the prizes on offer this uear you’ll be encouraged to enter even more relatives between now and the close of the competition at midnight on 31st January 2025. Not because I’m interested in your data – it’s of no value to me – but because I need that information to identify the other members who are your ‘lost cousins’. The more relatives you enter, especially from the 1881 Censuses, the more cousins you’ll find.

Why would you want to find your ‘lost cousins’? Because you don’t have time to research all of your ancestors on your own – nobody does.

 

Perhaps the worst thing about researching on your own is that you are likely to be duplicating research that one of your cousins has already carried out already done – and if you’re short of time, you don’t want to waste it, do you?

 

The point I’m trying to make is that whilst it might take you a couple of hours to enter all of your relatives from 1881, it’s going to save you far more time in the future.

 

 

How to choose your prizes

There’s only thing worse than not winning a prize, and that’s winning a prize that you didn’t want. So this year we’ll once again be using the My Prizes page at the LostCousins site to allow you to tell me which prizes you’d most like to win – it’ll be active very soon.

 

Here’s how it will work – you give each prize that interests you a rating, which can be anything from 1 (not very interested) to 10 (very interested indeed). Remember, these are ratings, not rankings, so you can give more than one prize the same rating. There’s no need to do anything for prizes that don’t interest you at all.

 

There’s also a space for comments. Often I’ll ask members who are invited to a presentation to submit questions in advance using the Comments box, but you’re welcome to leave other comments. 

 

 

Save 40% at Newspapers.com

Although Findmypast has by far the biggest collection of historical British newspapers, the biggest collection globally is found at Newspapers.com – they recently passed the 1 billion page mark! From tomorrow (26th November) you can save 40% on a 6 month subscription, which brings the price down to just £5 a month in the UK (prices in other countries will vary, but the 40% discount applies worldwide).

 

Save 40% at Newspapers.com

 

 

Stop Press

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Peter Calver

Founder, LostCousins

 

© Copyright 2024 Peter Calver

 

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?

 

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