Just last week my niece ask me the age-old question. “What is a second cousin once removed?” To be honest I had to think about it. Then I had to look it up. I understood the second cousin thing but what about the removed part. Wasn’t too clear on that one. Here it all is clear as day. I even attached a chart for it. We often come across the term “removed” within our family relations. My mother knew what it meant but a lot of us young folk can’t explain it. Did you know that a person can be more than once removed as in “second cousin twice removed”? As we all know cousins are people who share a common ancestor. Below I have explained some of the obvious and some not so obvious. First Cousin: Your first cousins are the people in your family who have at least one of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles. Second Cousin: Your second cousins are the people in your family who share the same great-grandparent with you. Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins: Your third cousins share at least one great-great-grandparent, fourth cousins share a great-great-great-grandparent, and so on. Removed: When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. "Once removed" indicates a difference of one generation, "twice removed" indicates a difference of two generations, and so forth. For example, the child of your first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. That is, your cousin's child would be "almost" your first cousin, except that he or she is one generation removed from that relationship. Likewise, the grandchild of your first cousin is your first cousin, twice removed (two generations removed from being a first cousin). Here is an example for my family. Marie-France's first cousin is Colleen. Nathalie her first cousin once removed and Cecily her first cousin twice removed. Not so difficult especially when names are attached. This one is for my niece who asked the question. The son of Uncle Bill (your granfather’s brother) would be your second cousin and his kids your second cousin once removed. The key is grandparents. They are the determinant. You need to share one grandparent to be first cousins, or one great-grandparent to be second cousins. If the ancestor in question had more than one spouse and the two of you are descended from different spouses, you are still full cousins. There is no such thing as a "half cousin" although you will hear people use that term occasionally. Here are a few other terms you may encounter when determining relationships: HALF - Means you share only one parent. Example: half-brothers may have the same father but different mothers, etc. STEP - Not blood kin, but a close legal relationship due to re-marriage of a parent, such as step-mother, step-brother, step-son, etc. DOUBLE FIRST COUSINS - Are first cousins twice, once on your father's side and once on your mother's side, since your father's sibling married your mother's sibling. KISSING COUSINS - Are distant relatives known well enough to be kissed when greeted. IN-LAW - They are not really blood kin but are treated as such because they married blood kin. Example: Your mother-in-law is not really your mother but is treated as such because you married her daughter/son. In law, you and your spouse are considered "one". Also your brother-in-law is your brother because your parents are also his parents, in "law" (mother-in-law, father-in-law, etc.). KITH and KIN - "Kith" are friends and acquaintances whereas "Kin" are blood relatives or someone treated as such, in law. Here is something to leave you with: Your husband’s brother's wife is your sister-in-law. Your husband’s brother is your brother-in-law. Therefore, when your brother-in-law married this made his wife your sister-in-law. Your brother's wife is your sister-in-law. Her sister is your brother's sister-in-law, but is not related to you. Your brother's wife is your sister-in-law, but her sister is not related to you. COUSIN’S TABLE A cousin is someone who shares a common ancestor with you. Use this chart to determine your relationship. Using the Table
For instance, we will assume that you and your newly-found relative are both descended from John Smith. This common ancestor is your great-grandfather and also is the great-great-grandfather of your newly-discovered cousin. In the above chart, go across the top to find your ancestor: great-grandfather. Next, go down the left column to find your cousin's relationship to the same person: great-great-grandfather. Now notice where the two intersect in the above chart: you and your new cousin are actually second cousins, once removed. There is also an online calculator but I found this was just fine http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/cousincalculator.html
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Stephanie Bell-Boissonneault"When researching Family never leave a stone unturned, not even a pebble." Archives
July 2023
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