How Are We Related?
This is one of the age old question that most genealogists get asked. So this week's article is to help you understand how you are related to some of your relatives.
You may have come across 'relationship charts' before, like the one shown below.
You may have come across 'relationship charts' before, like the one shown below.
However, you probably don't go around carrying one of these, for when people ask you. So I thought there has to be a way you can work it out in your head. And yes there is. Here's how you can work out:
Step 1) Find the most recent ancestor of the two people.
Step 2) Work out how you (A) are related to them, say 3x Great Grandfather (Great-Great-Great Grandfather).
Step 3) Work out how they (B) are related to them, say Great Grandfather.
Step 4) Take the number of 'Great's' and add 1 for the Grand. So for A (you) there is 3 great's and add 1 for the grand to get 4. For B, there is one great and one grand so the total is 2.
Step 5) Take the smallest number of relationship (in this case 2) so that is your '_____' cousin. In this case second cousin.
Step 6) Now you have to add the 'removed' part. You only do this if the relationship number is different. You do this by taking the smallest number from the largest, in this case 4-2=2, so that would be twice removed.
Step 7) Put the two parts together, so in this case the relationship is Second Cousin, Twice Removed.
Or for mathsy people, do steps 1-4 then: When A>B: Bth Cousin, A-B Removed & When A<B: Ath Cousin, B-A Removed.
You may have come across the term 'Double Cousin', this means when two siblings have children with another two siblings. You would then add 'Double', as long as you and the other person are both descended from the different siblings. However, you do not need to add double. For example, see the diagram below:
Step 1) Find the most recent ancestor of the two people.
Step 2) Work out how you (A) are related to them, say 3x Great Grandfather (Great-Great-Great Grandfather).
Step 3) Work out how they (B) are related to them, say Great Grandfather.
Step 4) Take the number of 'Great's' and add 1 for the Grand. So for A (you) there is 3 great's and add 1 for the grand to get 4. For B, there is one great and one grand so the total is 2.
Step 5) Take the smallest number of relationship (in this case 2) so that is your '_____' cousin. In this case second cousin.
Step 6) Now you have to add the 'removed' part. You only do this if the relationship number is different. You do this by taking the smallest number from the largest, in this case 4-2=2, so that would be twice removed.
Step 7) Put the two parts together, so in this case the relationship is Second Cousin, Twice Removed.
Or for mathsy people, do steps 1-4 then: When A>B: Bth Cousin, A-B Removed & When A<B: Ath Cousin, B-A Removed.
You may have come across the term 'Double Cousin', this means when two siblings have children with another two siblings. You would then add 'Double', as long as you and the other person are both descended from the different siblings. However, you do not need to add double. For example, see the diagram below:
So here Joseph Smith and Charlie Jones are Double First Cousins. Their Children, Hannah and Lily are Double Second Cousins. However, Joseph Smith is just a First Cousin to Alex Grant.
Step cousins are the same as a step-brother, in terms of the step family. This means that Daniel Grant is Victoria Hughes' Step-Second Cousin, as Hannah and Daniel are Second Cousins.
I hope this article was useful to you and I hope you'll be back soon for next week's article.
Published: 15 January 2015
Step cousins are the same as a step-brother, in terms of the step family. This means that Daniel Grant is Victoria Hughes' Step-Second Cousin, as Hannah and Daniel are Second Cousins.
I hope this article was useful to you and I hope you'll be back soon for next week's article.
Published: 15 January 2015
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*Note - No copyright infringement was intended. If there is a breach in copyright contact me through the 'Contact' section so it can be removed. All photos are Copyright © 2015 Harry Clarke. All Rights Reserved. The photo on the 'Home' page for this article is courtesy of roxinasz. The photo of the relationship chart is courtesy of Loretta Marie.