Genealogy Chat

Hi everyone, I share a Great Grandfather, a son of g.grandad is my Grandfather, a daughter is the grandmother of another GC member. What relationship to each other are we please? Are we second cousins or 2nd cousins removed or what. Thankyou. Sandra

Sandra I calculate that you are 2nd cousins. You are not "removed" because you are of the same generation as each other. I can let you have the method of calculation if you are interested. Pat

Hi Sandra, Have a look at this site which might explain what your relationship is:- www(.)genealogy(.)about(.)com/library/nrelationshipchart(.)htm Tracey, Bolton

Patricia,could you put the method of calculation on here as im interested in working out how i am related to family members and im sure others would be to Thanks Anna

If you use a software program like Kith & Kin Pro (available as shareware - just type it in your search engine) then it can calculate relationships. It doesn't recognise even simple relationships by marriage though, like husband!

Anna With pleasure, but credit where it is due, this method was given to me by my friend Judith White. Take person A & Person B, and find the common ancestor. You need to know this exactly to work out the relationship. Work out which of A and B are closest in generations to the common ancestor. (eg, say the common ancestor is your great grandfather & the other persons's 3 times great grandfather. you are closer as you have fewer greats.) Taking the person who is closest to the common ancester, add one to the number of greats, or just call it one if there are no greats. So where there is only one great, one + one = 2 so in the example above you are second cousins. Now subtract your number of greats from the other person's greats, to work out how many generations you & the other person are apart. In the above example 3 - 1 = 2 so you are 2 generations apart, which means that you are twice removed. 2nd cousins, twice removed. Trust me , it is much easier to do than to read. Pat

Thanks for that Patricia,now im gonna have great fun trying to work out my relationship to cousins etc.Keep me busy for the day Thanks,Anna

I always wondered what 'removed' meant, thank you!

My brain ached trying to work this one out... My gr grandfather married the niece of his mother's sister's husband. Anybody know what relation they are to each other? I'm confused!!!!! Mel.

Mel Are they not husband and wife? Sue at Langley Vale

Aside from being husband and wife I meant. If they share an aunty are they not cousins in some form? Mel.

Certainly Husband and wife but nowadays would it even be legal?

Not sure about the legalities which is why I was curious to work it out. The uncle I referred to was her mother's brother and it was the uncle's wife who was my gr grandfather's mother's sister. This is making my brain hurt again. Mel

Thanks everyone for the great replies. Does sound rather complicated some of the relationships though. Thanks Patricia for your breakdown. At least I can tell other GC Member what relationship we are to each other. I have now found a First and Second cousin on this site. Superb. I will go to the website somebody else offered to keep for future.(if brain cells stand up to it).

I printed off a chart I got from http://lewisgenealogy(.)com/relate(.)html - remove brackets! It's simple to work out relationships now!! Only hope you can still get it. I printed it off in February. Dierdre X

Hi everyone! There is a Family Relationship Chart on www.vango.info/family_relationship_chart.htm which I have printed out and it looks quite easy to follow. Kathy

thanks Kathy, been to vango site great chart might even be able to get my brain cell round it sandra

The chart off the vango site is absolutely brilliant! So much easier than any of the others I've seen. Thanks for the tip. Janet

melanie since neither husband or wife in that case shared a common ancestor - they would not be cousins.....(cousin in law perhaps) However - if the uncle and aunt in question had a child - that child would be first cousins to each husband and wife.........

Thanks for the information Thomas. I was finding it difficult to get my head round it. The aunt and uncle had several children so they had lots of cousins. This genealogy hobby is addictive and I tend to go off at a tangent a bit. I don't really need the uncle's family apart from his sister and parents. I have been told his sister's name was Eleanor Winstanley but I haven't confirmed it yet and I can't find her. I know she died sometime between 1860 and 1881 because her daughter was living with the uncle in the 1881 Census. She was brought up by him after her mother died. Thanks again. Mel