Genealogy question

[John Salerno]

I was reading the technical definitions of "degrees" and "removals" as they apply to cousins and was trying to figure out exactly what the relationship is between me and some family members. I assume they are some type of cousin, because they are first cousins of my parents. But based on the definitions I was reading, I couldn't quite figure it out.

 

So if I have a relative whose mother was my grandfather's sister, what is that relative to me?

 

Thanks.

[Chalky]

I was reading the technical definitions of "degrees" and "removals" as they apply to cousins and was trying to figure out exactly what the relationship is between me and some family members. I assume they are some type of cousin, because they are first cousins of my parents. But based on the definitions I was reading, I couldn't quite figure it out.

 

So if I have a relative whose mother was my grandfather's sister, what is that relative to me?

 

Thanks.

 

Try this.

 

You need to work out your last common ancestors, which are your Great-grandparents (their grandparents). Thus you are 1st cousins once removed.

[John Salerno]

Try this.

 

You need to work out your last common ancestors, which are your Great-grandparents (their grandparents). Thus you are 1st cousins once removed.

 

Yes, Wikipedia is where I was reading, but I guess I didn't go back far enough when figuring out our last common ancestor. But according to the definition of degree, someone "with whom you share a great-grandparent (but not a grandparent or a parent) is a second cousin," so that seems to imply that my relative in question would be my second cousin.

 

And they are "once removed" because they are first cousins of my parents, which means they are a generation away from me? Is that the proper way of figuring out how many generations separate you from someone?

 

Edit: Hmm, maybe not. It also says this:

 

The child of your first cousin is your "first cousin once removed" because the one generation separation represents one "removal". You and the child are still considered first cousins, as your grandparent (this child's great-grandparent), as the most recent common ancestor, represents one "degree".

 

So I guess you were right, since our last common ancestor would have been *their* grandparent, meaning we are still first cousins despite the generation difference. I guess that's where the once removed matters.

Edited May 27, 2011 by John Salerno