Now We Know...

While going thru stuff for the family history, my sister found this article that our Mom, Esther, had saved.

My sister writes: Now we know the answer to the question of first cousin once removed. We know how important families were to Mom and bless her heart for keeping things for us so we would know and remember the importance of families way out to fourth cousins and beyond.

This is the article for your records. (from Minneapolis paper, the Fixit column)

To determine the cousinship, check reltationship to grandparents.

Cousins share a common grandparent. The degree of relationship or cousinship is based on how distant that grandparent is.

First cousins share a common grandparent, second cousins share a common great- grandparent, third cousins share a comon great-great-great-grandparent and so on.

If your first cousin has a child, the child becomes your first cousin once removed and your child's second cousin.

The removed refers to a different kinship or generational group.

A first cousin once removed refers to a cousin one generation removed or away from you.

By the same token, the child of your first cousin once removed becomes your first cousin, twice removed, that is two generations removed from you.

First cousins are of the same generation and are children of siblings.

Second cousins are of the same generation and are the children of your first cousins.

Third cousins are of the same generation and are the children of second cousins.

Fourth cousins are of the same generation and the children of third cousins, and so on.

The removed aspect of the cousin relationship is often confusing and misrepresented.

The degree to which we are related to someone is often held in question for legal reasons regarding the distribution of property after someone dies without a will.

Relationships are also importand legally to determine who may marry whom and as a basis for who may testify against whom in certain legal cases.

Source Minnesota Genealogical Society, St. Paul.