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Can anyone explain to me as simply as possible how to determine relationships such as cousins and removed cousins?
I have a chart which I think came from this website that shows "MY RELATIONS RELATIONSHIP TO ME" in capitals (they are my...) and "my relationship to my relations" in lower case (I am their..). However I downloaded my tree to a GEDCOM and uploaded into family tree and noticed that sometimes the relationship stated on Family tree agreed with the chart and other times it didn't. Now I don't know which is correct.
The chart stops at Gt Gt Grandparents and I was trying to use logic to work out relationships going further back than this but have just ended up confused. The chart also confuses me a bit because it refers to Gt Gt Uncles whereas Family tree refers to Gt Grand Uncles.
Any really simple methods for establishing relationships?
I now have loads of data for relatives in a spreadsheet (just as a separate record) and am trying to work out a key based on relationships as it is becoming rather large and unwieldly. I'm sure the key is a great idea if only I could work out the blinking relationships! LOL
Huh - I don't know why I'm laughing!
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Hi Toots.
Firstly, it's very important to make sure you have people in the correct generation , regardless of age.
Regarding aunts and uncles, this is easy. Treat the words "great" and "grand" as interchangeable for this purpose. So great-uncle is the same generation as grandparent, great-great uncle the same as great-grandparent etc. In other words great-great and great-grand mean the same thing.
As you go further back, people in the same genaration become 1st, 2nd , 3rd cousins etc. So, if you share grandparents you are 1st cousins; great-grandparents 2nd cousins and so on. A quick way to remember is to count the word great/grand, and that corresponds to which cousin you are.
The removed bit applies to a shift in generation, so I think that your 1st cousin's child would be your 1st cousin once removed. So their grandchild would be your 1st cousin twice removed - well, I think so!
Jan
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this is an excellent relationship chart
http://www.mormonhaven.com/relchart.htm
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Hi Janet,
It's quites easy when someone else just says it in a different way isn't it?
Thanks so much for your help - I really appreciate it and have got my head around most of it now. I find it okay when working out fairly close relationships like first cousins' children but it is when there are generations in your tree who you never knew and I just go round it circles.
I think I'm okay now except I am still trying to understand one thing on the chart. It shows that a Great, Great Uncle's Gt, Gt, Gt, Grandchildren would be my 3rd cousins twice removed (I understand that bit). It then says that I am their 5th cousin once removed. I understand why I am their fifth cousin - by counting up the 5 generations) but don't understand why I am once removed. Is it because they are only one lateral position away from our common ancestor?
Is it all down to just counting the levels horizontally and vertically to determine the relationships easily?
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Ann of Green Gables,
I thought I was sorted but that has thrown a spanner in the works.
The mormon's chart appears to be showing the 'I am their' relationship and when doing the tree I tend to think in terms of 'They are my' relationship.
Am I weird or do most people think in terms of 'I am their ...' relation?
Maybe I'll use both charts to establish both relationships and have the best of both worlds.
Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
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Tootsie.
You know, I have heard before that the " removed" relationship is expressed differently depending on which way round it is. If we pretend it is the other way round for your relatives and you, then they would be 5th cousins to the descendants of your great -grandad on the same generational line, as it were. I think you have to call yourself 2nd, 3rd cousin etc depending on where you are on that line. If you then want to work out your relationship to someone above or below that line, the "removed" bit comes in. What I do not understand is why you are "once" removed - surely it should be twice? I would have thought that your parent would be their 5th cousin once removed.
Jan
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Hi Janet,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes the relationship is expressed differently depending on which way around it is. The Genes Reunited chart gives both relationships which is good but I didn't want to just take it at face value. I started logically working it through and most relationships do fit - it is just the one I have mentioned that I can't seem to work out. My husband has also had a look at it and he can't either (he's an IT guy so thoroughly logical) and neither of us can work it out as 5th cousin once removed.
I'm going to knock it on the head for tonight as it's driving me nuts and I'll take a look with fresh eyes over the weekend.
Thanks for your help!
Tootsie
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