Cousins

 

I have come to the conclusion that “cousin” is the best family tie of all. There are no strings attached to the relationship. There are no expectations. There are no limitations. I have cousins who are neighbors, co-workers, friends, correspondents, acquaintances, and strangers I have yet to meet. I have cousins who share memories and bonds with me and I have cousins who have never been a part of my life or experience.

Cousins can be claimed or ignored. I see some of my cousins several times a week, and others only at weddings and funerals, usually the latter.

 
 

Cousins are reminders that family goes on and on and on in a boundless web of life and love.

I am grateful to my cousins this year for new family photos and information, but mostly just for new relationships. I love hearing from all of them and knowing that we have common ancestors.

 

There are lots of different kinds of cousins and the following is a brief relationship lesson. You can also click on this cousins chart to figure out who is your “third cousin twice removed”. I commented on my Caddo blog that I think I will one day discover that everyone in Caddo is actually related. We are probably all cousins!  

Have a great day!

P. S. I avoided the highway yesterday and went home “through the country”. The geese were in someone’s yard! Only had my little purse camera with me, but you can see that the flock is a big one. The raccoon photos are from last night. One of the little critters has figured out that 6:30 is the time to eat without competition! And yes, I took these photos through the window.

 

 

Cousins:

Cousin (or First Cousin or Full Cousin)
The son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.

Second Cousin
People who have the same great-grandparents, but not the same grandparents. Second cousins are children of first cousins.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins
Third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents, but not the same great-grandparents or grandparents. Fourth cousins have the same great-great-great-grandparents, etc.

Removed
When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. 

The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your father's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. This is because your father's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals "once removed."  The one-generation difference has nothing to do with age, but rather with descendance from the same person.

Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.

Half Cousin
First cousins are the children of siblings; therefore, half first cousins would be the children of half siblings. Half-cousins would have one common grandparent instead of two common grandparents.

Cross Cousin
A cross cousin is from the parent's opposite-sexed sibling; for example, a cousin who is the child of one's mother's brother or one’s father's sister.

Parallel Cousin
A parallel cousin is from the parent's same-sexed sibling; for example, a cousin who is the child of one's mother's sister or one's father's brother.   Parallel cousins are the children of two brothers or two sisters.

Double Cousins
If two siblings in one family marry two siblings from another, and each couple has a child, these children are double cousins.  The addition of the word double to the first cousin term is the result of the number of common grandparents they have. Regular first cousins share only one set of common ancestors, while double first cousins share all lineal and collateral relatives.

Kissing Cousin
A distant relative known well enough to be kissed when greeted; or a cousin marriage

Comments

[Sue Hale Kincheloe]

Thanks for explaining all that confusing cousin stuff that I wondered about!

And what are these animals/birds in the picture? Ostrich? Where are they and do whom do they belong--not you, right?

[Sue Hale Kincheloe]

*to

guess I should have used that Preview feature. ;)

[Megan]

I'm not awake enough to follow this post. I am just grateful there was no quiz at the end. You historian you. : )