By A couple years ago, I asked the late Bill Ikerd, a local genealogical expert, about cousins and the mechanics of how cousins became once- and twice- removed.
He sent me a wonderfully clear explanation of the cousins puzzle:
First Cousin: the child of your aunt or uncle.
First Cousin Once-Removed: If your cousin has a child, that child is a first cousin once removed to you. (One generation removed from being a first cousin.)
Second Cousin: If you have a child, your child is a second cousin to your first cousin’s child.
First Cousin Twice-Removed: If your first cousin has a grandchild, that grandchild is a first cousin twice removed to you, and a third cousin to your grandchild.
First cousins always share a grandparent.
Second cousins always share a great-grandparent.
Third cousins always share a great-great grandparent.
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It helps to have a little organization in your head when you go to a family gathering.
On Friday, at a family funeral, many of my mom’s first cousins were there. What’s weird is when I was growing up, I heard about these cousins, but I never met them until they started having family reunions several years ago.
My mom’s parents were native Kansans, but strangely enough, my grandfather and three of his siblings had all moved to Arkansas. When we’d visit my grandparents, we also visited those other old people – my great aunts and uncles. Their kids (mom’s cousins) were all grown up and living elsewhere (some of them in Kansas). I heard the names in conversations, but never met them.
Now when I see Mom’s cousins, I need to put these people in context – who belongs to whom. At the funeral, I met my second cousin, Steve, for the first time. And when he was talking about “Grandpa,” I had to run my mind up the family tree: OK, Steve’s father is Clayton, his grandfather is Ira. So, was it Ira who, in the dark, stepped on the rattlesnake right behind its head and he heard the rattle, but couldn’t move because it would strike him?
I tried to get some of the timing down, of who moved to Arkansas, when and why, and how they all ended up in Fayetteville at the same time. And then, the final stories of these great aunts and uncles, which ones came home to Kansas before they died.
Wow, thanks for getting that information Cheryl. I’m going to copy that and send it to my kids, so they’ll know how everyone is related, cousin wise that is. I had wondered the same thing myself.
Stepped on a rattlesnake and couldn’t move! I AM TRULY IMPRESSED! A lot of people would have leaped away. He must have had a calm soul.
Janet
Thanks for the info, Cheryl. If/when I finally get both Dad’s and Mom’s sides straight lines under control, then I’ll start looking at cousins…1st., 2nd, etc.
Bill Ikerd was the one who, when I went to my first genealogy meeting, made the comment that everybody’s family story starts the same: ‘there were these 4 or 5 brothers who came to America….” and I was so suprised because that’s right! My great-grandfather came over with 3 brothers; the Brownings came over and there were 4 brothers. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side came here with 3 brothers (I think)! …now, I imagine there must be exceptions, but, at the time, I thought that was just amazing! Bill Ikerd was SUCH a good guy! (his grandson was one of my students)