Consanguinity - The Degree of Genealogical Relationships

So you found someone famous in your family line have you? You turn to your friends and family and then have to proceed through a complicated description on just how you are related. Sounds easy at first, until someone's eyebrows scrunch, and a puzzled look come across their face as they try to process this new narrow, but worthy path you have just forage in relationships. 

Hoping that no one asks question we try to use the right words to help them understand the unique relationship you, or they have. If they understand or are family with the common language of relation sanguinity. It makes your job easier. 

So the statement that Daniel Boone is your the great-uncle of my great-great-grandfather's third cousin, shouldn't be a problem.  Right? I will give you a pen and watch you chart that relationship. No, you say? 

Hard to conceptualize? A bit confusing, right? Don't worry you are not alone. 

It is easier to think of what your shared ancestors would call you both - if your closet shared direct-line ancestor is your great-great-grandparents, and they call you both "great-great-grandchildren," then you have no removal, you two are second cousins. Once, Twice, Thice Removed...Have I lost you? Well hang on a bit. 

Actually, it is only by being familiar with the system we use in designating these relationships, that you can see there is a consistent formula to the kinship titles we assign to various family members. In English-speaking societies, we classify family relationship based on gender, generation, and consideration of consanguinity (direct descendants) and by what is called, immediate afinal (in-law) relationships. Our common familiarity is with immediate family and direct lines – brother, sister, cousins, aunts/uncles and the (great) grandparents. It starts to get confusing when differentiating between the “degrees” and “removals” of cousins. 

Something I am sure most of you will agree with as we all have wrestled with this system at one time or another. 

First, Second, Third Cousins?  What Does it Mean? The ordinals in this system, “first cousin”, “second cousin”, “third cousin”, all describe the degree of the cousin relationship or the number of generations to their closest ancestor. For example, your second cousin is a person you share great-grandparents with and is not your direct sibling. 

Table of Consanguinity Showing Degrees of Relationships

The secret is in the generations. When the cousins are not in your same generation then they are “removed. “First cousins once removed” declares that either one of you are one generation away from being first cousins. For example, if your first cousin has kids, they are your first cousins once removed – the closest common ancestor shared are your grandparents but are “once removed” from the level of first cousin (held by their parents). 

Here is the confusing part: there are two instances in your family tree that can share this title. This is a reflection of what cousins refer to each as. Up until now, each relationship in your family tree has inverse titles for each other. You are your aunt’s niece or nephew; you are your great-grandparents grandchild. Cousins refer to each other as cousins, but because of this, your first cousin’s kid is your first cousin once removed and you (the parent of their second cousin) are also their first cousin once removed – you each refer to each other as the same. This means that the child of your first cousin and the parents of your second cousin are both “first cousins once removed” despite each of them being generations apart. 

Here is the breakdown: 

FIRST COUSINS: Non-siblings that share grandparents 
SECOND COUSINS: Non-siblings that share great-grandparents 
THIRD COUSINS: Non-siblings that share great-great-grandparents 
FIRST COUSINS ONCE REMOVED: Two people for whom the first cousin relationship is    one generation removed. 
FIRST COUSINS TWICE REMOVED: Two people for whom the second cousin relationship is two generations removed. 

If this is still confusing, take a breath and remember they are not going anywhere and will still be your ancestor or relative tomorrow. You will in time and practice understand this classification system. Practice also always makes understanding so much easier. Try to use the chart with someone you are closer in relation to,  and you will find it easier each time you use it to classify your unique blood relation to people more distantly related.  Remember you can always pull out your file proving lineage and really impress everyone with your verifiable work. Because the proof is in the detailed genealogy work that you do anyway. 

Good luck and enjoy your newly discovered relatives!


 

Today's Colonial Gift

Today's Colonial Gift from Whiskers is about finding female ancestors! Whiskers imparts the following advice for all of you who are working so hard to find your female ancestors. 


Many of you face this problem when working on your lines. Rub your whiskers, and dig in to this morsel here. The issue is that women usually change their names when they marry. However finding a maiden name is essential to the full development of a family line. The best place to locate a maiden name is on a marriage record. If that is not available, other vital records may have the information. In various times in history, the legal and social status of women has changed much.

So Whiskers suggests you look for the birth certificates of her children, her death certificate, even her husband's death certificate. You may also have luck with the marriage or death certificate of her children. In addition, Baptism records may also contain the mother's maiden name, even in older church records. Look for unual middle names for her children, as naming a child with the Mother's maiden name is often seen. For example, if her son is named, Robert Bolling Jefferson.

You can smile....

Another possible source is her obituary, which might mention surviving brothers. Also look for obituaries of sisters or men you believe are her brothers. Continue to look for wills, as a woman may be mentioned in her father's or mother's will. 


Good Luck, with patience and methodical research, you will succeed!

A Post-Colonial Myth - Name Changes at Ellis Island

If there is one common myth I run into often as a genealogist, it is someone believing that their last name was changed by a clerk at Ellis Island. Often the person telling the story feels some sense of violation and loss of identity. I want to expound on this today.

Did name changes happend according to this popular lore?

Actually, it is highly unlikely that this happened. To begin with the clerks at Ellis Island didn't write down names. They worked from lists that were created by the shipping companies. What usually happened was the emigrant bought a ticket from an office near his home. So, the seller probably spoke the same language and transcribed the name correctly. In cases where the name was recorded incorrectly, it likely occurred in the old country, not at Ellis Island.

There are several questions to consider when talking about the accuracy of name spellings on records:

• When the record was created, was there a standard ("correct") way to spell the name?
• Did the individual know how to spell the name himself? (Was he or she literate?)
• If he did not write the name himself, did the recording clerk ask him his preferred spelling? 

So much of the time, the answer to at least one of these questions was "no." However, let us assume that your immigrant knew how to spell his name and it was written correctly on the list created by the shipping company and used by the inspectors at Ellis Island. When he arrived at Ellis Island, he was checked against the list. With all the immigrants coming through the facility, many translators were employed so language problems were rare.

Bear in mind that name changes were often made by the immigrants themselves.


Remember Ellis Island was called Gibbet Island, after a few pirates that were hung there in Colonial Days! Ellis Island officially opened as an immigration station on January 1, 1892 and closed in November 1954.


Here is a story on the pre-colonial story, I feel is worth telling.

Whether your family came to this country during the Ellis Island period or the Colonial Period... 

I wish to welcome you to this great country. 


There truly is no other place like it in the world!

Visit the DAR on Flickr

Visit the Site Here

The NSDAR is a genealogical lineage society of women who can trace their ancestry to one or more patriots who fought in the American Revoution. In addition the NSDAR is an non-profit organization which works to preserve our nations great history. Enjoy and visit it often, as new photos will be posted!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/todaysdar/

Today's Colonial Gift

Today's Colonial Gift from Whiskers

Today's byte is especially tasty. It comes from his friend Mortimer who works with a NSDAR Genealogist, most wise. Mortimer told Whiskers that when you are looking to connect family members, look at land records. For in these records you will learn often, that a piece of land was willed to, or sold to a family member. Often times family member will also live nearby as well. Patriots of the American Revolution were often granted 'Land Patents' for their service. Anyone else would have a land deed. So if you are having trouble connecting people as relations, look for their land holdings! Thanks Mortimer!

Today's Colonial Gift

Today's Colonial Gift From Whiskers

Is a webite that gives a tremendous amount of information for those who are researching their colonial ancestors. It is called, Colonial Ancestors.com and is very well worth navigating. You will find records on the individual colonies. The battles during colonial days. Who took the oath of fidelity or allegiance, and where. Check this out! You will be delighted with the information that you find here.

Take the link below:

Colonial Ancestors

Ancestry.Com "Who Do You Think You Are?"

When one begins the journey of finding those that have come before them, it is especially important to be ready to confront some of the realities of their life as it was. The series "Who Do You Think You Are?" is full of just such pondering. Below is the first episode in the long search for Actress Kim Cattrell. Please take a moment and listen to the beginning of her story as she searches for important answers in her life.

It is easy to get caught up in the emotional part of her story. Like anyone else we hope she finds the answers that she seeks, and that they are acceptable to her.

Many people find this, as the hardest barrier to researching their past.

What if so-in-so was a beggar man, thief? Or worse? What deep dark secrets has my family kept for all these years?

And the all important one? Do I really want to know?

The answer is yes.... You do. Why?

I have been doing genealogy research for a number of years with my mother and cousins. I can tell you unequivatably that what you will find, will strengthen you. Understandings are never too late in any one's life. Peace comes to those who seek understanding.

Genealogy does not define you as a person. Rather it gives you the power to define who you are, and where you came from. It explores why you eat what you eat, practice the faith you do, even wear the clothes that you wear. It answers where your family traditions came from. Why you think, and talk the way you do.

It lets you define yourself.

My research going back hundreds of years, has taught me more about the living part of history than any book could have. How? Because I am attached to people who lived that history. I know what part of history my family took part in. Whether you are a immigrant of the 1600's to America or a more recent patriot. You have a unique story that is beautiful in all of it's telling.

Because it is your story.

Yes, I have learned some things I never knew. The next important step is to put them into historical context. You may recognize the old adage, "You do not know someone, until you have walked in their shoes?" Genealogy puts this into action.

That is what genealogy is about to me. Putting on new shoes, learning new things, and most importantly learning what they mean to me.

So I encourage you to take classes in genealogy. Your local library is a good source. Look also for recognized organizations such as the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, The Sons of American Revolution. There are so many lineage societies and truly devoted and qualified genealogist who can help you on your journey.

It is a journey of a lifetime, and definitely one you should not miss!

Good luck!

Searching Variant Surnames

Our Registrar also teaches the valuable use of the * in a surname where changes have occured in spelling. This instructional video is very helpful in the search for ancestors and worth watching.

Good Luck!