Genealogy Chart

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Good morning.

Good morning, who is this?

This is Ellie Leslie, and I’m calling you from Rancho Bernardo.

And I have a question to ask you.

It’s been bothering me for years, and you’re finally going to be the one to solve this for me.

Dun-dun-dun.

My question is, could you please tell me the difference between a second cousin and a cousin once removed?

Well, if you want to, you can marry either one.

No.

I’m glad to know that.

Oh, really?

At age 78, I’m real concerned about that.

Well, I’m glad we can help.

You helped me already.

About 11 years ago, we made our first trip to Switzerland, and I met my wonderful cousin, who is an attorney in Bern, and Pierre’s grandfather and my grandmother were brother and sister in Switzerland.

Brother and sister.

Brother and sister.

So we assumed his grandfather’s children and my grandmother’s children would be first cousins, making us the second generation, and therefore we would be second cousins.

But he thought, no, Ellie, I don’t think so.

I think we’re cousins once removed.

And therein the question has been plaguing me because I thought second cousins would be of the same generation.

You’re right that the once removed has to do with different generations.

I can tell you that one.

And you are right as well that you are second cousins with this fellow Pierre.

Because you are both the child of the other’s parents’ first cousin.

Yes, exactly.

So that’s it.

Oh, I need a PowerPoint.

It helps if you make the tree.

Just make the family tree, put the people at the top of it, draw the lines, show the parents, show the children, show the grandchildren, and then start numbering.

Go zero for the top generation, one for the next generation, two for the next generation.

And then you have your numbers right next to the first cousins and the second cousins.

And then the ones removed is when you move one further step down the chain from where you are.

That’s true. You’re on different levels.

So that the genealogy chart would make an arrow downward to another generation.

That’s what I’ve been thinking.

Oh, you make me so happy.

He has a way of doing that.

You’re right on top of it there.

Finally get this clarified.

All right. I thank you so very, very much.

Well, it’s our pleasure. Thank you for calling us today.

All right. I’m going to put in a long-distance call to Pierre and Albert.

No, it costs too much. I’m going to email him.

Tell him I was right. How about that?

Yeah.

Yeah, share it with the world.

Okay. Thank you so much.

Okay, take care.

Take care, Ellie. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Yeah, Grant, the way that I’ve understood it is to think about the grandparents.

So your first cousins are the people who share your grandparents.

Your second cousins are the people who have the same great-grandparents as you, but not the same grandparents.

And all the way down the line to the third and the fourth, right?

Yeah.

To me, that’s an easier way to remember it.

The once-removed throws people because they forget that they need to lead one generation further down the chain, and that’s when you get the remove, right?

Right, that you and that other person are in different generations.

That’s right.

Although what’s also confusing about it is that your first cousin once removed is either a child of one’s first cousin or it’s one’s parent’s first cousin.

Right.

So there’s a reciprocation there that also confuses people.

Right.

I see on genealogy.com there’s a really good chart for this.

We should link to this on waywordradio.org.

But, you know, this is all easily solved.

It’s been solved in Southern English for generations.

Yeah.

You just call everybody cuz and you’re done.

You don’t need to go worry about the removes and stuff.

Everybody’s just cuz.

If you’re not really quite sure, and they’re at your family union, then they’re cuz.

That’s a good idea.

Just use the generic.

Yeah.

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And send your problems and theories to words@waywordradio.org.