Yahoo Answers is shutting down on 4 May 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Grinch
Lv 7
Grinch asked in Arts & HumanitiesGenealogy · 4 years ago

If 2 people have a common great-grandfather, what is their relationship to each other?

Sorry, I'm not at all familiar with the ancestry or family-tree terminology. I don't know what it means to be the second-, or third-, cousin, or what it means to be once-, twice-, thrice-removed, etc.

I've found someone whose grandfather would have been a brother to my grandfather. And that would make her mom a first cousin to my dad? (Is that right?) Please explain how she and I are related?

Thank you!

7 Answers

Relevance
  • Anonymous
    4 years ago
    Favourite answer

    Here are 5 generations, with the child below the parent, and with spouses and siblings omitted for clarity.

    Generation 1: Andrew & Alice = siblings

    Generation 2: Bruce & Bernard = 1st cousins

    Generation 3: Charles & Carol = 2nd cousins

    Generation 4: Daniel & Dorothy = 3rd cousins

    Generation 5: Elizabeth & Edward = 4th cousins

    You and the lady in question are "Charles & Carol" - 2nd cousins. User "Librayanna" is getting thumbs down because she is off by one degree.

    Removed comes in when cousins are in different generations.

    Carol and Bruce are first cousin once removed through Bernard.

    Dorothy and Bruce are first cousin twice removed through Bernard and Carol.

    There is a word, "thrice", but no one uses it these days.

    You'd say Edward and Bruce are first cousins three times removed through Bernard, Carol and Dorothy.

    You put "half in front of everything if Andrew & Alice were half-siblings.

    There are two ways to remember degree.

    1) Children of first cousins are second cousins, children of second cousins are third cousins, and so forth. By "children of" I mean Bruce marries Zelda and has children with her, while Bernard marries Alicia and has children with her; not that someone married his first, 2nd, 3rd or 4th cousin.

    2) The greatness of the common grandparents is one less than the degree of cousins;

    Common 1st GGP = 2nd cousins

    Common 2nd GGP = 3rd cousins

    and so on.

  • 4 years ago

    If they didn't share the same Great Grandmother why would be Half Second cousins.

  • Maxi
    Lv 7
    4 years ago

    People who share a great grandparent are second cousins

    People who share a grandparent are first cousins

    Removed means generation difference, so for example your parents first cousins are your first cousin once removed as you are one generation different and your grandparents cousins are one of your parents first cousin once remove and your first cousin twice removed as you are two generation difference

  • ?
    Lv 5
    4 years ago

    Usually strangers.

  • 4 years ago

    Children of siblings are first cousins to each other as they share grandparents.

    Children of first cousins are second cousins to each other as they share the same great grandparents.

    However you did not say you share the same great grandparents but only the great grandfather. If this is the case you are 1/2 second cousins to each other.

    The removes come in when you are in a different generation coming down from a common ancestor. You are a first cousin once removed to your parents' first cousins as their grandparents are your great grandparents. You are also a first cousin once removed to your first cousins' children as your grandparents are their great grandparents. In both cases one generation different.

    Here is a relationship chart

    http://www.islandregister.com/cousin.html

  • 4 years ago

    The great grandfather is the common ancestor. The grandfathers are brothers. The fathers are first cousins. The people in question are second cousins. Their children will be third cousins. Their grandchildren will be fourth cousins.

    When the first of these two people has a child, it will be the second person's second cousin once removed. When the child grows up and has the first person's grandchild, the grandchild will be the second person's second cousiin twice removed. The first, second, third, etc. cousins stay the same and each generation is one removed, either higher or lower.

  • 4 years ago

    Cousins. First, second, third, just depends on the connection. First cousins, have sisters or brothers as parents. First cousin's kids are second cousins to each other.

    The once removed means that the child of a first cousin is a first cousin once removed. (The once removed refers to which generation they are in.)

    In your example, third cousins.

Still have questions? Get answers by asking now.