Ruth, go to this site and scroll most of the way down to the table of consanguinity. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04264a.htm Marriage between cousins, even 1st cousins was common in the old days and is still legal in many states in the USA. The main reason in Germany was keeping the farm. Another reason was that there wasn't many people to choose from. For example in the 'Odenwald' after the 30 years war, there was less than 20% of the population left to rebuild the area. This caused many families to intermarry, and it is hard to find two families not related in some way. Some of my lines intermarried for over 300 years. Darrel -----Original Message----- From: deu-bad-ortenau-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:deu-bad-ortenau-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of djweber Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 7:46 PM To: deu-bad-ortenau@rootsweb.com Cc: nrhundley@sbcglobal.net Subject: Re: [Ortenau] definition of relationship Ruth, This may be the specific Priest and his method of indicating that a dispensation was required for the marriage. Until 1917 the Catholic Church required dispensation if the parties of the marriage were "related to the fourth degree of ". In 1917, this dropped to the third degree and in 1983 to the second degree, first cousins. Considering the geographic location, or perhaps the identification should be, geographic isolation of many of the towns of the Black Forest and Baden area, logically dispensations may have been a common action. I have a friend who for years has teased his wife who was born in a town in West Virginia that the town's fifty-page telephone book included only three family names. Certainly this is an exaggeration of truth but eventually in the downward generations of a family, cousins, of various degree, may marry. The more isolated the town may be by hills, forest and rivers, such marriages may be increased in percentage of the total marriages. Procedures may vary but normally the dispensation would be filed separately from the marriage Rite listing. In some instances the need for a dispensation was identified within that Rite listing by the specific Priest. Perhaps your Priest of Waldulm made such an identification with the marginal entry. Perhaps during the tenure of that particular Priest, it was a common entry at Waldum. Earlier this year Dick Eastman in an article on second cousins tried his hand at combining details into a relationship chart. The URL sould be < http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/02/what-is-second.html > and while it would not be specific to your instance, it might be helpful. There are a number of other relationship charts online but I might believe that the entry you found was merely for the indication of the needed dispensation. djweber djwdjw@ix.netcom.com ---------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Hundley" <nrhundley@sbcglobal.net> To: <deu-bad-ortenau@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 5:06 PM Subject: [Ortenau] definition of relationship > Hello, > I am looking for a relationship noted in the mar. banns for my great > grandparents: > > double blood relationship in the thrird degree > > What does this mean other than they were 3rd cousins??? I think or double > cousis. > > They were both from the town of Waldulm, Baden, Germany and it was a very > small village to which I think everyone married into the same family many > times and I am altumultly related to everyone!!! > > Any help would be greatly appreciated in definitions. > > Thanks, > > Ruth in IL, USA > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DEU-BAD-ORTENAU-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message