Hello, Thanks Toni for the rundown on the cousins. I have always used the first, second third cousin terminology, but when I started using the Family Tree Maker software it sort of confused me with the first cousin 4 times removed on one of the charts. Thoroughly threw me off. I had at one point thought that we should take all our figurings off list, then thought that we would miss out on anymore "cousins" joining in. I have never had so much contact from the list in my 7 years researching. And this is not a direct line for me, but a branch connected to my Dempsters. I am having so much fun with this one. This is the line that I think will help me with the Dempsters my grandparents left behind when they emmigrated to Canada. The Dempsters they seldom spoke about, save for one brother who kept in touch. I knew my dad had a few relatives left behind, but not who they were. So anymore Laings out there? Feel free to identify yourselves. And Toni, in my Dempsters, and this took me some time to figure out, my grandfather's sister, married my grandmother's brother. Liz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Trena" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 10:59 PM Subject: Re: [MIDLOTHIAN] LAING > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 9:40 PM > Subject: Re: [MIDLOTHIAN] LAING > > >>> Gretchen, your Elizabeth LAING first married Robert ARCHIBALD. Her >>> sister Christian LAING married James ARCHIBALD, who were my gg >>> grandparents. Two sisters married two brothers. >> >> Jean, >> >> In this case, you and Gretchen are full 4th cousins (4C) as you share the >> same 3 x g-grandparents. As their two daughters married two brothers, >> the >> brothers' parents would also be your 3 x g-grandparents. "Double 4C"? >> I >> don't think there is an 'official' designation of the 'double' part. >> >> Toni >> >> Hi Toni, >> >> I think I am throwing a monkey wrench in this theory, but my >> gg-grandfather >> was Alexander Baptie who was Elizabeth Laing's 2nd husband after the >> death >> of >> Robert Archibald. I guess that would still make us cousins, but if you >> would, >> could you explain this relationship to me. >> >> Thanks, >> gretchen > > Forget the husbands for the moment. > > Elizabeth LAING (your 2 x g-gm) and Christian LAING (Jean's 2 x g-gm) were > sisters. > > If they were sisters, the common ancestor(s) to you and Jean are their > parents ~ your 3 x great-grandparents. > > 1) Elizabeth's and Christian's children were 1C to each other (at least > one > from each sister was your's and Jean's 1 x g-grandparent). > > 2) The children of the 1C were 2nd cousins to each other (you and Jean > have > a grandparent in the 2C group). > > 3) The children of the the 2C are 3C to each other (your Mum or Dad and > Jean's Mum or Dad are 3C). > > 4) The children of the 3C are 4C to each other (you and Jean). > > I find it rather more easy than others to figure it out, for I grew up > (almost next door) with 2nd cousins. One of them has grandchildren, as do > I. Our grandchildren are 4C to each other. Plus back home we had close > contact with cousins ranging from my father's and her mother's 2C to our > own > 4C and all the relationships in between (the 'removeds' I mean). I'm now > part of a private Yahoo Group where our 25 members range (relationships to > me) from my 1C to 4C with all the 'removeds' in each main cousin group > (i.e. > my Dad's 1C is one, so he is my 1C1R. Their 2C is also in the group, so > she > is 2C1R to me). It's loads of fun for the rest of us when a 'new found > cousin' comes along and they try to keep each relationship straight! Some > of my cousins in Glasgow on my Mum's side are often confused with these > relationships, but <vbg> they become totally confused when the "half" is > included; our grandfather had 3 wives, with 6, 1 & 5 children from the 3 > ... and some are now great-grandparents (1 x G-GP)! > > There are a number of good relationship charts on the net. > http://www.islandregister.com/cousin.html Print off and keep handy, > remembering to begin with the common ancester (in the case with you and > Jean, it would be your 3 x g-grandparents. Confusion often arises too, > when > you use GGG etc. Hard to keep count/track with all those Gs. > > Hope this has helped you understand how you relate to Jean. I don't know > who the common ancestor is to the others who have this same family > grouping, > so I don't know how they relate to you and Jean. Have been following all > the messages ... although I'm in no way connected myself, but I'm finding > it > all so very interesting (and am excited for all of you), so I hope you > won't > take your conversations off-list!! Also, remember nothing will be in the > archives if you do - so won't be available for anyone else who may happen > along months down the road. > > Good Luck to each of you researching this LAING Family! > Toni > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >