I absolutely love the answers for this topic. You folks have been excellent with explanations over the expression "Shirt-tail Cousins" along with the other definitions such as "button-hole kin" or even "Luther Cousins". I truly, never knew there was as many names for the relationship as there were confusing relationships. *hehehe* [Did that make sense? :o) ] Isn't this the neatest topic? I grew up with "Cousin once removed" or "twice" or was it such and such!?? I never understood the removal part except that they applied to the married folks that married direct family blood lines. I also couldn't figure out the twice removed anything either when that was mentioned, unless you wanted me to remove it from the cupboard. Now, that removal, I understood fully! *hehehe* Plus, removing ones head from the rear - end portion of one's anatomy was the other removal I understood fully too. *hehehehe* Shelia Bachelder ----- Original Message ----- From: <ENC6@aol.com> To: <OKGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 7:47 PM Subject: Re: [OKGEN ] BIBB > In a message dated 4/24/2001 11:31:59 AM Central Daylight Time, > webachel@wolf.co.net writes: > > > > That's an interesting expression ... "Shirt-tail" cousin. Can someone > > elaborate on that more to explain how it came about? I've always heard the > > use of it in conversation with the older folks that have past on but never > > really understood the meaning. Is it really a cousin or someone who just > > claims to be a cousin due to the familiarity with the family? I hope I > > asked that correctly! > > > > Shelia > > > > We used "button-hole kin-folk". But I think they mean the same thing. > Someone who is related to someone else who is related to you but not really > related to you. WHEW.... now that is a mouth full. > For example.. I grew up with the two folks - a brother and a sister. Their > mother was a cousin to my mother's brother's wife. So they were not really > related but they were very much an accepted part of the family. > Take care - Emma > > > ==== OKGEN Mailing List ==== > OKGenWeb Lawmen and Outlaws > http://marti.rootsweb.com/law/law.htm > Indian Pioneer Papers > http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/pioneer/pioneer.htm > >