Richard Emlin Reed wrote: "I never did have the straight of the cousin _____ removed designation. I know that people with a common grandparent are first cousins; those with a common great grandparent are second cousins; and so on. So, since John and Maria are my 2gps and your 3gps; doesn't that make us 2.5 cousins? }:-)" LOL 2.5 cousins, you are a naughty one! I confess, I use a quick genealogy computer widget to figure degrees of cousinage quickly. Cousin Calc.... http://www.iroots.net/tools/cusncalc/ ...I have the downloaded web-based cousin calculator which is an on demand popup tool. That webpage I referenced also has a regular old table you can consult if you want to figure cousinage the old fashioned way LOL instead of using the easy cheat web tool. When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your father's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. This is because your father's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals "once removed." The one-generation difference has nothing to do with age, but rather with descendance from the same person. Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed. So Herr Richard, since our common ancestor is my 3x gr-grandparents (your 2x gr-grandparents), we are 3rd cousins, once removed. You and my father would be straight out 3rd cousins since you share(d) the same 2x gr-grandparents. When I'm able to get out and can convince someone to drive me to Mt. Aetna, I'll make a point of finding those graves and taking photos of the stones. I did things the backwards way. When I was young and healthy, I never took photos of the stones when I'd visit the cemetery. I started actively researching my genealogy once it became more difficult for me to be out on solitary adventures. So of couse now I could kick myself for not taking the photos back in the day. Would you like to know what made me feel OLD? (you can laugh, I'm turning 49 on the 20th) One day I spent the afternoon at the Berks Historical Society Library looking through the microfilm of Mt. Aetna St John's records in their archives. I suddenly came across my name (I was baptized at St. John's). I came home that day, called my mother and told her that I was so old that I appear in the Historical Society's Archives. Mom (at 75yo) had a good laugh at that. Karen from Berks Cawhnty

So, Karen, a quick genealogy computer widget to figure degrees of cousinage quickly. What won't they think of next! I read your very concise explanation and now everything is clear - I think. Thanks, Oldtimer. Richard Emlin Reed Wesley Chapel, FL ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen Fox" <karenmfox@verizon.net> To: <padutch-life@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 1:03 PM Subject: Re: [PD-LIFE] Achenbach > Richard Emlin Reed wrote: > > "I never did have the straight of the cousin _____ removed designation. I > know that people with a common grandparent are first cousins; those with a > common great grandparent are second cousins; and so on. So, since John and > Maria are my 2gps and your 3gps; doesn't that make us 2.5 cousins? }:-)" > > LOL 2.5 cousins, you are a naughty one! > > I confess, I use a quick genealogy computer widget to figure degrees of > cousinage > quickly. Cousin Calc.... http://www.iroots.net/tools/cusncalc/ ...I have > the downloaded > web-based cousin calculator which is an on demand popup tool. That webpage > I referenced > also has a regular old table you can consult if you want to figure > cousinage the old fashioned > way LOL instead of using the easy cheat web tool. > > When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates > that the two people > are from different generations. > > The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one > generation. > For example, your father's first cousin is your first cousin, once > removed. > This is because your father's first cousin is one generation younger than > your grandparents > and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This > one-generation difference > equals "once removed." The one-generation difference has nothing to do > with age, but rather > with descendance from the same person. > > Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. > You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, > so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice > removed. > > So Herr Richard, since our common ancestor is my 3x gr-grandparents (your > 2x gr-grandparents), > we are 3rd cousins, once removed. You and my father would be straight out > 3rd cousins since > you share(d) the same 2x gr-grandparents. > > When I'm able to get out and can convince someone to drive me to Mt. > Aetna, I'll > make a point of finding those graves and taking photos of the stones. I > did things the > backwards way. When I was young and healthy, I never took photos of the > stones when > I'd visit the cemetery. I started actively researching my genealogy once > it became > more difficult for me to be out on solitary adventures. So of couse now I > could kick > myself for not taking the photos back in the day. > > Would you like to know what made me feel OLD? (you can laugh, I'm turning > 49 on the 20th) > One day I spent the afternoon at the Berks Historical Society Library > looking through > the microfilm of Mt. Aetna St John's records in their archives. > > I suddenly came across my name (I was baptized at St. John's). > > I came home that day, called my mother and told her that I was so old that > I appear in the Historical Society's Archives. Mom (at 75yo) had a good > laugh at that. > > Karen from Berks Cawhnty