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How are you related?  The following chart will assist you in using the proper terms to describe blood relationships.  First determine the first ancestor that you and the other person have in common.  Next find the column in the top row which describes the other person's relationship to the common ancestor.  Then find the row in the left column that describes your relationship to the common ancestor.  The intersection of the row and column describes that person's relationship to you.

CA CH GCH GGCH G2GCH G3GCH G4GCH G5GCH G6GCH G7GCH G8GCH
CH S N GN GGN G2GN G3GN G4GN G5GN G6GN G7GN
GCH U 1C 1C1R 1C2R 1C3R 1C4R 1C5R 1C6R 1C7R 1C8R
GGCH GU 1C1R 2C 2C1R 2C2R 2C3R 2C4R 2C5R 2C6R 2C7R
G2GCH GGU 1C2R 2C1R 3C 3C1R 3C2R 3C3R 3C4R 3C5R 3C6R
G3GCH G2GU 1C3R 2C2R 3C1R 4C 4C1R 4C2R 4C3R 4C4R 4C5R
G4GCH G3GU 1C4R 2C3R 3C2R 4C1R 5C 5C1R 5C2R 5C3R 5C4R
G5GCH G4GU 1C5R 2C4R 3C3R 4C2R 5C1R 6C 6C1R 6C2R 6C3R
G6GCH G5GU 1C6R 2C5R 3C4R 4C3R 5C2R 6C1R 7C 7C1R 7C2R
G7GCH G6GU 1C7R 2C6R 3C5R 4C4R 5C3R 6C2R 7C1R 8C 8C1R
G8GCH G7GU 1C8R 2C7R 3C6R 4C5R 5C4R 6C3R 7C2R 8C1R 9C
Definitions:
  • CA = common ancestor
  • CH = child
  • N = nephew/niece
  • U = uncle/aunt
  • G = grand
  • GG = great grand
  • G# = great that many times
  • S = sibling - brother/sister
  • #C = cousin number
  • #R = how many times removed (how many generations separate the relationship)
Therefore, the child of your uncle is your first cousin, since you share the same grandfather.  The great grand child of your great great grand mother is your second cousin once removed.  These legal descriptions only apply to blood relations.  However, the child of your uncle's brother, even though the uncle is married to your father's sister, is often referred to as a "first cousin by marriage", but legally has no blood relation.  See Relations for a program to assist you.

But, what about Step-, Half-, . . . ?  These terms are used when siblings (brother/sister) do not share the same set of parents.  If you have one parent in common, you are "half-" brother/sister, and if not, you are "step-" brother/sister.  Your non-blood parent is your "step-" parent.  Previous children of that step-parent are your step-siblings.
  • HALF BROTHER/HALF SISTER - Child by another marriage of one's mother or father; the relationship of two people who have only one parent in common.
  • STEP-BROTHER / STEP-SISTER - Child of one's step-father or step-mother.
  • STEP-CHILD - Child of one's husband or wife from a previous marriage.
  • STEP-FATHER - Husband of one's mother by a later marriage.
  • STEP-MOTHER - Wife of one's father by a later marriage.

OK, now tell me about In-Law, . . . ?  An in-law relation is one by marriage rather than by blood and extends only to your immediate family.  The wife of your son is your daughter-in-law and your wife's parents are your mother-/father-in-law.  Your brother's wife is your sister-in-law.   But the wife of your uncle is still your aunt and the uncle of your wife is just that.  The in-law term only applies to your marriage, your sibling's marriage, and your children's marriage.

To get the full story see the lyrics to "I Am My Own Grand Pa".


For more definitions, see pages at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~canwgw/ns/digby/perm2/glossary.htm - new window
http://home.earthlink.net/~howardorjeff/i8.htm - new window
http://www.cyndislist.com/diction.htm#GenDict - new window
 

Please contact me with your comments, contributions, and/or corrections.

© Copyright 1998-2003 by Jim Pool Saturday, October 18, 2003