2nd cousins and 3rd cousins
 

What exactly is a 2nd cousin, or a 3rd cousin?
And also add in the "once or twice removed" business and you have a confusing situation.

Can anybody here explain to me what these are?

2nd cousin is if you share a great grandparent.

3rd cousin is if you share a great-great grandparent.

The removed business is how many generations out you are.

So if someone is my grandparent and your great grandparent then it makes us cousins once removed.

I thought second cousin referred to the generation. Like I have an aunt that has a couple kids, so they are my first cousins. If they have kids, then they are my second cousins?

Don't know about the removal stuff.

No, the kids of your first cousin are your first cousins, once removed.

When you have kids, they will be their second cousins.

llama8 thats it

Doesn't anyone else hear "Dueling Banjos" in the background of this thread? :)

To picture it, draw a family tree.

Those on the same "level" as you are bothers, sisters, and cousins.

Your siblings are your 0th cousins, and every step out from there they become one further away.

For "nth removed", that is the number of steps up or down you had to go to get to them. It is much harder to work out!

I think, for people "higher" in the tree than you, you go up the tree until you are at their level through your parents, then you count how far out they are. The "up" parts are how far removed, and the "sideways" parts determine if they are 1st, 2nd or 3rd (etc) cousins.

For people down the tree, apparently you go horizontally first, then count how many generations you have to go down.

Oh, and 0th cousin once removed is an aunt (or a grandchild!). A 0th cousin twice removed is a great-aunt (I think) (or a great grandchild).

<- my Mother is into geneology, but I might be completely wrong.

Re: 2nd cousins and 3rd cousins
 

2nd cousin = breedin' material in the south

3rd cousin = sibling in the south

Any more questions?

Well I know who my parents, brothers, grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins and that's enough family for me!

Only 2nd cousins i ever know about are those who are cousins to my pop or mom.

Well they are in fact your cousins once removed, I think!

Here is how I understand it:

Your uncle's child is your first cousin.

Your father's cousin is your second cousin.

Your grandfather's cousin is your third cousin.

You first cousin's child is your first cousin once removed.

Your father's cousin's child is your second cousin once removed.

Your grandfather's cousin's child is your third cousin once removed.

Your first cousin's grandchild is your first cousin twice removed.

Some of you have it.. Some of you are making it more murky.

It's always easier if you use a consanguinity chart

Here are some examples:

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1769/
http://home.triad.rr.com/zanetti/chart2.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...56/cousin.html
http://www.eng.uci.edu/students/mpon...ntius/7-7.html
http://members.aol.com/anolelady/cuztable.htm
http://www.duerinck.com/consangu.html
http://www.hayward-logan.com/Genealo...ship_chart.htm


I think that should suffice.. since they all say the exact same thing.