AIBU?
confusteling · 02/05/2013 22:25
Your second cousin is the child of your mother's first cousin, your third cousin is the child of your mmother's second cousin I think.
Twice removed refers to the generation gap. Cant recall exactly how it works.
I've done genealogy so have a good long list of relatives that tells me how they're related..
Trill · 02/05/2013 22:28
You and your siblings share the same parents.
You and your (first) cousins share grandparents - your parents are each other's siblings.
You and your second cousins share great grandparents - your parents are each other's cousins - your grandparents are siblings.
"Removed" refers to a change in generation. When the people you are talking about are of a different generation you say the closest thing , then the number of generations removed.
Your mum's first cousin is your first cousin once removed.
Your grandma's cousin first cousin is your first cousin twice removed.
confusteling · 02/05/2013 22:28
E.g Paul is my fifth cousin. Paul's mother is my mum's fourth cousin, but she's my fourth cousin once removed. OHer mother is a third cousin of my nan. Her mother is a second cousin of my gt nan. So gt gt nan, and Paul's gt gt nan are first cousins - so Pall and I's gt gt gt Gran are sisters.
tallulah · 02/05/2013 22:38
Your mother's cousin is your cousin once removed.
Your mother's cousin's child is your second cousin.
Your cousin's DS is your cousin once removed.
If you are on the same generational line as your relative, the relationship goes siblings>first cousin>second cousin>third cousin etc
So Adam and Anne are siblings. Adam's son Barry and Anne's DD Barbara are first cousins. Next generation Barry's DD Clare and Barbara's DS Colin are second cousins etc.
The removed part is when you are not on the same generational line. So both your mother's cousin and your cousin's child are once removed, even though one is the generation before you and the other after.
WafflyVersatile · 02/05/2013 22:43
I also get confused, so I googled.
Here is a pictorial representation. I have no idea if it is correct or not.
leisureguy.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/cousin_tree.png
squalorvictoria · 02/05/2013 22:51
The Wikipedia entry on cousins really helped me with this 
My cousin's child is MY child's second cousin. And my first cousin once removed.
Being cousins is all to do with shared ancestors. If you share grandparents you are first cousins. If you share great grandparents you are second cousins.
Ginger4justice · 02/05/2013 23:02
Squalor That's how I got it. Someone explained the shared grandparents thing to me and it all suddenly clicked.
Basically ignore who is who's aunt, mum or whatever. If they have a grandparent in common they're cousins, great grandparent they're second cousins and so on. I've given up about the removed bit, but I guess that comes in when one side's grandparent is another great grandparent etc.
It gets a bit ridiculous on DH side as his Great Grandma (so DD Great, Great, Grandma) is still alive so we occasionally see DD's Third Cousins and everyone in between. MIL has stopped trying to explain it to me and has left me in happy ignorance of who anyone is on these occasions or what they are saying through their yorkshire accents.
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