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From: ed@mtxinu.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.games.trivia
Subject: Re: genealogy (sp?) question
Message-ID: <148@mtxinu.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Jul-84 21:20:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtxinu.148
Posted: Tue Jul 17 21:20:25 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Jul-84 06:47:47 EDT
References: <192@hou2e.UUCP>
Organization: mt Xinu, Berkeley
Lines: 17

Cousin-ness is actually easy to understand.  The degree (first, second)
refers to the distance from common ancestors.  First cousins
share grandparents, second cousins share great grandparents, etc.
So, your mother's cousin's children are your second cousins:
Your mother and her cousin share grandparents; you and the cousin's
kids therefore share great grandparents.

"Reomval" refers to differences in generation between cousins.
To continue with the same example, you and your mother's cousin
are first cousins once removed.  The degree of cousinness
is taken from the older (in terms of generation, not necessarily
age) cousin; they are then n times removed, where n is the
difference in their generations.

-- 
Ed Gould
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed