Family trees: what does “once removed” mean?
Self-tutoring about family trees: the tutor mentions the idea of “once removed.”
The following is according to my understanding.
As I mention in my post from yesterday about cousins and second cousins, some of my awareness about family trees developed during my years in elementary school in the Annapolis Valley.
I recall one day, in grade five, one of my classmates asking the teacher what “once removed” means in family relations. The teacher was, to my mind, a very traditionally-minded person, and just as likely nearing – if not past – retirement age. Therefore, she must have known what “once removed” means. However, to my memory, she did not answer that specific question. She replied, but addressed something else.
In quiet moments ever since – it’s been decades – I’ve wondered what “once removed” means. Yesterday, it finally occurred to me to look it up.
As I understand, “once removed” means a generation before or after, and only applies to cousins. Let’s imagine Person A and Person B are first cousins (my post from yesterday explains what cousins are). Then, a child of B is Person A’s first cousin once removed. Moreover, a parent of B is also A’s first cousin once removed. Furthermore, a cousin of A’s parent is also A’s cousin once removed.
Twice removed means two generations before or after, and so on. Therefore, the grandchild of B is A’s first cousin twice removed.
Source:
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.