Cousins removed

In the course of this research we have met, sometimes just online and sometimes in reality, people to whom we are related. I tend to blanket call them my cousins. But I was intrigues to day to find out what exactly is a second cousin twice removed. I found a useful chart here, so I thought I’d share it.

http://sonic.net/~fredd/cousins.html.  Other websites are available but this was the clearest for me.

So Mandy, you are my first cousin once removed, because your mother and I are first cousins, as your grandmother and my father were siblings.

And Geoffrey, here we get complicated, Our common ancestor is James the chainmaker. Your grandfather and my great grandfather were brothers. Your father and my grandmother were cousins. The children of cousins are second cousins, so you and my mother were second cousins, which makes  you a second cousin once removed to me and Julia. Glad that’s sorted.