Kissin Cousins.... To determine the relationship between you and another person on the chart, look at the numbered colored squares that uniquely identify each person. What does my number mean? Each colored square represents a generation. The square next to your name is your generation; the number is your position in your immediate family. You and your siblings all have the same string of numbers except for the last one. The next number to the left of yours is your parent; the next one is your grandparent; then your great-grandparent; etc. These relationships are easy to establish. For example: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 04 | 02 | 02 | Patricia Carol (Jahn) Donnelly | | myself | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 04 | 02 | Herbert Joseph Jahn | | my father | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 04 | Martin John Jahn | | my grandfather | | 01 | 01 | 01 | Edward Charles Jahn | | my great-grandfather | | 01 | 01 | Karl Jahn | | my G-G-grandfather | | 01 | Johann Georg Jahn | | my G-G-G-grandfather | What about people outside my immediate family? Aunts or uncles and cousins will have a set of numbers that are different from yours, because they are a sibling or descended from a sibling of your parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. Use the charts below to determine the relationship. For example, suppose I want to know this person's relationship to me: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 02 | 05 | 01 | 01 | 01 | Lindsey Marie Adelman | | my relative | -
Starting from the left, compare your number and the other person's number in each colored square. Keep moving to the right until the numbers are no longer the same. The last square that is the same for both of you is your first common ancestor. | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 04 | 02 | 01 | Patricia Carol (Jahn) Donnelly | | myself | | 01 | 01 | 01 | 02 | 05 | 01 | 01 | 01 | Lindsey Marie Adelman | | my relative |
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Locate the chart below in which the color of your first common ancestor is in the upper left corner. In this case, it is the second chart, because our first common ancestor is the dark aqua: (01) Edward Charles Jahn. After that, our numbers diverge: I am descended from Martin (04), and Lindsey is descended from Martin's brother Frank (02). -
Find your color in the top row of the chart. -
Find the other person's color on the left side. My color is the third column; Lindsey's color is the 5th row. -
The intersecting cell will tell you the other person's relationship to you. Lindsey is my second cousin twice removed. Moving up the chart, I can see that her mother is my second cousin once removed; her grandfather is my second cousin; her great-grandmother is my first cousin once removed (my father's cousin); and her G-G-grandfather is my great uncle (my father's uncle). You will note that "simple" cousins are always in the same generation (i.e., the same color). Whether they are first, second, or third (etc.) cousins depends on how many generations you have to go back to get to the common ancestor. First cousins have the same grandparents; second cousins have the same great-grandparents (but not grandparents), etc. Cousins in different generations are "removed" by the number of generations that separate them. The child of your first cousin is your first cousin once removed. The child of your second cousin is your second cousin once removed. | | | | | | | | | | Sister or Brother | Aunt or uncle | Great aunt or uncle | G-great aunt or uncle | G-G-great aunt or uncle | G-G-G-great aunt or uncle | | | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | First cousin once removed | First cousin twice removed | First cousin 3 times removed | First cousin 4 times removed | | | Grand-nephew or niece | First cousin once removed | Second cousin | Second cousin once removed | Second cousin twice removed | Second cousin 3 times removed | | | G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin twice removed | Second cousin once removed | Third cousin | Third cousin once removed | Third cousin twice removed | | | G-G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin 3 times removed | Second cousin twice removed | Third cousin once removed | Fourth cousin | Fourth cousin once removed | | | G-G-G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin 4 times removed | Second cousin 3 times removed | Third cousin twice removed | Fourth cousin once removed | Fifth cousin | | | | | | | | | | Sister or Brother | Aunt or uncle | Great aunt or uncle | G-great aunt or uncle | G-G-great aunt or uncle | | | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | First cousin once removed | First cousin twice removed | First cousin 3 times removed | | | Grand-nephew or niece | First cousin once removed | Second cousin | Second cousin once removed | Second cousin twice removed | | | G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin twice removed | Second cousin, once removed | Third cousin | Third cousin once removed | | | G-G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin 3 times removed | Second cousin twice removed | Third cousin once removed | Fourth cousin | | | | | | | | | Sister or Brother | Aunt or uncle | Great aunt or uncle | G-great aunt or uncle | | | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | First cousin once removed | First cousin twice removed | | | Grand-nephew or niece | First cousin once removed | Second cousin | Second cousin once removed | | | G-grand-nephew or niece | First cousin twice removed | Second cousin, once removed | Third cousin | | | | | | | | Sister or Brother | Aunt or uncle | Great aunt or uncle | | | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | First cousin once removed | | | Grand-nephew or niece | First cousin once removed | Second cousin | | | | | | | Sister or Brother | Aunt or uncle | | | Nephew or Niece | First cousin | |
