Genealogy

[Dom Heffner]

Dom, you would guess wrong. I didn't know this until my kids told me, but here is how the cousin thing works:

The First/Second, etc. issue hinges on who your common ascendant is. If it's your Grandmother, you are first cousins. If it's your great-grandmother, you are second cousins (and so on).

The "degree" of removal is a generational thing. Your mother and her cousin are part of the same generation. Hence, no removal. You, on the other hand are once removed (below) from your mother's cousin and therefore once removed.

The Naked cowboy and you belong to the same generation, and share a great-grand parent. You are therefore second cousins, (no removal).

Second cousins sounds a lot cooler than first cousins twice removed.

I'm really lost but much happier.

[Kingspoint]

When we go far enough back, we're all related to each other.

Waddup, Cuz!

[oneupper]

When we go far enough back, we're all related to each other.

Waddup, Cuz!

Here is the explanation:

YouTube - Cousins

[redsmetz]

Here is the explanation:

YouTube - Cousins

That is just great.

About everyone being related to everyone else, here's an interesting article I just came across. We probably only need to go back 2000-5000 years where everyone alive today is descended from that person. So if RZ, at times, seems like one huge family squabble, that's why!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201908,00.html

[GAC]

Allow me to be of some assistance.

You left out a key part of that derivation. I believe it means "one who can read and write, and write, and write, and write, and write......"

That is all. Carry on.

We like to be precise. :

And while my one ancestor (William Clark) was an expert map maker, I get lost without my GPS. LOL

[RedsBaron]

Allow me to be of some assistance.

You left out a key part of that derivation. I believe it means "one who can read and write, and write, and write, and write, and write......"

That is all. Carry on.

If I recall correctly I have an ancestor who, upon learning that someone was coming to fight him, hid behind a tree until the other fellow rode by on his horse and then stepped out and shot the guy in the back. My brave ancestor then fled to Texas, although he later returned to West Virginia when he was informed that the guy he shot had survived (apparently my ancestor was both a coward and a bad shot).

[GAC]

If I recall correctly I have an ancestor who, upon learning that someone was coming to fight him, hid behind a tree until the other fellow rode by on his horse and then stepped out and shot the guy in the back. My brave ancestor then fled to Texas, although he later returned to West Virginia when he was informed that the guy he shot had survived (apparently my ancestor was both a coward and a bad shot).

So, did the survivor come after him when he returned?

We've bee told that Stonewall Jackson is a distant cousin, and he got shot by his own men. And knowing some of the characters at our family reunions I could see where that could occur. LOL

[redsmetz]

Part of our family is from the Ems region. I have old letters from my great-great grandmother to her family from varying times in the early to mid 20th century. One of her grand sons, my great-great uncle was a bishop and former Army chaplain (WWI) and had arranged sending shoes and clothing to them after WWII. Since they were in the British sector, he was not allowed to continue and eventually they lost contact. All we had, in terms of a location was a postcard with the village church on it.
A few years ago, my aunt visited and found the church. She asked at the rectory about the family ("Albers") and was directed to a house down the lane. She asked the occupants about the family and then produced a picture of my great grandmother in her wedding dress and sure enough the family had the same picture! And it was the same dress my aunt had worn at her wedding.

The other side of the family is well documented by a relative. I email with my cousins in Riemsloh occasionally- they live on the dairy farm that has been in the family since 1100. Interestingly, they seem just as interested in the family history as we are. There were three out of four men who left for the states in the 1870s (the farm passed to the eldest) and it was a complete mystery to them what had happened to them.

SunDeck, I've been working on my genealogy more and started putting the Emsburen database info on an Ancestry.com page a 3rd cousin set up for another family line. I see now that my 5th great-grandmother was an Albers. Let me know if you'd like this link to the database. It's allowed me to get some of my ancestry back as far as 1600 in some lines.

I've made some breakthroughs in recent times getting additional info on some lines that have been nettlesome. The family line that I neglected to ask my great aunt about (her mother's family) has been discovered, maybe my earliest ancestors to the U.S. (1830's) and put me in touch with some other distant cousins researching the same line. Likewise, I came across someone doing research on one of my mom's lines and find I may be a double cousin to him, as it seems my great-grandfather married a cousin of his one of his own cousins (related to cousin thru his mother's brother, married cousin from the in-law side of that family).

Funny thing is, and Cincy folks will get this, besides being descended from an Albers, I'm also related to the Krogers (for out of town folks, Albers was Kroger's grocery competition until Albers went out of business).

[redsmetz]

This other bit from SunDeck's comment jumped out at me:


The other side of the family is well documented by a relative. I email with my cousins in Riemsloh occasionally- they live on the dairy farm that has been in the family since 1100. Interestingly, they seem just as interested in the family history as we are. There were three out of four men who left for the states in the 1870s (the farm passed to the eldest) and it was a complete mystery to them what had happened to them.

This is how I broke thru the wall on my Germann side, a 2003 note on a genealogy board from a volunteer at a German town's historical society looking for descendents of some folks who left their village. My great-great grandfather's name jumped out at me and I located the woman who sent it. She sent me what she had and I've since confirmed it is my family. We changed the name from Görmann upon arriving in the U.S. Basically the village decided they would try to track down what became of these folks. Glad they did.

[Tom Servo]

Funny this thread should come up, I've been big into my genealogy in the last several months. I don't know that I have any famous or notable relatives but it's been cool to find out the information I have. I think in particular because growing up in North Jersey most of my friends had parents or grandparents from these other countries or places and I would always have to sheepishly say that my grandparents were born in Jersey too (except for my one grandmother born in New York City), which was decidedly 'uncool' to me at the time. But now that I've learned about my family, I'm proud to say my paternal namesake (the Brunners) were in Manhattan by 1850 before coming to NJ in the early 1900s and so we've basically been occupying the NY/NJ metropolitan area since before the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and hell even before the Civil War was fought.

[redsmetz]

Funny this thread should come up, I've been big into my genealogy in the last several months. I don't know that I have any famous or notable relatives but it's been cool to find out the information I have. I think in particular because growing up in North Jersey most of my friends had parents or grandparents from these other countries or places and I would always have to sheepishly say that my grandparents were born in Jersey too (except for my one grandmother born in New York City), which was decidedly 'uncool' to me at the time. But now that I've learned about my family, I'm proud to say my paternal namesake (the Brunners) were in Manhattan by 1850 before coming to NJ in the early 1900s and so we've basically been occupying the NY/NJ metropolitan area since before the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and hell even before the Civil War was fought.

Where did your Brunners come from originally? There are a number of Brunners in the Cincinnati area. That family came from Switzerland which I only know because they're descended from the widow who founded the Precious Blood order of nuns up in Dayton and could look it up. Your Brunner family arrival in NY roughly coincides with their arrival in the U.S.

[muddie]

So, did the survivor come after him when he returned?

We've bee told that Stonewall Jackson is a distant cousin, and he got shot by his own men. And knowing some of the characters at our family reunions I could see where that could occur. LOL

Almost 20 years ago I was really heavy into researching my family on my dad's side. If you have never done research like this, you don't know what you're missing. I have numerous ancestors that fought for the Confederacy. I had a one great great uncle that fought and died for North Carolina. I managed to locate a picture of him in the N.C. Archives in a series of books on CSA soldiers from N.C. I also managed to get copies of the letter his wife received from his commander informing her of his death. And, I have a copy of a letter he wrote to his wife from Fredericksburg, Va. a few days before the Battle of Fredericksburg. It is amazing what is out there if you look hard enough. I could go on and on about my ancestors that fought for the CSA. The really neat thing about learning of this ancestor...my son has the same name and I didn't even know about all of the above when my son was born!

I did learn that my wife is a distant relation to Stonewall Jackson as well. This relation is through her mother's side of the family.

Researching one's family geneology can be a lot of fun but it is a lot of work and can be very time consuming. It is however, very much worth the time you invest.

[Tom Servo]

Where did your Brunners come from originally? There are a number of Brunners in the Cincinnati area. That family came from Switzerland which I only know because they're descended from the widow who founded the Precious Blood order of nuns up in Dayton and could look it up. Your Brunner family arrival in NY roughly coincides with their arrival in the U.S.

If the information I have is accurate, they are from Hesse-Darmstedt, Germany.

[foxfire123]

I've got two cousins who have researched my dad's side of the family extensively. Nobody famous, except for one cousin who married General Nathaniel Greene. Dad's family is pre-Revolutionary War, originally Huguenots who moved to the netherlands and then on to America. Among the very first settlers of Ohio with an uncle coming into the Athens area of Ohio in approximately 1795. Mom's family is pre-Civil War Pennsylvania Dutch based on what limited research was done on that side. Again, nobody famous on that side either. both sides are pretty much populated with farmers, merchants, teachers and miners.

[GAC]

Researching one's family geneology can be a lot of fun but it is a lot of work and can be very time consuming. It is however, very much worth the time you invest.

My Dad's side of the family (Clark) had a relative who was a genealogist (he passed away several years ago). Many years ago, at our annual family reunion, which has been held in Gallipolis, Ohio since the 1920s, he gave out copies of the family tree based on such research. Very interesting stuff. William Clark (Lewis and Clark), as well as his brother George Rogers Clark, are uncles.

There's a cemetery outside Gallipolis that has been renamed, but for ages was known as the Clark Family cemetery, dating back to the Revolutionary War. I've been there numerous times - my Dad took us, and I've taken my kids - to visit the sites of many of our ancestors. A majority of the land in Gallia County us to belong to the Clarks, especially a Thomas Clark (originally from Virginia), who, upon serving in the Revolutionary War, would be given huge land grants by the government because of their service.