familytraditions

Family Traditions

Naming Patterns - Why did our ancestors name their children the same names? There was a method to the madness and for the most part the following is the method. Tradition wasn't always followed but a lot of families did it this way and if they did it makes life a little easier for those who are trying to track them.

First son: named for his paternal grandfather.
Second son: named for his maternal grandfather.
Third son: named after father or father's paternal grandfather.
Fourth son: named after father's oldest brother or mother's paternal grandfather.
Fifth son: named after mother's eldest brother or father's material grandfather.
Sixth son: named after father's second oldest brother or for mother's maternal grandfather.

First daughter: named for maternal grandmother.
Second daughter: named for her paternal grandmother.
Third daughter: named after mother or for mother's maternal grandmother.
Fourth daughter: named after mother's oldest sister or for father's paternal grandmother.
Fifth daughter: named after father's eldest sister or for mother's paternal grandmother.
Sixth daughter: named after mother's second oldest sister or for father's paternal grandmother.

Family Relationships

Relationship Terms

Common Ancestor

The first ancestor that you and the other person share or are directly descended from. For instance, siblings share the same parents, cousins share the same grandparents and so forth.

First Cousin

The first common ancestors you share are your grandparents. First cousins are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin

The first common ancestors you share are your great-grandparents. But not the same grandparents.

Third Cousin

The first common ancestors you share are your great-great-grandparents.

Fourth Cousin

The first common ancestors you share are your great-great-great-grandparents, and so on.

Removed

This is where most people get confused. The word "removed" is used when the two people sharing a common ancestor are from different generations.

The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your mother's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. The common ancestor is your grandparents. Your mother's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals "once removed."

Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. The common ancestor is your great grandparents. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.

Relationship Charts - An easy way to determine relationships is to use the chart below.

The common ancestor is the ancestor you both share. Put their name is the common ancestor slot.
Look at the top row of the chart and find the first person's relationship to the common ancestor.
Look at the far left column of the chart and find the second person's relationship to the common ancestor.
Determine where the row and column containing those two relationships meet and that is the relationship of the two descendants of the common ancestor.

Common Ancestor	Child	Grandchild	G-grandchild	G-g-grandchild
Child	Sister or Brother	Nephew or Niece	Grand-nephew or niece	G-grand-nephew or niece
Grandchild	Nephew or Niece	First cousin	First cousin, once removed	First cousin, twice removed
G-grandchild	Grand-nephew or niece	First cousin, once removed	Second cousin	Second cousin, once removed
G-g-grandchild	G-grand-nephew or niece	First cousin, twice removed	Second cousin, once removed	Third cousin