Could a genealogist help me figure out how these people are related to me?

Question:

Could a genealogist help me figure out how these people are related to me?

First, an easy one: My cousin's child is my what? Second cousin?

Second: My cousin's wife is my what?

Third and hardest one: My step-grandmother's great grandson is my what?

http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_multir...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: 1) With any cousin's children, you add "once removed" so a first cousin's children are your first cousins, once removed. The key element is being the same generation in the family to establish "cousinhood" and then other generations in that line would be once, twice and so on removed.

So if you have a first cousin (child of your mother's sister or brother, say) it's just "first cousin" since you are the same generation, relatively, in the family. In this case, you have the same grandparents. This cousin's children would have different grandparents though. That's how they become first cousin, once removed. Note that it works in reverse: your first cousin's parents are also first cousins, once removed. But we have a special word or two for them: aunt and uncle. So we don't think that way. So the same generation in a family established degree of cousinhood (first, second, and so on), with each generation before and after getting an extra level of something-removed each generation. (Lol, and your grandparents are also first cousins, this time twice removed, through your first cousins.)

At the risk of making a pun, it's all relative... pick a starting point and figure the relationship. It isn't just West Virginians who have lots of different names for each relative. (Sorry WV'ers, someone had to be the example.)

2) Politeness includes calling spouses of blood relatives by the same term we call the blood relative except in the case of very close ones like fathers and mothers. So while we would say mother-in-law, we wouldn't ever really say cousin-in-law. But that would be the proper term: your cousin's wife is your cousin-in-law.

3) This one depends on where in the family tree he falls. You would usually call him by the "closest" sounding term. For instance, if you are related to your step-grandmother through a stepfather and the step-grandmother's great grandson is the child of one of his children, then you would call him "cousin" though that would properly be "step-cousin." But consider the other possibilities: he could, for instance, be the grandson of a brother or sister of your stepfather/mother. Then he would be that step-person's first cousin, twice removed and the first thought would be that makes him your second cousin, or changes the twice to thrice. In fact, you have to go to the level above him, your level and consider his parent. The parent shares the same grandparents as you, though through marriage makes this a virtual sharing, but that's how it's figured, so the parent of the boy is your first cousin (-in-law) and his/her child is therefore actually your first cousin, once removed-in-law.

That said, your own child would find he/she shares the same great-grandparents as the boy does and so would be his second cousin-in-law.

I hope some of this helped. Cousinhood begins at the grandparents: that's first cousinhood. If you do not have the same grandparents but do have the same great-grandparents, that's second cousinhood. Each time you go farther back that great-great-great tree to find common "grandparents," you go further along in cousinhood: third, fourth, fifth, and so on.

Then, once you determine the "cousinhood," you look at how many generations from that set of "grandparents" (with however many "greats" attached) to see what your relative generations are. In your example, he was 4 levels from the common "grandparent" while you are 3. Then you find the difference and that how many "removed's" he is. 4-3 = 1 so once removed. Mysterious sounding, but like all logical and mathematical things, just a matter of laying it out and chunking along through it carefully and BANG! you've got it.

Added:

Mind Bender alludes to an interesting point I didn't even notice: your step-grandmother's great grandson could also (duh!) be your son. And of course, I bet that's the point of the convolution. your first cousin's child is your first cousin once removed. your children would be their second cousin.
the cousin's wife would be a cousin-in-law, but I don't think there is such a thing.
and then your step-grandmother isn't related to you at all, so that wouldn't be anything. Although maybe a nephew? First the easy one
your cousins child is your first cousin once removed

second your cousins wife is, your cousins wife, unless there is a alternate link. Your cousins child is 1st cousin once removed.

Your cousin's wife is "your cousin's wife" - no relation. Unless you live in....well, probably shouldn't joke.

Your step-grandmother's great grandson depends on who was the father of your step-grandmother's child. If it wasn't your grandfather, then there is no relation....unless you live in ...

If it WAS your grandfather, then their great grandson (can't be your son because the mother was your STEP mother) it would be your HALF 1st cousin once removed.