2nd Cousin or 1st Cousin 1 removed

[Shelbyw]

I have a cousin in my Reunion database who I share great Grandparents with, and I always thought she was a second cousin. But Reunion is saying that she is my 1st cousin once removed. Now she is 12 years older than me. Can someone explain to me why she is listed as being my first cousin once removed? Any help with this question is greatly appreciated!

[SGilbert]

A 1st cousin, once removed, is the 1st cousin to one of your parents.

A term often found in genealogy is "removed," specifically when referring to family relationships. Indeed, almost everyone has heard of a "second cousin once removed," but many people cannot explain that relationship. Of course, a person might be more than once removed, as in third cousin, four times removed. In short, the definition of cousins is two people who share a common ancestor: First Cousin Your first cousins are the people in your family who have at least one of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles. Second Cousin Your second cousins are the people in your family who share the same great-grandparent with you. Third, Fourth and Fifth Cousins Your third cousins share at least one great-great-grandparent, fourth cousins share a great-great-great-grandparent, and so on. Removed When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. "Once removed" indicates a difference of one generation, "twice removed" indicates a difference of two generations, and so forth. For example, the child of your first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. That is, your cousin’s child would be your first cousin, except that he or she is one generation removed from that relationship. Likewise, the grandchild of your first cousin is your first cousin twice removed (two generations removed from being a first cousin). Many people confuse the term "first cousin once removed" with "second cousin." The two are not the same.

[Shelbyw]

Thank you so much!

[Shelbyw]

I have given this a little thought, and understand whqt you are saying. But, if I have myself as the source person in Reunion, then shouldn't all of the relationships given be to me and not my parents?

[SGilbert]

I have given this a little thought, and understand whqt you are saying. But, if I have myself as the source person in Reunion, then shouldn't all of the relationships given be to me and not my parents?

Absolutely! If not, try "Rebuilding Cache Files" under File; or change source person and then back to yourself.

[Shelbyw]

Thank you, again! I have tried rebuilding the cache file, but that didn't seem to work. It is probably something that I am doing wrong... If have emailed the tech's for their input. Again thank you so much!

[thomprod]

...It is probably something that I am doing wrong...

Shelby, if you share great grandparents with this cousin, she is, indeed, your second cousin. If Reunion shows her relationship to you as 1C1R, then you have placed her in the wrong generation. It's not a technical issue, it's a data entry issue, but one that you can correct.

Open Reunion, show yourself in Family View and make sure the relationship says "Source". In the People sidebar, type the name of your cousin. Press <command> + F and select "Find Relationship". Drag your cousin's name from the sidebar to the Person 2 field. Then type your name in the sidebar and drag it to the Person 1 field. The result should look similar to my screenshot, but it will probably show that your cousin is one generation too high in the relationship chart. If the chart shows the correct couple as your common ancestor (your G grandparents), then your cousin was incorrectly entered as a child of your grand aunt/uncle instead of a child of your 1C1R.

Screenshot 2023-06-07 at 1.15.02 PM.png