MY COUSIN, MY SELF

The word "cousin" has a variety of meanings, some of which are
more precise than others. We often use the word in a general way
to refer to any collaterally related persons more distant than
siblings who share a common ancestor. When we want to be more
specific, we use the term in a different way: cousins (or first
cousins) are the children of siblings. That is to say, the
children of my aunts and uncles are my first cousins.

Second cousins, on the other hand, are the children of first
cousins, and third cousins are the children of second cousins,
and so on. In other words, my second cousins are the children of
my parents' first cousins, and my third cousins are the
grandchildren of my grandparents' first cousins.

The degree of cousinness, thus, simply follows generational
lines, given kinship relations defined by a common ancestor. By
contrast, when one crosses generational lines to express
relationships among cousins in an adjacent generation or across
several generations, one normally expresses these cousin
relations as "once removed" or "twice removed" according to how
many generations separate the related individuals. Thus, one is
a first cousin once removed (1C1R) to his or her parents' first
cousins, or to the children of his or her first cousins.

I have always gotten a kick out of telling people that I am a
cousin to myself. My maternal grandparents were first cousins
once removed -- my grandfather married the daughter of his first
cousin. His cousin was 15 years his senior and he was a few
years older than my grandmother. In any event, following the
above definitions -- second cousins are the children of first
cousins -- we can see what may appear to be a contradiction.
Because they are both daughters of first cousins, my mother is a
second cousin to her own mother. This makes me a third cousin to
my mother, as she and I are both children of second cousins in
the same ancestral lineage. And, of course, to myself I am a
third cousin, once removed (3C1R). Thus, when I use my genealogy
software to print out the descendants of Samuel CHACEY (our
common ancestor) I appear twice (and in different generations)--
once as a descendant of my grandfather and once in my
grandmother's line. What better proof that I am my own cousin.

Matings between cousins are called consanguineal, meaning that
the members of the pair have one or more common ancestors. In
some geographical areas at some times such matings can be quite
common. Whether we know it or not, each of us probably has some
consanguineous marriage in their pedigree. Most cultures have
rules that regulate the degree of relationship permitted between
two individuals who wish to marry.

In many societies, including our own, marriages between first
cousins, uncles and nieces, and aunts and nephews, are typically
discouraged or in some cases outlawed. Although it would mean
fewer grandparents to keep track of, such matings are probably
not a good thing. Individuals with rare recessive sex-linked
traits are often the offspring of such matings. On the other
hand, such consanguineous matings are not necessarily
undesirable. Charles DARWIN married his first cousin Emma
WEDGWOOD, and the entire Darwin-Wedgwood lineage was highly
inbred. Some have speculated that the pre-eminence of this
lineage in the arts, sciences, and the professions may have
resulted from some inbred genetic trait. But this is probably
the exception, and genetic diversity in families is probably
healthier over the long run.