How Cousins Affect Finding the Ancestors

By Jeannette Holland Austin

Sometimes while assembling the family tree it is difficult to determine correct relationships. This is because in the not too far distant past people frequently married first cousins! I recently traced a North Carolina family where several generations of male members married several times. Not that this was unusual. However, when they marry a sister-in-law or a first cousin, it can ecome more intriguing. One has to study the documents, such as wills and estates, very carefully. In this instance, the siblings of the first wife were described as nieces and nephews. Thus, it was important to prepare a family group sheet on each family in order to distinguish between all of the families. Large families also boggle the process, especially with a repetitive naming of the children. One has to unravel the "Marys." and make certain that they are assigned to the correct family and generation. Find your Ancestors on 8 Genealogy Websites