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Archiver > GEN-DE > 2001-11 > 1004988136


From: bjkaup <>
Subject: Re: Third Cousin Once-removed auf Deutsch?
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 20:22:16 +0100
References: <3BE6C09A.C97B9B7C@home.com>, <3BE6C48A.773F632E@planet-interkom.de>, <3BE6DB35.A0BEC67F@home.com>


your embarrassment is a direct result of your not saying for what
purposes you want the translation: most posters first assumed that you
wantet to contact a person which in your termonology was the third
cousin once removed.
You got the answer that you should forget a translation but rather use
terms like uncle or nephew.
Then you said you wanted to contact a professional genealogist. The
posters advised you that you should use the american term.
Again you turned 180 degrees and proposed to contact a person who was
not able to understand english. You got the advice again to used terms
like uncle or nephew.
Why do you expect that a person not understanding plain english would
understand genealogical terms, even if translated into a couple of
german words which however have a meaning for a professional genealogist
only?

The only definition to be looked up in a normal dictionary is the
relationship and the degrees thereof. The degree is determined by the
number of birth's.
First degree is your parents and your children, second degree is your
grandparents, your grandchildren and your brothers and sisters, third
degree is your greatgrandparents, your greatgrandchildren, your nephews
and nieces, your aunts and uncles, the fourth degree contains besides
many others your cousins.
Just directly and not removed.
The average german would not even be able to remember all names of the
forth degree directly related, not to speak of the removed.
Why should there be a name for it?
And the farther you go, the less interesting is completeness.
My great uncle, bearer of a famous name was able to present a complete
family tree till about 1300, when the first name bearer was registered
about three generations before the popular one was born. Despite of most
of the generation producing more than 5 children per couple, there was
only my great uncle left. His only son had been killed in WW II. The
tree looked like an onion bulb. More than 400 names contained. My great
uncle was the last to die. Nothing left than history.

mfg
bjk

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