PANORTHU-L Archives

From: Glenda Allen <>
Subject: [PANORTHU-L] [Fwd: Great/Grand]
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 18:38:15 -0500

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Great/Grand
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 18:37:05 -0500
From: Glenda Allen <>
To:

Nelson:

Thank you for trying to correct my genealogy ignorance. When I first
saw
this grand usage several years ago I was unaware of it being used in
place
of great.

Just because "Brother's Keeper", a software program, uses a term doesn't

make it genealogically correct. They are only selling software, not
experts in genealogy.

This grand term came down from the Canon Law that was developed by the
church in the Middle Ages to determine who was allowed to marry whom.
Source: Steve Buski, head staff genealogist, Colonial Dames XVII
Century,
Washington DC.
202-293-1700.

If you or anyone else would like to refer to my sources for this
information may I suggest the following:

Unpuzzling Your Past, A Basic Guide to Genealogy, Third Edition, Emily
Anne
Croom, page 120, "Relationship Chart" Uses the term of grand.

What Did They Mean By That? A Dictionary of Historical Terms for
Genealogists, Revised Edition, Paul Drake, J.D. page 100. "Grand aunt,
grand uncle: synonymous with "great aunt" or "great uncle; a sister or
brother of one's grandparents,
e.g., "Her grand aunt, Jane was a sister of her maternal grandfather.


The one of the best and simple to understand books that anyone who is
doing
research should read is:

Kingship It's All Relative by Jackie Smith Arnold, 1990, published by
Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc.
For information regarding "grand" please refer to pages 9, 20 and 22 in
this book. To quote page 22:

"GREATS and GRANDS:
The siblings of your grandparents will be your grandaunts and
granduncles.
It's a mistake to lump them in with the "greats." What does the term
"great aunt" mean? Does it mean a sister of a grandparent or a sister of
a
great-grandparent?
Mixing the generations causes confusion. Some reference books designate
a
grandaunt as a great aunt, which compounds the problem since we expect
more
accuracy from the experts.

With the grands and the greats, this is the sequence: grandparents,
great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents. Continue adding a great
for
every preceding generation. The same follows for grandaunt and
granduncle,
and grandniece and
grandnephew. After the grands come the great-grands.

*Great-granduncles/aunts are siblings of great-grandparents.
*Granduncles/aunts are siblings of grandparents.
*Uncles/aunts are siblings of parents
*Self

Each line above represents one generation."

I feel the above speaks for itself. This is not my local custom nor is

the use of "great" a commonly accepted useage among the genealogical
experts. I did consult the above sources FIRST as you say, before I
made
my posting.

I offer the above books so each of you interested in these terms can
check
the souce of this information out for yourself.

One could consider "great" a slang for "grand" as in "ain't for "isn't."

For further information on this subject please consult your local
library
for more material on this subject.

Cordially,

Glenda Trogdon Allen,
CDXVIIC MO State Registrar

This thread:

• [PANORTHU-L] [Fwd: Great/Grand] by Glenda Allen <>