Re: Need help deciphering this ?
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In reply to:
Need help deciphering this ?
James Slusher 4/09/07
I have a genealogy program to help decipher kinships and I was still getting lost trying to figure it out since I had to use my own family members as a reference. Assuming by "greatgreat-uncle" you meant the brother of one of your great-grandparents....that means you are 2nd cousins once removed, Civil VII, Canon 4.
You got me wondering so I did a bit of checking on what is considered "too close" a relationship to marry.According to the Catholic website noted below, as second cousins there is no religious impediment between you and your girlfriend.However, if needed I'm sure you can check alternate religions online as well.http://www.truecatholic.org/marriagebloodlines.htmhttp://www.truecatholic.org/marriagebloodlines.htm
CIVIL AND CANON RELATIONSHIPS:
The words, "Civil" and "Canon" refer to the degree of a relationship. The degree of a relationship is a legal term. It refers to the number of "steps" between two people who are related by blood.
Canon law is used in most of the United States. It measures the maximum number of steps from the nearest common ancestor. For example, you would be 2 direct steps away from your first cousin because your nearest common ancestor is one of your grandparents. So in this case, the degree is 2.
The degree in civil law represents the total number of steps through the blood line that separate two individuals. For example, there are 2 steps from you to your grandparent, and then 2 more steps back down to your first cousin, so the degree is 4.
Good Luck!