How far back can you trace your family history?

[XSK_Diamond]

My ex-husband is from West Africa and his family (and maybe his entire ethnic group) follow the same kinship system. What's interesting though, is that my family (black American) does the same thing and always has. My mom's first cousins are considered her sisters/brothers and my aunts/uncles. And one of my cousin's kids call me Aunt Rosalind. Even close family friends get in on it.. I have a childhood friend that won't refer to me as anything other than her cousin. WE ALL understand the connections, but I know we confuse the mess out of other folks when we try explain it, LOL.

Originally Posted by epchick

Yes they are first cousins. I do believe it makes sense now. My family has sooo many people in it, it is hard to keep track of it. lol.

I guess i've always been confused with this whole thing because i've always understood the "Mexican" way. Like Rudy and I are cousins, but he's always been "uncle Rudy" to me b/c in Mexico my mom and Rudy would be considered primos-hermanos or cousins-brothers. So that would mean that Rudy (and his siblings) and my mom (and her siblings) are more siblings than cousins because they all are around the same age.

Thanks for clearing it up MC & AGDee

[AGDee]

We have "cousins" who are not really related but who came from the same village in Sicily along with my family on the same boat, moved next door to each other in Pennsylvania and then they all moved to Detroit together and lived across the street from each other in Detroit. In reality, since the village in Sicily is very small and people all married people from the same village, there is probably some shared blood somewhere, but they lived as though they were very close relatives our whole lives.

Then you have my dad's siblings. His brother and sister married a sister and brother. Their kids are "double cousins" because they share both sets of grandparents. They are probably, genetically, more like brothers and sisters than cousins.