Question

I don't understand "degrees from."

Comments

WikiTree uses the concept Six degrees of separation to determine if a profile is connected to the tree.

Anchor/featured profiles are chosen to verify the tree connection. A selected profile is compared to an anchor profile by checking for connections (parent-child; marriage; sibling; etc.) between the 2 profiles. Each connected profile between those 2 profiles in question is called a degree.

Degrees can be genetic (blood relation) or non-genetic (in general, legal/common-law connections, such as marriage or adoption).

edit: added link for anchor/featured profiles

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great explanation, Lindy. Thank you.

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Thank you very much, Ellen!  I thought it was referring to blood relations, and it wasn't making sense that way,  Thanks to all the others who answered also<

Answer 1

This is a great question that I would personally have a challenge to explain, but I'm hoping that one or both of the following 2 links (though just 2 examples of what's available on the Internet) may be helpful in explaining this in a direct/genetic way and/or an indirect/non genetic way.

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~laetoli/degree.html

https://h600.org/wiki/Consanguinity

Good Luck in your search! :-)

~Brian Kerr

Answer 2

Ellen: I checked and you and I are 19 degrees (or steps) apart. That is because your 6th great grandmother (8 degrees) had a sister whose husband had a sister (3 degrees) who is my 6th great grandmother (8 degrees).

At the bottom of any profile click on "See your connection or your genealogical relationship". Next click on the "Alternative View: Generational Path" button and the image will be clear.