Question

Tell me how the number of degrees you are from someone works

Comments

It's sort of the Wikitree version of Six Degrees of Separation - the difference is that it is based only on blood and marriage relationships not simply on acquaintances.

Answer 1

Hi Homer!  Thanks for joining our one big family WikiTree!

Here is your degrees of separation from actor, Kevin Bacon. http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:Connection&action=connect&person1Name=Bacon-2568&person2Name=Buck-2110  As you can see, the color changes from Kevin to his wife which means it is a degree of separation, but on a different family line.  Along about the middle of the connection, there is another family change for a couple connections and then there is another family change as the line gets closer to you.

What this means is, through connecting families you are connected to Kevin Bacon, but he is not a blood relative nor is he your cousin on a direct line.  The degrees of separation is just a fun game that doesn't really have much to do with genealogical families, except by marriages.  

Answer 2

"Degrees of Separation" shows the relationship between two people.  Instead of only relying on blood relationships, or direct lines, the relationships also include husband/wife and brother/sister.

In other words, I am 22 degrees from Kevin Bacon:

1. Kevin Bacon
   →
2. Ruth Holmes
   (his mother)→
3. Artemas Holmes
   (her father)→
4. Lillian Stokes
   (his mother)→
5. Mary Ann Stiles
   (her mother)→
6. John Stiles
   (her father)→
7. John Stiles
   (his father)→
8. Thomas Stiles
   (his father)→
9. Jonathan Stiles
   (his father)→
10. Rebecca Canfield
    (his wife)→
11. Rebecca Atkinson
    (her mother)→
12. Samuel Camp
    (her husband)→
13. Hannah Betts
    (his wife)→
14. Samuel Betts
    (her brother)→
15. Mary Betts
    (his daughter)→
16. Daniel Olmsted
    (her son)→
17. Adah Olmsted
    (his daughter)→
18. Emily Seymour
    (her daughter)→
19. Ira Betts
    (her son)→
20. Ada Betts
    (his daughter)→
21. Ada Williams
    (her daughter)→
22. Marilyn Tenny
    (her daughter)→
23. Lucy Selvaggio
    (her daughter)