Numbering of Cousins

Question

I'm just wondering.So Henry Tudor is my first cousin according to Wikitree, OK. Princess Diana is my 10th Cousin. I would think someone closer in my time would be a lower number, than someone higher up in the tree. Like I don't call my aunts kids my 27th cousins because they are my cousins today, and not farther up the tree. They are my first cousins. I'm just wondering if Wikitree program is doing the calculating backwards?

Comments

You count the shortest leg.  If there are 2 generations from the common ancestor on one side and 17 on the other, that's 1st cousins, 15 times removed.  That is, one person is 15th in descent from a 1st cousin of the other.

If Diana is your 10th cousin, you're both at least 11 generations down from the common ancestor.

But with Henry, you're descended from his grandparent, and so from his 1st cousin.

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Hi,

1st, 2nd, 10th cousin is part of it, the other is how many times "removed". Both come into play.

Your 1st cousin is your age and has the same grandparent.  1st cousin 10 times removed is your 8th great gramdparent's first cousin (off the cuff) and would be two hundred years before you.  Removed is how many generations away from the cousins numbered.  

There are certainly better explanations than mine, but wanted to get these thoughts out to you promptly.

Cheers

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Thank you so much. :)

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Thank you. Makes so much sense now.

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Here's site's article on the subject:

https://www.wikitree.com/articles/relationships.html

There are a number of others on the web you might find more enlightening if you search.  I know there's an explanation on wikipedia, for example.