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I had some distant relatives (died decades ago), a guy and a girl. They got married. No problem right? Except that the Bride's father and Groom's father were brothers.
I also saw a case where a woman married her sister's son (her own nephew).
There are so many jokes about southerners marrying cousins. While I don't have any southern ancestors (other than my parents ) we have plenty of cousins marrying in our family tree on our Massachusets and New Hampshire branches. Puritans wouldn't marry anyone who wasn't also Puritan. Transportation and communication were primitive compared to today. So in a pinch, you marry your dear old cuz.
The closest we have is first cousins like the first pairing you mentioned. When they are second cousins it's a relief. All of them were many generations ago so I still can't explain that 11th toe! NOT!
Mine were Protestant probably. The couple (Robert and Mary) died in Missouri in the 19th century. Robert was born in Kentucky and Mary was born in Missouri. The groom's father was from Maryland and the Groom's mother from Virginia. The Bride's father (her father-in-law's brother (and her uncle)) was born in Kentucky. The bride's mother was also from Kentucky. Robert's father and Mary's father were brothers born 10 years apart.
As far as I can tell, Robert and Mary's son John was fairly normal. But he died at 54 of liver cirrhosis. Probably drank himself to death when he found out his parents were cousins.
But John had 5 children. So I guess he did alright. John's wife's father was from France, so John did not continue to the intermarriage tradition. Although John did have 3 daughters named Mary, and another with the middle name Mary.
Last edited by STLCardsBlues1989; 12-19-2009 at 09:35 PM..
My great-grandfather's sister married their first cousin. They both died young (30's) they had 3 children, 2 died in infancy and the other died at 18. My great-grandmother's sister married my great-grandfather's first cousin. Another great-grandfather and his brother married sisters. When you get into it, you'll discover there are a lot of interrelationships, not necessarily blood related.
I've had 2 instances in my family tree of a man marrying his wife's sister after his first wife died. These were in the mid 1800's. The children of each wife would be half-siblings and first cousins!
I had some distant relatives (died decades ago), a guy and a girl. They got married. No problem right? Except that the Bride's father and Groom's father were brothers....
This was very common in one area where my mother's family lived for many generations. Pioneers, few families, not much opportunity to travel, etc.
Three of my grt grt grandmother's kids married sons and daughters of one of her brothers.
Unless there are strong religious or ethnic inhibitions this doesn't happen once there is a larger population, more free time, and the ability to travel even twenty to fifty miles in a reasonable length of time.
It may be statistically unusual in these times (though my best friend as I was growing up had first cousins for parents), but "weird" strikes me as an ugly characterization of such relationships.
...But John had 5 children. So I guess he did alright. John's wife's father was from France, so John did not continue to the intermarriage tradition. Although John did have 3 daughters named Mary, and another with the middle name Mary.
Catholics have been known to name all their daughters Mary with a different middle name. Especially Irish Catholics.
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Originally Posted by Cabe09
Another great-grandfather and his brother married sisters.
Then their kids are double first cousins - first cousins through both parents.
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Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989
One of my relatives married a woman named Lucy. She died. So he married Lucy's sister Helen.
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Originally Posted by kevxu
Three of my grt grt grandmother's kids married sons and daughters of one of her brothers.
I've seen that a few times in my family, a surviving spouse marrying their deceased spouse's sibling. I think it actually makes a lot of sense, especially for their times. They know the family of the person they're marrying, and their new spouse already has kinship with their children.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevxu
but "weird" strikes me as an ugly characterization of such relationships.
"Weird" isn't necessarily an ugly thing. Just unusual, definitely different from modern life.
haha I think every family has one of those.
My second cousin (maybe third, my mom's cousin) married his first cousin. She came from the old country, and apparently they thought it was okay since they've never met.
Okay, I get that things like these happen in the old days but come on it's the 21st century. I can almost understand third or fourth cousin, a few branches over, who didn't grow up together but first cousins to me are a little too much like siblings.
"Weird" isn't necessarily an ugly thing. Just unusual, definitely different from modern life.
The primary meaning of weird, other than refering to the supernatural is "bizarre" and "fantastic," and these are unpleasant, negative ways of characterizing these family relationships.
Quite frankly, I found the original characterization itself weird - in the sense of bizarre.
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Don't even ask me about my Puritans. 
) we have plenty of cousins marrying in our family tree on our Massachusets and New Hampshire branches. Puritans wouldn't marry anyone who wasn't also Puritan. Transportation and communication were primitive compared to today. So in a pinch, you marry your dear old cuz.
NOT! 
