When Branches Intertwine

When dancing with the ancestors cousin relationships might well drive you to drink. My cousin's son is not my 2nd Cousin. Rather, he's my First Cousin 1 x Removed. 

Joseph Bryan Reid is my 5th Cousin 2 x Removed. He was my Grandmother Mary Willie Boone-Sweat's 5th Cousin. Confused yet?

Well, so am I! Ha!

Not only is Joseph Bryan Reid my 5th Cousin 2 x Removed on one line, he's that way on another line. This happens when branches intertwine on the family tree. No, it's not first cousins marrying first cousins. So far, I haven't found any of that in all my research, but I have found where cousins have married. 

With Joseph Bryan Reid there are two branches/descents in his tree that combine with my tree: Thomas and Mary (Aisquith) Hagan and McKelvie and Ann (Williams) Hammett. Thomas and Mary are my 7 x Great Grandparents and McKelvie and Ann are my 6 x Great Grandparents . . . on two separate branches that merge together with the marriage of their descendants Victor Ivo Boone and Mary Willie Watson (my great grandparents).

Okay, really there's three, but it gets really complicated, so, I'm going to stick with the simple version for now.

It went something like this . . .

Thomas and Mary (Aisquith) went forth, were fruitful and multiplied. Boy, did they multiply. I have descent from three of their multitude of children, but, for this post . . . I'm going to simplify to one child, but then branch out a bit since that's where my tree connects with Joseph Bryan Reid's tree.

Thomas Hagan - Mary Aisquith

Thomas Hagan - Sarah Mudd

    James Hagan - Monica Johnson

Tabitha Hagan - Enoch Hagan                          Clement Phillip Hagan - Mary Ann Miles

Rosena Hagan - William Henry Boone    Thomas Sidney Hagan - Mary Amanda Edelen

Miles Boone - Rosa Jane Duvall                             Angelah Hagan - David Alexander Reid 

Victor Ivo Boone - Mary Willie Watson              John Bryan Reid - Mary Estelle Greenwell 

Mary Willie Boone                                          Joseph Bryan Reid

So, now you see where the trees were once one, but then split off into two. Tabitha Hagan and Clement Phillip Hagan were brother and sister.

In another interesting note on this cousin relationship, is the descent from Thomas Hagan and Mary Aisquith that leads to William Henry Boone. It goes something like this . . .

Thomas Hagan - Mary Aisquith

Thomas Hagan - Sarah Mudd

Benjamin Hagan - Monica Blandford

Elizabeth Hagan - Walter Boone

William Henry Boone - Rosena Hagan

But, as you know if you've been paying attention so far, there's another connection between Joseph Bryan Reid and me, since the other Grandparents we have in common are McKelvie Hammett and Ann Williams. That little descent goes something like this . . .

McKelvie Hammett & Ann Williams

Elizabeth Hammett - William Proctor Ballard              Susannah Hammett - James Cissell 

John Ballard - Elizabeth Nalley                          Elizabeth Cissell - James Madison Ballard

Charlotte Ballard - James Johnson                  Mary Helena Ballard - William Greenwell

Annie Johnson - Richard Hilary Watson      Thomas Greenwell - Mary Rose Mattingly

Mary Willie Watson - Victor Ivo Boone          Mary Estelle Greenwell - John Bryan Reid

Mary Willie Boone                                       Joseph Bryan Reid

Nope, not done yet, because, there's a second connection on this tree through William Proctor Ballard and his sons John Ballard and James Madison Ballard, both of who played a role in the respective descents of Mary Willie Boone and Joseph Bryan Reid. And, since I'm noting the cousin relationships, Charlotte Ballard and May Helena Ballard were first cousins, which means that Annie Johnson and Thomas Greenwell were . . . First Cousins 1 x Removed! Woo hoo!

To say that the children and grandchildren of both Mary Willie and Joseph Bryan are cousins, is quite the simplification, since we're/they're actual cousins on more than one level! Whew!

So, when dancing with the ancestors and trying to keep track of the cousin relationship, well, good luck with that lovely task.