Tools
Here are some handy conversion tables and tools for genealogical research.
Consanguinity Chart
Who are all these cousins anyway? Use this chart to identify relationships between you and your relatives. Start with Self. Each row is a generation. Move down to identify children. Move across to identify brothers, sisters, and cousins. Move diagonally upward to identify parents. For example, first cousins are children of your grandparents' children. A cousin once removed is one generation before or after your own. GG means Great-Grand. rem means removed.
| 4th GG Parents | ||||||
| 3rd GG Parents | 3rd GG uncles/aunts | |||||
| 2nd GG Parents | 2nd GG uncles/aunts | 1st Cousins 4 rem | ||||
| GG Parents | GG uncles/aunts | 1st Cousins 3 rem | 2nd Cousins 3 rem | |||
| Grandparents | Grand-uncles/aunts | 1st Cousins 2 rem | 2nd Cousins 2 rem | 3rd Cousins 2 rem | ||
| Parents | Uncles/Aunts | 1st Cousins 1 rem | 2nd Cousins 1 rem | 3rd Cousins 1 rem | 4th Cousins 1 rem | |
| Self | Brothers/Sisters | 1st Cousins | 2nd Cousins | 3rd Cousins | 4th Cousins | 5th Cousins |
| Children | Nephews/Nieces | 1st Cousins 1 rem | 2nd Cousins 1 rem | 3rd Cousins 1 rem | 4th Cousins 1 rem | 5th Cousins 1 rem |
| Grandchildren | Grandnephews/nieces | 1st Cousins 2 rem | 2nd Cousins 2 rem | 3rd Cousins 2 rem | 4th Cousins 2 rem | 5th Cousins 2 rem |
| GG children | GG nephews/nieces | 1st Cousins 3 rem | 2nd Cousins 3 rem | 3rd Cousins 3 rem | 4th Cousins 3 rem | 5th Cousins 3 rem |
Soundex Codes
Surnames in the United States federal census records are often encoded. This encoding, call the soundex code, is based on the way a name sounds rather than how it's spelled. This simplifies searching the census records, which generally have wide variations in spelling for the same surname.
Use this form to convert a surname to a soundex code. Use the code when searching census records from 1880 onward. I recommend trying different first letters for a surname. Sometimes the transcriptionist may mistake a P for a D, for example.
Date Calculations
Here are some calendar date functions useful in genealogical research.
Pennsylvania Counties
If you are researching places in Pennsylvania, it is helpful to know how county boundaries have changed since 1682. View an animated history of Pennsylvania Counties.
Contact: Mike Voisin