Who are you related to?  This is the primary question people are trying to answer when they decide to create a family tree.  Sometimes, people are looking for links between their family and another.  It would be exciting to discover that you are related to someone who was famous, or someone who was royalty.  Before you can sit down and fill out your family tree, you need to understand the basics about who you are related to.

There are two main concepts to keep in mind when figuring out who you are related to. One thing to look for is people who share genetics with you.  This is sometimes referred to as “blood related”.  Another thing to determine is who each of the people that are genetically related to you married.  You are related to these people “by marriage”, or, they are considered to be “married into the family”.  This is important to find out because you may be genetically related to the children of these people.  There may be adopted children in your family tree, or, people who have been married more than once.

Each person you are related to has a specific term that describes his or her relationship to you.  Let’s start with the basics.  Genetically speaking, the woman and the man who conceived you are your Mother and Father.  All of the children produced by these two people are your siblings, and they are either called your Brother or your Sister.  If your siblings are adults, you may be related by marriage to their spouses.  These people would be called your Brother-In-Law, or your Sister-In-Law.  You are not genetically related to anyone who is called your “In-Law”.  Children produced from these marriages will be called either your Niece or Nephew, and you are genetically related to them.

Your Mother or your Father may have siblings of his or her own.  These people are either your Uncle or your Aunt, and you are genetically related to them.  If any of these people are married, their spouse will also be called either your Uncle or your Aunt.  You are related to these people “by marriage”, and not “by blood”.  All children produced from these marriages, are called your Cousins.  You use this term for both male and female Cousins.  All of your cousins are people that you are genetically related to.  From here, things will get more complex.