Dozens of Cousins; Blue Genes, Horse Thieves, and Other Relative Surprises in Your Family Tree [Paperback]

Lois Horowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Just what is a third cousin twice removed? And who removed him, anyway? How is it possible that Princess Diana had more than 20 million distant American cousins? Is it really true we're all related? Expert researcher, author, and librarian Lois Horowitz explores family trees from roots to branches, revealing not only how genealogical relationships work but also how can be surprisingly more interesting -- and complex -- than you might think. Not just another how-to book on tracing your roots, "Dozens Of Cousins" is an investigation of genealogy itself. If you've ever pondered the truth of your family's fabled kinship to Thomas Jefferson -- or infamous connection to Billy the kid -- "Dozens Of Cousins" shows what it's all about.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080383
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080385
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A valuable addition to the genealogy literature., October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dozens of Cousins; Blue Genes, Horse Thieves, and Other Relative Surprises in Your Family Tree (Paperback)

Lois Horowitz has written an entertaining and highly informative tome showing how nearly all of us are distantly related to one another. In my experience as both a genealogist and as a reference librarian, most family history researchers understandably limit their searches to one or two ancestral lines, usually those bearing their own parents' surnames. But if they were to embark on an exhaustive search for all of their ancestors, they'd probably need an additional lifetime. Mathematically, in each generation the number of unrelated direct ancestors doubles. Each of us has two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, etc. If we follow this geometric progression far enough back, we'll eventually have more ancestors than the world had people! Horowitz shows how the actual number of ancestors is considerably smaller, yet remains a significantly large number, because of the presence of related ancestors (e.g., cousins, multiple marriages, in-law marriages). In addition, she provides an excellent introduction to family history research, including the use of electronic sources.

W. Robert Chapman, Reference Librarian, Hartford (CT) Public Library

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beginning genealogists, April 30, 2000

By 

Christopher Sundita - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dozens of Cousins; Blue Genes, Horse Thieves, and Other Relative Surprises in Your Family Tree (Paperback)

What Lois Horowitz does in this book is explain the kinds of complex relationships with one's ancestors and relatives. She explains what exactly a "3rd cousin, thrice removed" is, how many ancestors one can have, and what inbreeding can do to your family tree. Along with her simple explanations, she uses easy-to-understand charts. She also gives tips on interviewing relatives and what (not) to believe in public records. Lois briefly describes what to expect at genealogical "paradises" such as the National Archives or the Latter-Day Saints' Family History Centers. Although they're very interesting, the trivia on the margins of the pages are rather distracting All in all, I'd say that this book is decent in providing tips and background info to beginners.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting as well as helpful when doing relationships, November 2, 1999

By 

Mary M. Andrews (Manteca, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dozens of Cousins; Blue Genes, Horse Thieves, and Other Relative Surprises in Your Family Tree (Paperback)

Ms. Horowitz did a good job explaining how one generation is related to another within a family tree. The information helps the reader understand direct (and not so direct) realtionships within families. You begin to see how we are all related the more we go back in time and history. You can see why we all make up the "family of man".