Cousin Gail Myers has sent me another hugely important source on fourth great-grandma Martha Bennet Myers and her father, Thomas.
Charles Myers, a retired physician and distant cousin, published this book in 1993. Charles is a descendant of Philip Myers’ daughter Harriet, who married her cousin Madison Myers – son of Philip’s brother Michael – thus perpetuating the Myers surname in this maternal line. That makes Charles my fifth and sixth cousin. I am only a third of the way through the book, and am most impressed. It is very thoroughly researched, citing dozens of sources, carefully placing Bennet’s life and the history of the Wyoming settlement into a broader historical context.
Note that in this piece, Thomas’ surname is spelled with one “t.” Apparently, Thomas himself changed the spelling. However, in keeping with common 19th-century practice, the earlier sources I have been quoting paid no attention to that detail.
The work puts a great deal of flesh on the bones of the more genealogically oriented “Families of the Wyoming Valley …” which was my most extensive resource up until now. If you were fascinated by the quotes I posted in the series on Philip Myers, and on Thomas and Martha Bennett, I highly recommend this volume. It must be out of print, as copies (mainly used) are widely available but rather expensive online. However, it should be available at your local library, either in their own collection or by inter-library loan. Look for some brief quotes here in the near future.
Chris Myers
Jun 26, 2010
Thanks for the info on being 2nd cousins and all about Stephen Crane!
Can you dig anything more about his lineage? Maybe his connection to South Dakota?
Lois Larson Hall
Aug 12, 2010
George, I need an explanation about how cousin-ship is determined. I don’t understand the “twice-removed, 3 times removed, etc.” The early-on explanation given me was that my parent’s first cousin (i.e. Orrin Moen, or Mary Ann Larson), becomes our second cousin. The cousin’s children (same generation as us) become third cousins, (i.e. Orrin’s kids, or Mary Ann’s kids) by virtue of sharing same great-grandparent. In examples above that would be Anna’s or Isaac’s parents as our common great-grandparent. I think this version of reckoning must be either way too simplified, or it’s an out-of-vogue way of reckoning relationships. HELP shed some light on this for me!
George
Aug 12, 2010
That is an excellent question. No,”nth” cousins and cousins “removed” are two separate parameters. Early in my life I was told the same as you, but it is not correct.
“Removed” refers to a sort of generation-gap, so Orrin, Mary Ann, Harvey Larson, even Larry Larson, who is your age, but they are of the previous generation, instead of second cousins, are our first cousins, once removed. It is their children, Lowell, Caroll, etc. who are in the same generation as us, so they are second cousins (not removed). Their children are our second cousins, once removed, in other words, the common ancestors (Ole Larson & wife – oops, some of these are half-cousins) are great-grandparents to one party and 2nd great-grandparents to the other. Here is a good explanation: http://www.genealogy.com/16_cousn.html.
So in my extreme example, Stephen Crane, his grandmother was sister of my 3rd great-grandfather, so the common ancestors are Philip Myers and Martha Bennett, who are his great-grandparents (hence “second cousin”), and my 4th great, hence we are three generations removed.
Thanks for asking 🙂
Lois Larson Hall
Aug 16, 2010
Wonderful explanation. I think I finally “get it.” Thanks!
Philip’s Brother Michael? « Ole's Blog
Aug 28, 2010
[…] Myers (brother of Philip) is the great-great grandfather of Dr. Charles Myers, author of “A Connecticut Yankee in Penn’s Woods: the Life and Times of Thomas Bennet.” Michael Myers is not my direct ancestor, but I am keenly interested in finding anything out […]