Cousins by marriage ?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 106556

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" <delwynmarch at y...>
wrote:
> 
> > OotP, Chapter 6, "The Most Noble And Ancient House Of Black":
> > 
> > "'Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like 
> > my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for 
> > them on here - if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's
> > the Weasleys.'"

  
> Eris wrote :
> > So Molly was the one who married into the Weasleys, obviously, 
> > since she's a Prewett.  And Arthur was the blood relative 
> > (although I'm not too clear on how this 'once removed' business 
> > works). 


 
> Del replies :
> I disagree. The way Sirius said it, just after explaining that all
> the pureblood families are inter-related and that this means that 
> the choice of partner is very limited if your kids are to be 
> pure-bloods too, I take it to mean that *both* Molly and Arthur are 
> bloodrelatives to Sirius.
> 
> Thanks for the explanation about second cousins though !!
> 
> Del

Asian_lovr2:

I don't think I can add new insight, but hopefully I can lend some
perspective.

Everybody's Black-

The statement that ALL pure-blood families are inter-related is a
broad generalization, and while techincally true,  does not
necessarily have to have any significants.

When we discussed geneology in the distant past someone on this group
(I think it was here) pointed out that they were (something like)
4,000 in line for the Throne of England. (Would that help you get a
table in a fancy restaurant?) In the same sense that someone could say
they are 1/4 French, this person could say they are 1/4000-th royal.
That may not be accurate from a geneological/mathimatical perspective,
but it serves my illustration. 

Now, if you were 1/4 French, you could rightfully claim some French
heritage, but if you are 1/4000th French, your claim to heritage is a
stretch. If you are 3999/4000th German and 1/4000th French, forget it,
you are German.

It's possible that many many many generations back there was some
intersection of the Black and (Molly) Prewett family trees, that gave
Molly some trace of Black blood. But once it becomes sufficiently
distant, it becomes insignificant. And the more recent connection by
marriage certainly overrides some ancient and distant blood connection.

So, it's not a question of which is true (blood or marraige), both can
be true, it's a question of which is significant.

Next, it does seem unclear whether Molly is related to the Blacks 'by
marriage' because of her marriage to Arthur, or if the connection is
in some other part of her family and unrelated to Arthur. I read it as
a connection separate from her marriage to Arthur.

Another thought, if all pure-blood families are inter-related, and we
assume that Prewett's are a pure-blood family, that means Molly and
Arthur were related /before/ they got married. But again, the question
is, is it a significant relationship. And again, the answer is that
once the blood connection becomes sufficiently THIN, it becomes
insignificant.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/asian_lovr2