Help with cousin relationship please

[Davedrave]

I am afraid that I’m pretty hopeless at working out family relationships (I have never had uncles or cousins) and usually rely on a family member, who is currently away, to help me. I need help with a “cousin” in a will of 1820.

Richard Lea, son of John Lea and Ann nee Binley, refers to his “cousin John Stratton” who seems to have married a sister of Richard. Is this likely to be a real cousin relationship, a second cousin, or what and what do I need to look for to follow it up, i.e. would looking for Binleys help?

Dave

[Jool]

Hi Dave

If John STRATTON was a true first cousin of Richard LEA, then John would be the son of one of the siblings of either John LEA or Ann BINLEY.  As his surname is STRATTON (not LEA or BINLEY) then you are looking for a Miss LEA or a Miss BINLEY who married a Mr. STRATTON to find John's parents.

Hope that makes sense 

[Jool]

However, just to complicate things, he may not be a true first cousin 

https://www.genealogytoday.com/articles/reader.mv?ID=653

Quote:
"The most commonly misunderstood term is the word cousin. The meaning has changed over the years. In today's society, as a rule, a cousin is the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt. The word cousin also refers to a person who may be closely or distantly related through descent from a common ancestor.

In earlier times, particularly the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the word  cousin is used in many wills, deeds or guardianship records, may have a different meaning than in the modern sense. Cousin may refer to ANY relative who is not a brother, son, sister or daughter. A cousin may be a niece, nephew, aunt, uncle or any other close relative. The word cousin may lead to some dead end trails, if not properly investigated and documented."

[Davedrave]

Thank you Jool, I’ll start with the easy bit first then. Richard names nephews and I did find them to be the sons of his brothers (I can cope with nephews) so I do know that he wasn’t referring to them as “cousins”, which is encouraging!

Dave

[Jool]

Good luck and happy hunting 

[Chilternbirder]

In SWMBO's family her grandparents' generation had large families over long periods. "Cousin" or "uncle / aunt" depended on relative ages rather than strict definitions.

My cousin's daughters have always called my "uncle".

[Maiden Stone]

In SWMBO's family her grandparents' generation had large families over long periods.

Glossary:
SWIMBO = "She Who Must Be Obeyed"
(Don't want Dave any more confused than he is already) 

I have a will dated 1822. Testator was brother-in-law of my 4xGGF. They were also cousins of some degree and shared a surname. Newspaper announcement of the death in 1822 referred to the deceased as brother of my 4xGGF ( owner of a prominent local business). I was confused for a while, since my 4xGGF had a brother with the same name as the man who died in 1822 but my ancestor's brother died in infancy. Moreover, the testator had a brother with same name as my 4xGGF.    To complicate matters further, the testator and 4xGGF were related by marriage twice over. Testator married 4xGGF's sister. A few years later 4xGGF married testator's sister. I'm not sure if an executor of the will was testator's brother, nephew or grandson, as all had the same name. 
As if this wasn't complex enough, a daughter of 4xGGF married the great-grandson of a man who was probably great-uncle of 4xGGF. I calculated that married couple to have been 3rd cousins to each other. They may have been related in other ways too. It was probably simpler to call everyone cousin. 

[Davedrave]

Confused I certainly am

[iolaus]

I don't think that you can base anything on the word 'cousin', I will refer to many people as cousins, this may be my first cousins, their children - or any other level, one is my third cousin who we only met through genealogy

I even know people who refer to others as 'cousin' because it best describes their relationship with each other, but in reality their grandmothers were best friends who grew up next door to each other and they are no blood relation to each other,