Spencer

Thanks, Jerry.  That is a remarkably candid, thoughtful and informative post.  I'm going to think about your points for a while -- let them marinate -- and then reply further.

 

Spencer

I haven't proposed an algorithm to calculate CLOSENESS.

 

DSH

Consanguinity is a pre-DNA concept of closeness by blood lines. At that distance, the shared blood is so small that the difference between them, if any, is insignificant and neither is very much closer than a random person. Look up "consanguinity" in Wikipedia.

 

Actually, RELATEDNESS is a far broader and deeper category than just DNA-mongering.

 

So is CLOSENESS.  You are using CONSANGUINITY as a RED HERRING here.

 

RELATEDNESS has components of CULTURE, AFFINITY, "LOOKS", HABITS, "FAMILY HISTORY", et cetera.

 

Of COURSE the Scientific Component is important and should be cultivated.

 

But just because someone is, say, a 7th cousin, twice removed, but was born in the same region as the Root Person, had similar formative experiences, may have attended the same schools and universities, et cetera, should then be rejected because the "SHARED BLOOD QUOTIENT" is too small ---- is a severely fallacious concept.

 

Further,  RootsMagic 7 is so good at DISPLAYING these OTHER components of RELATEDNESS.  Particularly with FACTS and NOTES -- far better than any other genealogical program I have found.

 

RootsMagic ENCOURAGES NOTES.  Medical Notes, Military Notes, Birth Notes, Death Notes, Career Notes, Make Your Own Category Notes,  TEXT -- which is what literate people use.

 

I have huge chunks of TEXT in my primary database -- RootsMagic's UI is most useful in doing that -- logical, intuitive and robust.

No Joy...

 

Well, you can see it clearly here:

 

https://en.wikipedia...of_relationship

 

DSH

Degree of
relationship Relationship Coefficient of
relationship ® 0 identical twins; clones 100%^[3] (1) 1 parent–offspring^[4] 50% (2⁻¹) 2 full siblings 50% (2⁻²+2⁻²) 2 3/4 siblings or sibling–cousins 37.5% (2⁻²+2⁻³) 2 grandparent–grandchild 25% (2⁻²) 2 half siblings 25% (2⁻²) 3 aunt/uncle–nephew/niece 25% (2⋅2⁻³) 4 double first cousins 25% (4⋅2⁻⁴) 3 great grandparent–great grandchild 12.5% (2⁻³) 4 first cousins 12.5% (2⋅2⁻⁴) 6 quadruple second cousins 12.5% (8⋅2⁻⁶) 6 triple second cousins 9.38% (6⋅2⁻⁶) 4 half-first cousins 6.25% (2⁻⁴) 5 first cousins once removed 6.25% (2⋅2⁻⁵) 6 double second cousins 6.25% (4⋅2⁻⁶) 6 second cousins 3.13% (2⋅2⁻⁶) 8 third cousins 0.78% (2⋅2⁻⁸) 10 fourth cousins 0.20% (2⋅2⁻¹⁰)^[5]
 

Here's that chart more clearly expressed.  I hope it comes through this time.

 

Spencer