CousinCalc is a small program for the Apple iPhone that makes it very easy to determine the proper term for a relationship. Simply tap familiar relationship terms (like mother, sister, or aunt) just as if you were describing it to another person.
For example, to calculate the proper term for "my grandmother's sister's daughter," you simply tap Grandmother, Sister, and then Daughter and CousinCalc displays "First cousin once removed."
I downloaded CousinCalc and found that it is a small program that is very easy to use. It took about thirty seconds to figure out how to use it. I started by entering my own name, then was asked for "Next person is Dick's ..." and the options were father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew. I would select that on a new screen, asking for that person's name and then asking for the relationship of the next person. That continued on and on until I got to the relative I wanted and then the relationship between me and that relative was shown on the screen.
For instance, I entered my name, touched "father" and entered my father's name, then touched "father" and entered my father's father's name (that would be my grandfather), then touched "father" and entered my father's father's father's name (that would be my great-grandfather), then touched "son" and entered one of his son's names name (that would be my great-uncle), and so forth until I came to the last person in the "chain." That would be my first cousin, once removed, according to the display on CousinCalc.
You don't have to enter the names of each person but I found that reduces the confusion a bit. If you prefer, you can leave any or all of the names blank.
CousinCalc will calculate up to ten generations of separation.
It's a simple little program, easy to use, and handy for certain occasions. I suspect I'll use it at the next family reunion.
CousinCalc costs ninety-nine cents and is available at the Apple AppStore on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
