Daily AncestorConsanguinity
Consanguinity means kinship by blood; church marriage records use it, with a degree number, to note that a bride and groom were related by descent.
From 1215 the Catholic Church barred marriage within the fourth degree of blood kinship unless a dispensation was granted. Under the church's way of counting, siblings are in the first degree and first cousins in the second.
Civil law in many places counted differently, with first cousins in the fourth degree. Always check which system a record uses before you place a couple on the family tree.
As seen in a recordCatholic marriage register, Louisiana, 1700s to 1800s
Disp. 2nd degree consanguinity (first cousins), Jean Thibodeau & Rose Thibodeau
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Consanguinity." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/consanguinity. Last checked 2026-10-03.