How it works
What does the removed in once removed count, and what do the letters N.M.N. mean on an old form? These genealogy trivia questions and answers are about how a family is traced, with the source linked beside each answer.
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Genealogy trivia questions for a family history society
Cousins, removes and kin untangles removes, double cousins and half cousins. Where surnames come from runs from Smith and Baker to Iceland, Wales and old French Canada. Census, registers and old records asks how long census pages stay sealed and who ordered the parish registers.
Charts and the words on old papers
Family trees, charts and numbers covers the ahnentafel, the fan chart and pedigree collapse. Words on wills, graves and arms is for anyone who has read an old will: intestate, executor, probate and epitaph.
- At a family reunion, play Cousins, removes and kin with the family tree on the table.
Questions and answers
What are some easy genealogy trivia questions?
What does née before a surname tell you? Which shape stands for a female on a pedigree chart? What are birth, marriage and death certificates called together? The answers are her surname at birth, a circle and vital records.
What does first cousin once removed mean?
Removed counts a difference in generations. Your first cousin's child is your first cousin once removed, and so is your parent's first cousin. With no remove stated, the two cousins are of the same generation.
Why is the 1890 census missing?
Most of its records were lost after a fire in the Commerce Department building in Washington on January 10, 1921. The loss led to loud calls for a permanent National Archives.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 9, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article linked beside it: 33 articles, Cousin the most used. Living people, firms that sell DNA tests and head counts that a new census changes were left out.