Genealogy is always likely to bring surprises as you search through the records of your ancesters. One of the most startling to first-time genealogists is the discovery of one of your family's cousins marrying another cousin. My first reaction when I found this issue in my own genealogy was sheer horror: what have I uncovered and should I proceed any further: perhaps let sleeping dogs lie as they say? The correct term for this bonding is "consanguinity" and it comes from "con" meaning shared and "sanguis" meaning "blood".

The good news is that in Australia, like many other countries, it is quite legal to marry your cousin, and brings no shame nor major concerns - this issue was quite common, especially in the 1800's and early 1900's, and if you research hard enough, it is possible that you may have this union tucked away in your genealogical records. In many rural locations, our ancestors lived and died after a lifetime in the same place. Depending on the population of the location, it may have been very difficult to find a partner.

Australian law also extends to an uncle and niece, or an aunt and nephew.

It should be remembered that related parents are more likely than unrelated parents to have children with health problems or genetic disorders but overall, most related parents will have healthy children.