Kith and Kin: What Is a Collateral Relative?

Sign up for the Family Tree Newsletter! Plus, you’ll receive our 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms PDF as a special thank you.

Get Your Free Genealogy Forms

"*" indicates required fields

Q. I am a total novice as far as family trees go, and I need to know exactly what a “collateral relative” is. A. A collateral relative is any relative who is not your ancestor. You’ll sometimes see the words ancestor and relative used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing: Ancestors are the people View Website VIP Subscription

Strategies