Before 1750, most Americans found an SO within 6 miles from home

[Kaido]

http://www.newsweek.com/worlds-bigg...ns-13-million-people-and-it-shows-when-827893

Among many intriguing insights, the family tree shines a light on shifting patterns of marriage and migration over time. For example, before 1750, most Americans found a spouse within six miles of their birthplace. However, after 1950 this distance had increased to around 60 miles, the researchers said.

In addition, before 1850, marrying a relatively close family member was common—on average people wedded their fourth cousin. Previously, it was thought that people in the West stopped marrying their close relatives due to the impact of improved transport networks, which caused people to be born further away from their extended families.

However, the data showed that for a 50-year period between 1800 and 1850, people travelled further than ever before to find a spouse—around 12 miles on average—yet were more likely to marry a fourth cousin.

In light of this, the researchers suggest that people stopped marrying their fourth cousins not due to increased mobility between different regions, but because the practice became less socially acceptable.

 

[ctbaars]

16 miles

 

[ImpulsE69]

8 miles

 

[FeuerFrei]

399 miles

Wasn't too convenient. But that's why God created the internet.

Link to article is broken

 

[Darwin333]

I doubt that any of us would know if a girl was a 4th cousin.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I doubt that any of us would know if a girl was a 4th cousin.

I mean, really ... who'd ever be aware. Sounds like researchers are struggling to fault our ancestors.

 

[shortylickens]

Did you see that girl in The Witch?

I'd spouse the ever loving shit out of her.

 

[IronWing]

I met a cute girl about a mile from my home. We got to talking and she mentioned that her cousin attended the same HS I did. Yep, her cousin was my second cousin.

There are seven hundred miles between my wife's birthplace and mine.

 

[Rumpltzer]

6947 miles

Distance to my favorite cousin is 6933 miles

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Of course back then marrying someone from New Jersey was not as bad as it is now.

 

[lxskllr]

About 30 miles. I think I'd have done better with a cousin :^/

 

[IronWing]

6947 miles

Distance to my favorite cousin is 6933 miles

Seems pretty straight forward, fourteen miles is fourteen miles.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I mean, really ... who'd ever be aware. Sounds like researchers are struggling to fault our ancestors.

I don't think they're trying to "fault" anyone, they're just looking at the data and then suggesting reasons for it. They specifically said they think people started marrying that close because it became less socially acceptable.

If I'm not mistaken, they've shown that even marrying very close isn't as damaging as they used to believe (and that there were probably a lot of other factors, like leaded makeup or other things that would have affected say royal families having so much issues).

 

[pete6032]

I wouldn't date anyone that lived more than 10 miles away from me, but I live in the middle of Chicago. so.

 

[Mai72]

What's NJ to Thailand? That's like 8,556 miles.

lol.

 

[ultimatebob]

About 64 miles for me. She didn't really pay attention to the mileage limits on her online dating site

 

[Kaido]

Link to article is broken

Edited thanks

 

[BoomerD]

TECHNICALLY, there wasn’t an “America” in 1750....

 

[sandorski]

I met a cute girl about a mile from my home. We got to talking and she mentioned that her cousin attended the same HS I did. Yep, her cousin was my second cousin.

.....

...and now you can't keep Tide Pods in the house....

 

[Charmonium]

I met a cute girl about a mile from my home. We got to talking and she mentioned that her cousin attended the same HS I did. Yep, her cousin was my second cousin.

There are seven hundred miles between my wife's birthplace and mine.

Second cousins were cool I believe. I think they drew the line at first cousins. I had thought that the term kissing cousins applied to anyone ranked second or higher but apparently the meaning is more generic now and means any relative it's appropriate to kiss.

Of course back then marrying someone from New Jersey was not as bad as it is now.

I resemble that remark. Although technically I'm not from NJ. I've just lived (in a manner of speaking) here for most of my life.

 

[Exterous]

Looks like 10 miles for us.

Had a friend start dating someone he met at his brothers wedding. She was his fourth cousin and we gave him no end of shit over that

 

[kage69]

987 miles for us.

 

[shortylickens]

TECHNICALLY, there wasn’t an “America” in 1750....

Amerigo Vespucci lived from 1454 to 1512. You dumbass.

 

[BoomerD]

Amerigo Vespucci lived from 1454 to 1512. You dumbass.

And? Amerigo is not the same as America...you moron.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Nothing has changed. There are still sexy singles in my area dying to meet me.