* Relationship in Ancestors Query

[Sallion]

My tree goes back a long way and I have some interesting relationships. I have one woman who is both my great (x18) grandmother from her first marriage and my great (x16) grandmother from her second marriage. She is shown correctly as my great (x16) grandmother on the Ancestors query as is her second husband. Her first husband, however, is shown as great (x16) grandmother's husband not great (x18) grandfather as I would have expected. This is the standard Ancestors query with no changes. How does the Relationship function decide what is the closest relationship? Is this just based on number of generations rather than blood?

[tatewise]

Relationships are only direct relationships according to database family links.
However, it treats adoptive, foster, or step relationships as direct links even though they are not blood relatives.
Then it uses the least number of relationship links as the closest.
It also has a parameter that allows the 2nd, 3rd, etc, closest relationship links.

[Sallion]

RM did not get this correct either. It had the first husband down correctly as my eighteenth great grandfather but his son as my fifteenth great granduncle, not seventeenth great grandfather. I suppose it makes sense that it picks the fewest generations back as the closest link but it did look odd. Still it is a very useful query, it took me ages using multiple reports and spreadsheets to do something similar in RM.

[trevorrix]

Rather than using a query, have you tried Tools > How Related.. that shows the three closest relationships between the two people selected? Those relationship paths may then be viewed in a diagram using Display Graphically...