Keepin' it in the family

Keepin’ It In The Family — 15 Famous People Who Shamefully Married Their Cousins

There was a time when marrying a cousin wasn’t quite the taboo it is today. In North America, cousins aren’t legally allowed to marry one another. The same rule doesn’t exist in other parts of the world though.
You might be shocked to see which famous names married their own family member. They might not all be first cousins, but the relationships will certainly make you queasy. Most of the time we don’t know the reason, but these stars did indeed marry a family member.

Charles and Emma were first cousins, but got married anyway. They also had 10 children together.

Intermarriage in the Royal family isn’t as uncommon as you might think. In fact, Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Phillip is actually her second cousin once removed.

Being the grandfather of JFK isn’t the only thing Fitzgerald is known for. Reports prove that he also married his second cousin, which apparently was the thing to do at the time.

In 1901, FDR and Eleanor met on a train to Tivoli, New York. FDR was Eleanor’s father’s fifth cousin. They eventually began a secret romance and were married four years later.

These two have one of the longest lasting marriages in Hollywood. You might not realize that they are actually 9th cousins, which they found out on a television program.

Times were different back then, but Poe and Clemm were first cousins when they got married. To make things even worse, Clemm was only XX when they said their vows.

Hussein’s (the former president of Iraq) marriage was arranged when he was only XXXXX years old. He was set to marry his first cousin. Their marriage lasted until his death.

The third president of the United States has many accomplishments, but some question his marriage. His wife was his second cousin and they had 6 children together.

Wells was a pretty famous writer in his time. What his loyal readers might not know is that he married his cousin, a relationship that only lasted 3 years.

Stravinsky was a very famous Russian composer. When he chose to marry his first cousin, the church looked down on the decision. They did get married and later had 4 children together.

Sorry, but no mention of any ages below 18 in this section. Neo

 

This former New York mayor was married to his wife for 14 years before discovering they were actually second cousins. He later filed for an annulment.

He might have been a genius, but perhaps didn’t make the best choice in a wife. Elsa was Albert’s second cousin on one side and first cousin on the other side. Talk about keeping it in the family!

These two were first cousins and very much in love. They were married for many years and had two children together.

Bach married his second cousin early in his musical career. The marriage lasted until his wife died 13 years later. The two had 7 children together in that short amount of time.

Myra was Jerry’s first cousin once removed. Despite his hugely popular music, his marriage tarnished his reputation a bit. On top of that she was only XX when they got married.

Sorry, but no mention of any ages below 18 in this section. Neo

 

I do not like the pic of the man holding the gun up to the girls head at all but they are both smiling unless he is forcing her too. Personally I think it should be removed.

 

Hey Long4sis,can I please delete pic #7? It really bothers me in more ways than one but I am not allowed to say why or I would be called a raicest. oops I let that slip out on purpose. I of course not one but that pic just makes me sick. YUCK!!!!!

Nothing bad on your part it just bothers the hell out of me.

 

I was about to mention that lol. A lot of states allow marriage between second cousins, even though people tend to get grossed out from it.

 

I'm with Allison. Please delete pic.

 

Thanks I missed those. Sorry about that, I will try and be more observant.

 

It's done...

 

The infamous friend fo Wyat Earp, Doc Holiday of Georgia,was reported to have assumed his cynicism because he had fallen in love with his first cousin and it was forbidden. It was evidently a mutual attraction and the caustic taboo caused enough distress for iim to completely turn against his profession and his family name. Another historical figure is General George S. Patton who moved his first cousin to England as his overt paramour during his WW II tour of duty in England. This was at great concern of his wife, back in the states at the time.

Thus we have documentation of two men with two different approaches to the same taboo; one because of it and the other in spite of it. I think the over-riding anchor in these discussions revolves around the issue of legal EFFECT. ie: in the middle 17th century America fornicating with farm animals carried the death penalty and there are documented cases of executions. The "taboo" of today is almost completely relegated to the issue of social censure instead of real punishment.

Interesting thread. Thank you-

 

This is really weird, why should it be forbidden to marry your own cousin? Nearly all country allows it and nearly all religions. Considering genetics, there's a very little chance that the child will receive some abnormality, according to wikipedia (but then again, the probability is very little considering couples with no family relationship).

 

Individual matings between cousins probably aren't too bad genetically. I think it's probably when it becomes more prevalent in a family that negative traits will become more common.