Skip to main content
Inside Edition Homepage
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Flashback
    • Royals
    • Coronavirus
    • Inspirational
  • Video
  • Investigative
  • The Issue
  • Offbeat
  • More
    • Animal Edition
    • Photos
    • Heroes
    • Inside Edition InDepth
    • Sports
  • Watch on TV
    • Local Listings
    • Meet the Team
    • Today on Inside Edition
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • Reddit

Kissing Cousins: The States Where Marrying Your Relative Is Legal

News
Wed, 11/07/2018 - 08:40 -
51 View Slideshow ⟶
Stock image

Emily Dickinson once said, “The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care.”

So what happens when what the heart wants is generally considered taboo? Many may raise an eyebrow to the idea of marrying their cousin, but the practice was long considered commonplace for those entrenched in communities over the course of several generations.

Between 1650 and 1850, the average married couple was fourth cousins, meaning they shared the same great-great-great grandparents, research shows. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, were fifth cousins once removed, while notable figures Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin married their own first cousins. 

Though it is less common now, marriage of some form between first cousins is legal in many of America's 50 states. Think you know where your state falls on such laws? Click through to find out!
 

marriage

Latest News

Larry King, Legendary Broadcaster and Talk Show Host, Dies at 87

‘Patient Zero’ Lost Most of His Fingers to COVID-19 Caught on Ski Trip Last Year. Now He’s Back on the Slopes.

About Us

  • Meet the Team
  • Awards
  • Contact

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Google+
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • Advertise with Us

Watch Inside Edition

  • Local Listings
  • Submit a Story

Sites We Love

  • CBS News
  • TV Guide
  • TV.com
  • The Drew Barrymore Show
  • ETonline
  • Metacritic
  • Last.fm
  • Metrolyrics
  • Rachael Ray Show
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Mobile User Agreement | Closed Captioning | Video Services Policy | Ad Choices | California Privacy/Info We Collect | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | In Partnership with ETonline. CBS interactive © 2021 Inside Edition Inc. All Rights Reserved.